Habakkuk: Introduction-Theology of the book of Habakkuk

The theology of Habakkuk is rich.

First, the book declares the God of Israel’s sovereignty over Israel and all the nations of the earth.

In Habakkuk 1:5-11, God asserts His sovereign will over the nation of Babylon and Judah by declaring that He would use the former to judge the latter, which was His covenant people.

Then, in Habakkuk 2:2-20, the Lord asserts that He will judge the Babylonians eventually.

In Habakkuk 3:1-15, we have the vision of the Divine Warrior which describes the Lord as sovereign over all creation and every creature.

The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction.

As applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will or wills (cf. Is. 40:15, 17; Dan. 2:19-23.

The apostle Paul also taught that the nations receive their time and place as a result of the sovereignty of God (Acts 17:22-34).

Psalm 66:7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. (NASB95)

Habakkuk also describes the God of Israel as intervening in the affairs of mankind and in particular the remnant of Judah since God asserts that He will indeed judge the individuals in the kingdom of Judah who were unrepentantly disobedient to the Mosaic Law as well as the Babylonians themselves.

This is called the “immanency” of God.

The immanency of God means that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the lives of members of the human race, both saved and unsaved.

The book of Habakkuk also deals with the subject of idolatry, which is indicated by the Lord’s condemnation of this practice by the Babylonians in Habakkuk 2:18-20.

Idolatry is a violation of the first and second commandments of the Ten Commandments which are recorded in written form for Israel in Exodus 20:3-4.

They are also written on the hearts of every human being whether regenerate or unregenerate according to Paul’s teaching in Romans 2:14-15.

In Romans 1:18-23, Paul describes the entire human race as involved in idolatry. Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols.

Idolatry is the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself. Scores of references to idolatry appear in the Old Testament.

Joshua 24:2 states that Abraham’s father served idols.

The most noteworthy instance of idolatry in the history of Israel was Aaron’s making of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex 32:1-4).

Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols, or the worship of false gods by means of idols but came to mean among the Old Testament Hebrews any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise or the worship of the Lord through visible symbols (Hos 8:5-6; 10:5).

Idolatry is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God alone, but also is putting anything ahead of your relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

The book of Habakkuk also alludes to the God of Israel’s wrath or we can say His righteous indignation, which refers to His legitimate anger towards evil and sin since both are contrary to His holiness or perfect character and nature.

In fact, God’s righteous indignation expresses His holiness, which pertains to the absolute perfection of God’s character.

The fact that God informs Habakkuk that He will indeed judge the individuals in his nation who were unrepentantly disobedient to the Mosaic Law as well as the Babylonians is an expression of this righteous indignation and thus a manifestation of His holiness.

God’s holiness is expressing the purity of His character or moral perfection and excellence and means that God can have nothing to do with sin or sinners.

He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

The presence of evil, sin and injustice is totally absent in the character of God, thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles.

God’s holiness refers to the absolute perfection of His character, expressing His purity of His character or moral perfection and excellence and intolerance and opposition and rejection of sin and evil, thus God is totally separate from sin and sinners.

Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of His divine attributes or in other words, it is simply the harmony of all His perfections or attributes.

Therefore, God’s wrath, which is in reality, righteous indignation is an expression of His holiness, righteousness and love in opposition to sin and evil.

God’s wrath or righteous indignation is used of God’s settled opposition to and displeasure against sin meaning that God’s holiness cannot and will not coexist with sin in any form whatsoever.

It is not the momentary, emotional, and often uncontrolled anger to which human beings are prone and does not refer to an explosive outburst but rather it refers to an inner, deep resentment that seethes and smolders, often unnoticed by others as in the case of God’s wrath.

God hates sin so much and loves the sinner so much that He judged His Son Jesus Christ for every sin in human history-past, present and future and provided deliverance from sin through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

The only way to avoid God’s righteous indignation is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:36).

Connected to God’s holiness and righteousness indignation is that God is the Supreme Judge of mankind since the book of Habakkuk asserts that the God of Israel will judge those in Judah who were living in unrepentant disobedience to the Mosaic Law as well as the unrepentant heathen Babylonian nation.

God has authority to judge since He is the creator.

The Scriptures teach of God’s status as judge (Psalm 75:7; cf. Psalm 50:6; 76:8-9; Ecclesiastes 11:9; Isaiah 33:22; 66:16; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:23; James 4:12).

God is judge over the whole of creation.

He judges the inhabitants of the earth (Genesis 18:25; cf. Psalm 9:8; 58:11; 82:8; 94:2; 96:13; 98:9).

God judges every individual (Ezekiel 33:20; cf. Ecclesiastes 3:17; Hebrews 9:27; 1 Peter 4:5; Jude 15; Revelation 20:12).

He judges the nations (Joel 3:12; cf. Psalm 9:19-20; 110:6; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 3:8).

God judges rulers of nations (Isaiah 40:23; Jeremiah 25:17-27; Revelation 6:15-17).

He also judges His own people in the sense that He disciplines them as His children (Hebrews 10:30; cf. Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 78:62; Jeremiah 1:16; 1 Peter 4:17).

God will judge the fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

He judges Satan (Genesis 3:14-15; Matthew 25:41; 1 Timothy 3:6; Revelation 20:10).

The book of Habakkuk describes the God of Israel as a God of deliverance or salvation in Habakkuk 3:13 and 18.

Another important theological subject we find in the book of Habakkuk is faith since God instructs Habakkuk that in the midst of evil people, the righteous person must live by their faith in Him.

Habakkuk 2:1 I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 2 And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (ESV)