Habakkuk 1

Background

Habakkuk is written during a tumultuous time in both the history of Judah, as well as world-history

-The Northern Kingdom had been swept away a little over a hundred years earlier by the most powerful force in the world, Assyria

-Assyria had come close to doing the same to Judah

-Only the powerful hand of Yahweh killing 185,000 soldiers in one night during the reign of Hezekiah prevented it

-After Hezekiah, Judah experienced its worst king yet

-Manasseh reigned for 55 years, promoting idolatry and shedding innocent blood throughout the land

-Even though he repented near the end of his life, it seemed to do little in turning the tide of sinfulness in Judah

-His son Amon was not much better, reigning only 2 years and walking in the ways of his father

-Thankfully, after Amon died, Judah was mercifully blessed with maybe the best king in their history

-Josiah zealously sought to rid the land of idolatry and to honor Yahweh in all that he did

-He instituted sweeping religious reforms throughout the land

-He was not in any way half-hearted in anything he did for the Lord, truly seeking the Lord with all his heart

-But Josiah died a premature death in battle, and shortly after his death, the land plunged into spiritual darkness once again during the reign of his sons

-It’s during this time that the prophet Habakkuk most likely recorded his revelation from Yahweh

-The outrage and sorrow over the sin of his people bursts through in the first few verses of this book

-The whole-hearted obedience to God that was exemplified in the reign of Josiah seemed like a distant memory

-The people had quickly forgotten Yahweh and the righteous living that He required of His people

-Also during this time, the Assyrians had lost much of their power

-They were becoming weaker and weaker on the world stage

-During their demise, Egypt remained a force to be reckoned with

-But a greater concern than Egypt was the Babylonians

-Their influence was growing around this time in world history, and within the next 25-40 years, they would take over the known world

Habakkuk stands in the middle of this world that seems to be shifting in massive ways

-Almost like an actor who stands in the middle of a stage as the backdrops completely shift and change

-His nation has gone from good king to bad king

-The people are living in rebellion to Yahweh

-The empires of the world are rising and falling around him with the lives of thousands in the balance

-Habakkuk is going to question God

-He’s going to bring his concerns to God

-And the reason he’s going to do this is because the things that are going on around him don’t seem to line up with what he knows to be true about the character of God

-And so he’s going to boldly question and challenge God and wait for His answer

1:1-4

Vs. 2

-Habakkuk asks God why He is silent?

- “Why does it seem that you don’t hear me?”

-He asks God why He doesn’t pay attention to the violence and injustice going on around him?

- “God, why don’t you hear my prayers about the sinfulness going on around me?”