INTRODUCTION
A study of the prophets of the Old Testament is refreshing. The
lessons of faith and holiness is demanded in every age.
The problems and pain that the prophets spoke of is as timely as the
headlines of the daily newspapers.
The message of the prophets are vital and informative in our understanding of the Bible.
Rom. 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning,
that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have
hope.
These inspired men revealed God and his dealings with man in a very
vivid fashion. We will gain and be profited by a study of
Habakkuk.
II Tim. 3:16-17 Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of
God
may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
The book of Habakkuk presents the prophet questioning God. Habakkuk
is clearly confused about the conditions that prevailed during this time.
THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
God is the author but Habakkuk is the penman and spokesman. Nothing Habakkuk revealed originated with him.
II Pet.1:20-21 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture
is of private interpretation. For no
prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved
by
the Holy Spirit.
The name of the book is Habakkuk after the writer and prophet.
The name Habakkuk means "embracer," This is not in a romantic sense. Habakkuk is used in a comforting sense.
The book is a great book of comfort. Comfort in probably the most needed balm for problems of distress.
Habakkuk may have been a Levite, of the priestly tribe of Israel.
Perhaps an illusion to is concerns " his walking at the holy or
high place of God".
Hab. 3:19 Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength; And he maketh
my feet like hinds' feet,
And will make me to walk upon my high places.
We could divide the book by the powerful themes it presents.
1. Habakkuk is perplexed by the wickedness in the world and what
he perceives is God's indifference to the
problems facing his people.
2. The reply of God concerning his judgment to come upon the ungodly Chaldeans the existing world power.
3. The prayer of compassion in the midst of great judgment.
The date of this book is somewhere between 628- 608 B.C.
This time would place him contemporary with Jeremiah the weeping prophet.
One passage seems to place Habakkuk at the time the Chaldeans/ Babylonians ascended to power.
Hab. 1:5-11 Behold ye among the nations, and look,
and wonder marvellously;
for I am working a work in your days, which ye will not believe though
it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and
hasty nation,
that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places
that
are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful; their judgment
and their dignity
proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
and are
more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on:
yea,
their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
hey
come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and
they gather
captives as the sand. Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a derision
unto him; he derideth every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh
it.
Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty,
even he whose might is his god.
The Chaldeans/ Babylonians conquered Nineveh in 612 B.C. and completely defeated the Assyrians at Carmesh in 605 B.C.
Jerusalem was completely broken and ravaged by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The limitations imposed by these dates would be between 612 B.C. to 586 B.C.
King Josiah was probably already dead at the time of this book being
written. Josiah had been the 15th of king of Judah,
descended from David his ancestor.
Josiah was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz who was deposed by Pharoah-Necho of Egypt after a brief 3 month reign.
Jehoahaz was succeeded by his older brother Jehoiakim, a godless and selfish tyrant.
2 Kngs 23:28-35 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that
he did, are they not written
in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In his days
Pharaoh-necoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the
river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and Pharaoh-necoh slew
him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. And his servants carried him
in a chariot
dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his
own
sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah,
and
anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead. Jehoahaz was twenty
and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months
in Jerusalem:
and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
And he did
that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his
fathers had done.
And Pharaoh-necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that
he might not
reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of a hundred talents
of silver, and a
talent of gold. And Pharaoh-necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in
the room of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim: but he
took
Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there. And Jehoiakim
gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give
the
money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and
the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation,
to
give it unto Pharaoh-necoh.
This was the background that Habakkuk lived and prophesied. No wonder he cried out and asked Jehovah, how long.
The prophet opens with his dialogue with God about the injustices that the Hebrews faced.
There seems to be bitterness and utter sadness in the complaining tones of Habakkuk.
Many men of God seemed depressed and frustrated with many questions to pose to God.
I think we see the same attitude of helplessness and depression in many giants of the faith. Elijah, Gideon, Job, David.
Many faithful servants had valleys and crisis that needed to be resolved in their lives.
Habakkuk carried his burden to the proper source. Habakkuk turned to God for his answers.
Christians are admonished to seek and turn to the Lord.
I Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth
for you.
How much better off we would be spiritually, mentally physically, and
emotionally if we spent more time in prayer.
HABAKKUK ASKS HOW SIN CAN CONTINUE
I do not know any more relevant question than that. As you read through
Habakkuk you will discover that the problem he
faced eventually had answered was this.
By finding the answer to this question Habakkuk would become "comforter and embracer" to his people in their distress.
One of the questions that plagues is is " how long must the righteous suffer"?
The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time when everything was going
wrong. He lived when there was great national corruption
and moral decay. The land was filled with violence, hatred, and
many types of evil.
This sounds like a picture of our world today!
The distress and pain he felt is seen in the opening verses of the first chapter.
Hab. 1:1-4 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Jehovah,
how long shall
I cry, and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee of violence, and thou
wilt not
save. Why dost thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for
destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention
riseth up. Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth;
for the
wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth
perverted.
The prophet is a prayerful man. He is crying to God with urgency
and pain. He does not want God to be indifferent to his
people and their plight.
He cried our "how long" as if to say that soon things will be to far gone to do anything about.
Habakkuk did not understand the time frame that God works with.
Christians today want instant responses from God when they pray.
Some pray for patience and want it right now. God does not cater or work at man's pleasure and discretion.
Habakkuk the prophet saw sin and ungdliness everywhere and was
heart broken over the sins surrounding him.
Hab 1:1-4 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Jehovah,
how long shall
I cry, and thou wilt not hear? I cry out unto thee of violence, and thou
wilt not
save. Why dost thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for
destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention
riseth up. Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth;
for the
wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth
perverted.
The people of God face like circumstances
Habakkuk is a man disturbed about his nation. He sees everything
going wrong. The people are living in sin, there is unrest,
violence, injustice and oppression throughout the land.
Those who have the rule and power to correct this do nothing about it.
When the matter is brought before the courts, the courts themselves are corrupt. So Habakkuk is greatly distressed.
Jeremiah and other prophets realized the condition of the nation and
appealed unto God for help.
Jer. 9:1-6 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a
fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh
that I had
in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men; that I might leave
my
people, and go from them! for they are all adulterers, an assembly of
treacherous men. And they bend their tongue, as it were their bow, for
falsehood; and they are grown strong in the land, but not for truth: for
they
proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith Jehovah. Take ye
heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every
brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth:
they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to commit
iniquity. Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit
they refuse to
know me, saith Jehovah
Mic. 4:2 And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let
us go up to the mountain of
Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways,
and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word
of Jehovah from Jerusalem;
Mic. 6:12-13 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and
the inhabitants thereof have spoken
lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore I also
have smitten thee with
a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because of thy sins
.
Habakkuk is a man of God. The prophet knows that the solution to the
problem with God.
Habakkuk no doubts has been going to God many times with this burden
through prayer. No doubt he has prayed many times
about these problems.
Habakkuk feels he hasn't received any answer. So in anguish he cries
out, "Lord, how long do I have to keep this up, crying
out to you like this? You do nothing about it. I have been watching
for a change, watching for something to happen, yet nothing happens. How
long must I continue?"
Do you ever feel that way? Look at America today and you can see society breaking down.
The home is shattered by divorce. Government corruption is flagrant.
Violence is in the homes, schools and city streets.
Sexual perversion is rampant and children are abandoned and abused
terribly.
People are turning from God and questioning things they never questioned
before. People have doubts about the future and are
filled with stress and despair.
We need to follow the example of Habakkuk and turn to God in prayer.
God can still change things and reach lives. God is still on his throne and in charge.
The silence of God does not mean is is powerless or gone away in fright
and fear.
But now God answers Habakkuk. The amazing thing about this prophecy
is that it is not addressed to the people at all. Rather,
this is a dialogue between a man and God. That is why it is so up-to-date.
Every one of us is named Habakkuk and each of us
faces this problem from time to time. God answers
Hab 1:5 Behold ye among the nations, and look, and
wonder marvellously; for I am working
a work in your days, which ye will not believe though it be told you.
In other words, God says, You accuse me of silence, but I have not been
silent. You just do not know how to recognize my
answer.
I have been answering but the answer is different from what you expect
that you will not even recognize it or believe it when I
tell you. But let me tell you what it is.
Hab 1:6-11 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and
hasty nation,
that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places
that
are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful; their judgment
and their dignity
proceed from themselves. Their horses also are swifter than leopards,
and are
more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on:
yea,
their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.
They
come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and
they gather
captives as the sand. Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a derision
unto him; he derideth every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh
it.
Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty,
even he whose might is his god.
God says that he is preparing to raise up this nation of the Chaldeans.
Now at the time Habakkuk wrote, the Chaldeans/ Babylonians were not the most powerful people.
This people would become a great nation that would frightened all the
other nations and ruled as a tyrant over the world of that
day.
The Chaldean/ Babylonians, would defeat the cruel warring Assyrian nation. The Assyrians capital was Nineveh which the Chaldeans/ Babylonians overthrew.
Babylon was a little nation that begin to rise up in world history, God says to the prophet, "I am behind this.
These Babylonians were a strange people. They were bitter, hostile,
ruthless and cold-blooded. They were going to be as
powerful as any nation on earth has ever been. The would pass
through the land conquering everything, and it looks as though
nothing can stop them.
These people would not have any god at the center of their life. They believed in their own might as their god.
The Chaldeans/ Babylonians trusted in their own strength. God said he was behind the rise of this people, and this is the answer to the prayer of Habakkuk.
The Chaldeans/Babylonians were described as instruments of punishment.
The Babylonians would be the battle ax and razor of God.
Jer. 51:20-21 Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: and
with thee will I break in
pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; and with
thee
will I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
Isa. 7:20 In that day will the Lord shave with a razor
that is hired in the parts beyond the
River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet;
and it shall
also consume the beard
God would use an unholy people and nation to punish his people.
Now that sounds a little strange, doesn't it? Evidently Habakkuk did
not know what to make of this. There is a moment of
silence and Habakkuk begins to think.
If he had a problem to start with, he really has one now
We must realize that there are times when we just cannot understand how God is working.
The work of God is so infinite that our feeble human minds cannot grasp them.
Habakkuk was puzzled by the silence and then when he heard how
God was working, he could not understand that either.
THE HOLINESS OF GOD EXAMINED
BY HABAKKUK
Habakkuk rethinks the difference between God and all others.
Hab. 1:11-12 Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and
shall pass over, and be guilty,
even he whose might is his god. Art not thou from everlasting, O
Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast
ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.
What looked like inaction on God's part was really Jehovah starting to act.
Habakkuk was puzzled because God was doing that which he thought seemed to be unbelievable/
Habakkuk certainly questioned why the righteous suffer. this has
troubled the mind of man from almost the beginning of human
thought. Other passages amplify this worry of man.
Job 21:7-14 Wherefore do the wicked live, Become
old, yea, wax mighty in power?
Their seed is established with them in their sight, And their offspring
before
their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of
God upon them.
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; Their cow calveth, and casteth
not her calf.
They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children
dance. They sing to
the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. They
spend their days in
prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol. And they say unto
God, Depart
from us; For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Righteous art thou, O Jehovah,
when I contend with thee; yet would I reason the cause with thee: wherefore
doth the way
of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they at ease that deal very
treacherously? Thou
hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring
forth fruit: thou art
near in their mouth, and far from their heart
To find the answers he needed Habakkuk starts thinking about God
Hab 1:12 Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God,
my Holy One? we shall not die. O
Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established
him
for correction.
Habakkuk has reminded himself of some great things in that statement, "Art thou not from everlasting?"
The first thing that he thinks about is that God is an everlasting God.
God sits above history He overrules and reigns in the span of human events.
God is before and after all human history.
When the Chaldeans/Babylonians come, they will trust in their own might as their God.
Habakkuk knows his God is not like that. Jehovah is
not a tribal or local God. Jehovah is the God that controls history,
Jehovah is the everlasting God.
Second, the prophet knows that God is self-existent one because he uses a very special name for God.
Hab 1:12 Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my
Holy One? we shall not die. O
Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established
him
for correction.
When the word "Lord" or Jehovah is written it is in capital letters as it is here.
YHWE, is the translation of the Hebrew word for Jehovah.
Jehovah means "I am that I am."
This is the name that God gave Moses when he was in Egypt. God told Moses,
"Go down to Egypt and tell Pharaoh that 'I am that I am' sent you." Exodus 3:14
Habakkuk thought about this because there were people in his day saying, God is dead. There always are.
There is absolutely nothing new in this. We are not the first generation that has had this problem.
There is nothing new about people hating or denying God.
People said God was dead, Habakkuk went back to what he had learned about God.
God is eternal and cannot die. It is impossible for a eternal being to die. God is the, "I am that I am."
Habakkuk knew of the holiness of God. The prophet called God, "My Holy One."
Holiness is wholeness, completeness; it is being a whole person. It means essentially that God is consistent with himself.
He is always what he is. He is never anything different, never a phony. He never pretends or puts on. That is holiness.
You can find this reflected all through the Scriptures, the unchangeability of God.
Heb. 1:10-12 Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are
a derision unto him; he derideth
every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.
Then shall he sweep by as a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty,
even he whose might is his god. Art not thou from everlasting, O
Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast
ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.
God is set apart and complete or whole in righteousness.
The prophet could say to himself after thinking of God, "We shall not die."
Habakkuk knew that God had made a covenant with Abraham.
God promised Abraham that he would raise up a nation that would be his
people and that he would not allow them to be
destroyed from the face of the earth.
The prophet knew from the visions that the Chaldeans/babylonians would roll across the land.
Jerusalem would be razed and captured and the people would go into captivity.
Habakkuk knew that God is not going to let all the people die. They would not be eliminated.
God's promise to Abraham would remain. God is true and unchangeable.
So the prophet comes now to a conclusion that answers his question.
Hab 1:12 Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my
Holy One? we shall not die. O
Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established
him
for correction.
"Now I understand why you are raising up the Chaldeans; it is your way
of waking my people up to their folly, to their awful
stupidity in turning away from you.
The people thought they could live without God.
God had sent prophets to them many times, pleading, begging and teaching them God's.
God had poured out blessing after blessing upon them, and still they
went on in their sins and folly. The people had taken
everything for granted.
God was raising up a people to shock them into reality, to awaken and chastise them. Habakkuk understood this now.
This was God's pattern throughout the Israelites history. The book of Judges clearly teaches this principle.
The prophet says, I see that, but now I have another problem.
HABAKKUK POSES A SECOND
QUESTION
Habakkuk questions how a holy God can look while the most ungodly proper and vanquish other less sinful than themselves.
Hab 1:13 Thou that art of purer eyes than to
behold evil, and that canst not look on
perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously,
and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more
righteous than he;
Habakkuk goes on to describe the wickedness of the Chaldeans/Babylonians.
Habakkuk could see how God was raising up this nation to punish the people, but did not understand.
Despite the wickedness of his people, they were not as bad as the Chaldeans/Babylonians in Habakkuk's mind.
Why would God use a wicked, godless, ruthless people like this to punish his own people?
Habakkuk though certainly God won't let these people take over here, because after all, they are far worse than we are."
The prophet says, "I don't understand this."
Our human minds cannot grasp all the intricacies of history.
There is much that we do not understand.
The prophet says, "Well, I don't understand, but then you are mightier than 1, and I will just wait for you to reveal it to me."
Though Habakkuk did not understand the way God thought or worked, he
understood Israel faced a horrible future by the
Chaldeans/ Babylonians.
Hab. 1:14-17 and makest men as the fishes of the
sea, as the creeping things, that have no
ruler over them? He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth
them in
his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is
glad.
Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag;
because
by them his portion is fat, and his food plenteous. Shall he therefore
empty his net,
and spare not to slay the nations continually?
Israel would pay dearly for her sins.
Sometimes we think we can sin without penalty and delude ourselves.
James 1:15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth
sin: and the sin, when
it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death
Gal. 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap.
The first chapter closes with the judgment of God. And Habakkuk struggling
with the holy, righteous God using ungodly,
profane Chaldeans/Babylonians to punish his people.
CONCLUSION
Believe Jesus Christ is the son of God, John 8:24
Repent and turn from sin, Acts 3:19
Confess Christ with the mouth, Romans 10:10
Be baptized for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38
Live faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10