Habakkuk

Book Introduction

Habakkuk lived in the final days of Judah.  He was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah, ministering to those who would see the Babylonians inside the wall and temple.  The Assyrians had already conquered the northern kingdom and threatened Judah.  It appeared they would be spared from Assyria, yet the wicked people in the land continued in their path of sin and rebellion against God.  The evil people in the land, including some of their kings, were doing quite well.  They were thriving while God’s faithful were suffering. 

The book of Habakkuk is not so much a prophetic book as it is an inside look at Habakkuk as he grows in his understanding and trust of God.  We get to learn as Habakkuk learned. 

1. He asked God the hard questions that bothered him. 
   1. These were questions some would fear to ask, and others just plain ignore. 
2. Habakkuk trusted God and had a relationship with Him, so he felt comfortable approaching the Lord with these questions.
3. Even though he didn’t necessarily like the answers God gave, he accepted them by faith.

The theme of Habakkuk’s questions:

• Why does God permit evil to flourish (Hab 1:1–4)?
• If God is righteous, how can a wicked nation function as the means of judgment (Hab 1:12–2:1)?
• How is this just for the righteous person – the one who is trying to walk upright in downright wicked culture? 
  • Habakkuk protests that the righteous are suffering punishment alongside those who deserve such judgment.