Habakkuk
Introduction:
Nothing is really certain of the prophet Habakkuk. Even his name is a mystery
because it has no real Hebrew origin or meaning. It could be derived from an ancient
non-Hebrew word meaning dwarf or he could be named after a plant. One ancient
manuscript (the legend of Bel and the Dragon) references a person named Habakkuk as a
priest. The style is viewed by some to be in the lamentation/prayer style that was used
on the Day of Atonement which would also lead credence to the idea of Habakkuk being
a prophet of priestly origins.
Despite the lack of knowledge about the books’ author, we know that from
ancient times, Habakkuk has been a book that has not suffered the questioning of its
inspiration and inclusion with Scripture.
Habukkuk is different from many prophetic writings because it begins with a word
from the prophet rather than the Lord- Habakkuk cries out and God responds. It ends
with a Psalm which celebrates in God’s strength and righteousness.
CHAPTER ONE:
Verses 1-4 HABAKKUK’S COMPLAINT- “GOD- CAN’T YOU SEE?”
The complaint suggests that Habakkuk has spent a great deal of time in prayer
seeking God’s response. He feels as if his call for help has gone unheeded. He feels as if
God has ignored the status of the nation.
He uses graphic words to get God’s attention:
Violence Injustice Wrong Destruction Strife Conflict
A PARALYZED Justice System
righteous surrounded by the wicked as justice is PERVERTED
In other words, his complaint is that things are rotten all over, and getting worse.
He reminds God that he is waiting for an answer to his prayers, but the answers seem
long in coming and he wonders aloud how much longer he will have to wait.
Habakkuk’s cry to God may seem similar to that of the disciples in the boat right
before Jesus calmed the terrible storm that they were in. “Lord, don’t you care that
we’re about to perish?”
Often, the devil points at the circumstances of life to try to mislead us about the
nature of God. He shouts, “God’s not doing anything.” He points at God and says, “See,
He doesn’t care about you.”
The truth is that God has not fallen asleep and forgotten about His people. The
truth is that God is quite concerned about each and every one of us. While the devil
tries to use circumstances to malign and slander God’s character and nature, our human
emotions sometimes tend to agree with Satan’s slanderous allegations and allow the evil
one to plant doubt and fear in our heart.
Verses 5-11: GOD’S RESPONSE: “I AM NOT IGNORING YOUR PROBLEMS!”
God’s response is that he is about to do something amazing. He is not inactive as
Habakkuk implies, but is already at work preparing the judgement of His people. He
states he is raising up the Chaldeans (who at this point of time were being formed into
the Babylonian Empire).
Why would Habakkuk be amazed at this? God had already stated that Habakkuk
would be amazed by what God was doing and would have trouble believing it.
First, the Babylonians were NOBODYs! The real threat the Jews
could see at this point was the nation of Assyria.
Second, the Babylonians were even more evil than the people
that Habakkuk was already complaining to God about.
Look carefully at the descriptive words God uses to describe the character, power
and might of the Babylonians:
vs. 6 ruthless and impetuous
Taking what is not theirs
vs. 7 dreaded and feared people
have their own law
self-promoters
vs. 8 Powerful Calvary (infantry could not stand up to Cavalry in those days)
vulture (unclean scavenger bird)
vs. 9 bent on violence (difficult to make peace with)
no stopping them (like the Mongolian invaders of later times)
prisoner gatherers
vs. 10 enjoy humiliating their ROYAL enemies
unintimidated by fortified cities (skilled at the art of sieging)
After taking the time to describe the power or might of their calvary, God
establishes that the one thing that could stop a Cavalry attack (a fortification) will not
prove effective because these are siegemasters.
vs. 11 They won’t be around forever (they sweep on past)
They are guilty
They worship their own strength (which, though substantial is nothing
compared to the strength of God)
By the time Habakkuk had finished hearing this message from the Lord he must
have been horrified. He answers God.
Verses 1:12-2:1 HABAKKUK COMPLAINS AGAIN!
Habakkuk answers God, calling him by His Holy name (the name he gave
Moses- the name which means the Alpha and Omega-- The God Who was, is and will
be) and makes reference to God’s eternal qualities. It also refers to the the covenant
God has with the Children of Israel.
In faith, Habakkuk declares- “We will not die.” Despite the threat of what was
going to happen the prophet knew that God had promised something special for his
people. His use of the Covenant name of God is a both a reminder of God’s promises
AND a statement of faith.
Habakkuk doesn’t understand- He knows God is righteous, but does not
understand that God can use evildoers to bring about His will. Why would God choose
the Babylonians?
The prophet complains that God has made men like fish. They are prey, victims,
prone to flee from the net, but rather helpless. In other words, Habakkuk is saying that
God has made the Jews helpless before the Babylonians who are not necessarily powerful,
but full of cunning and deceit and trickery. His concern is twofold in nature:
How can a Holy and Righteous God use a sinful People to
accomplish His will?
How can the Jews ever survive what God is doing?
The prophets declaration of faith (despite questioning God’s methods) is
furthered in chapter two when he declares that he will stand watch.
Standing Watch is often used in prophetic terms. (See Hosea 9:8, Isaiah 56:10-11,
Jeremiah 6:17, Ezekiel 3:17, Micah 7:4, 7) As prophets their responsibilities were to see
God’s work, the dangers that were coming and most importantly to sound the alarm to
God’s people. Habakkuk’s declaration that He will “stand watch” means he is prepared to
warn God’s people and to declare boldly what God is doing.
CHAPTER TWO:
Verses 2-3 THE JUDGEMENT OF THE BABYLONIANS WILL COME!
God’s reply to Habakkuk’s question and complaint is that the sin of the
Babylonians is not to be ignored. Habakkuk is to write down (make a permanent
record) of what is to come for the Babylonians. Come the end- it won’t be pretty!
God’s judgement is always delayed by his great patience. God always gives man
time to repent because of his righteousness. Even the Pagan Babylonians will be given
time to repent.
Peter writes about the delay of God’s judgement at the end of time: (II Peter 3:9)
and declares that the purpose of the delay is to allow time for repentance. He follows
that statement with an extremely powerful declaration that the Day of the Lord
(judgement day) WILL COME and it WILL BE BAD!
God’s answer to Habakkuk is similar. Judgement for the Babylonians IS
COMING! And God will not ignore their sins.
Next Weeks’ lesson, we will look at the remainder of the chapter, where God pointsg
out the sins of the Babylonians, reaffirms that he is in charge of all things, and then
Habakkuk’s response in song.
********************************************************************
Habakkuk - Part TWO
In our last session we saw Habakkuk telling God that he was ready to act as a
watchman and await God’s response.
Habakkuk 2: 2-3
God tells Habakkuk to write down the revelation he is about to receive-- to make
a permanent record of it and prepare it to be given to a messenger. God declares that
what he says WILL happen.
In much the same way, God told Jeremiah to buy a piece of property in Judah,
and to put the deed in a safe place. This permanent record would allow his family to
redeem the land when the exiles returned from their exile in Babylon. This record served
to demonstrate that what God declared was true.
Verses 4-5
The idea of being “puffed up” is the idea of being swollen with pride as well as lust
and desire. His way of life is crooked and perverse (not upright) and in stark contrast
“the righteous shall live by faith.” True righteosness depends on leaning on God’s ways.
The Babylonian’s “wine betrays him.” As the drunk gains a great deal of
beligerance and bravado- and the drunk thinks- ability to fight-- so does the Babylonian
offer such bravado and thinks that his nation can whip anybody and everybody. The
metaphor of drunkenness is very appropriate, since the writing of many ancient peoples
describe the addiction to wine and strong drink of the Babylonians. It is interesting to
note that on the night in which Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, a
drunken feast was underway. (See the book of Daniel)
We are warned over and over in the Scripture about the treachery of wine. It is a
mocker and a brawler.
This poem relates:
Have You Ever Known --
A man to lose his job because he drank too little?
A doctor to tell a patient, "Your chance would be better if you had been a
drinker"?
An employer to say. "Give me a drinker every time"?
A wife to say, "My husband would be the best man in the world if he only
drank more"?
A husband to say. "My wife would be a better mother to my children if she
spent more time at the cocktail bar"?
A defendant in court to seek acquittal on the plea, "If I had been drunk, I
would never have committed this crime"?
An insurance company to offer reduced rates to drinkers?
The value of a business or home to rise because a tavern was opened next
door?
A community to list its taverns, beer parlors, and roadhouses among its
advertising assets?
A chief of police who advocated more liquor selling as a means of reducing
crimes?
A community that wanted its saloons open on election days to secure more
honest elections? --
There is an interesting pattern regarding the pronouncement of “woes” upon a
person or a group. Isaiah 5:8-30 lists a number of six woes. In fact, Jesus speaking to the
Scribes and Pharisees also pronounces a number of woes upon them in Luke 11:39-44.
What is a WOE? I have a “cheap” definition of it. I believe a woe is a
pronouncement of WHY God’s judgment is going to fall. In this case, Habakkuk was
concerned that God didn’t care about the sinful character of the Babylonian people. He
was concerned that God was ignoring their sinful behavior and ungodly attitudes.
God responds by checking off a list of the things that he has against these people.
He hasn’t ignored their sin-- he is using them IN SPITE of their nature. Their own
arrogance and pride has not gone unnoticed.
Verses 6-20 THE WOES
Note that the woes are not pronounced solely on the Babylonians, but upon any
un-named person who does these things. However, because the Babylonians were doing
these exact things, the Hebrews who read this were quite aware that it is a direct
comment on their sins and why God would judge them.
1) Woe to the person who participates in unjust gain by violence!
2) Woe to the person who builds his life on that unjust gain!
3) Woe to the person who builds on violence rather than on knowledge of God.
4) Woe to those involved in drunken revelry and who use alcohol to ply their
victims.
5) Woe to the idolator!
A powerful contrast is given in verses 19-20. The idolator cries to his creation seeking
guidance, but finds none, but the Lord is in His Holy Temple and man should be silent
and listen to his voice.
The Lord’s presence in His temple is an indication to Habakkuk that all is not lost.
God is still in charge. God is still speaking. The idols of the Babylonians are still just
wood and stone, but God is alive and active. He is enthroned. The chapter ends with a
call to worship-- God is prepared to be honored and worshipped. God is prepared to
offer guidance.
God’s reminder of his presence offered great assurance to Habakkuk. He responds
with a Psalm in chapter three.
Chapter Three
Habakkuk seems to mix his illustrations as he launches into a Psalm of praise. In
some ways, this psalm/prayer is similar to several psalms (in use of poetic and symbolic
language and style.
Two musical terms (which appear in the Psalms) are used. On Shiggonith is a
musical or literary term. Some believe it is a reference to the style of music to be played
in accompaniment to the prayer. Others believe it may refer to a specific instrument.
The other term is Selah, which is also a musical term, but many believe it expresses a
Pause to allow consideration of the words and phrases which were just uttered.
Verse 2
Habakkuk’s introduction is three-fold in content:
FIRST - He States His Awareness of God’s Acts from the past!
Sadly though- the words used for fame imply hearing of something or someone’s
actions from a distance or by hearsay. In other words he had not personally experienced
the power of God, only heard about it.
SECOND - He States His Desire to Personally Experience God’s Power!
Too many people are satisifed seeing how God worked in the past rather than
having a desire to see God work in the present.
THIRD - He wanted to be certain that God’s judgment was tempered with mercy.
As he recalled God’s wrath poured out on Pharoah and Egypt, and as he recalled
God’s wrath as demonstrated in Noah’s day and age (the flood) -- he paused and asked
God to be merciful.
God honors those who ask for mercy rather than seeking to raise themselves up in
pride. Jesus told a parable about a publican being justified before God because of his
request for mercy. Jesus told another parable about a man who asked for mercy, but
then didn’t give it to another. In the sermon on the mount Jesus established a clear
principle that those who are merciful obtain mercy. Paul writes that God is RICH in
mercy.
After God revealed to Habakkuk that he would judge the Babylonians Habakkuk
could have rejoiced, but Habakkuk had the good common sense to seek mercy. Rather
than gloat about spiritual supremacy Habakkuk sought mercy from God for both
people- Hebrew AND Babylonians alike.
V erse 3-15 Habakkuk looks at Past Judgments
We get a deeper picture of Habakkuk’s concern regarding mercy when we look at
the rest of Habakkuk’s psalm. Here we have a psalm full of imagery which reminds us of
the plagues of Egypt (plagues and pestilence), the destruction of Pharaoah’s army in the
Red Sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments in the Wilderness (with volcanic
activity and earthquakes).
The distress of the peoples of Cushan and Midian refers to the great fear which
came upon the nations as they heard of God’s judgement on the Egyptians- both in
Egypt and the Red Sea. This fear was probably intensified when God spoke from Mt.
Sinai (with Thunderous voice, earthquake and smoke- similar to volcanic activity- which
would have gained the attention of these tribes) which was in the territory of the
Midianites, though the locale of the Cushan territory is uncertain, but likely in the same
general vicinity.
Habakkuk tries to summon up the imagery of a spiritual army firing arrows
reflected in the spray of the water of the Red Sea as God Himself attacked Pharoah by
closing the sea on him. He describes (verse 15) the churning of waters as being caused
by the horsemen of God’s Armies. All of this imagery is designed to make the
hearer/reader see the power of God in overturning Pharoah and using nature to conquer
this evil army.
Habakkuk wants to reveal how the power and wrath of God has been
demonstrated in times past and this helps us understand his call for mercy.
Verses 16-19 Habakkuk’s Final Declaration of Faith
In verse 16 the prophet suddenly personalizes all he has said before. He describes
being moved emotionally in fear. The vision God has given to him is not altogether
pleasant. God is going to judge Judah and eventually the Babylonians, but Habakkuk is
full of fear and trembling at the revelation of what God is going to do. He is left deeply
shaken.
Once in awhile, God is going to reveal something to you that will shake you up.
It may be a revelation about your church, your family, or even a personal sin. An
important question is whether you will respond like Habakkuk. Even though the
prophet was shaken by his understanding of what God was going to do-- Even though he
knew it was going to be some time before it all came to pass, he declared he was ready to
wait patiently. For most Christians today the hardest task we face is actually waiting for
God’s timing to accomplish something he has revealed to us.
Many years ago, God revealed two things to me in my prayer chamber. First, he
revealed that I was going to have a Son. My wife and I were in the process of adopting,
but the agency had told us it was very difficult to obtain a son because we were adopting
out of Korea and males were rarely given up for adoption. As I continued to pray about
this promise, I kept asking God about it. He then revealed I would be pastoring a church
before it came about. Since I was serving as an associate pastor and had never put one
resume out or sought any pastoral position this would take something of a miracle. Two
months later I was called as a pastor to a church. But, I felt that the Lord was not in it. I
was dismayed when I turned the position down. I was saddened, but kept going before
the Lord in prayer and his answer remained the same- I would have a son and I would be
pastoring a church. Several months later I was called to Grant Avenue and accepted the
call. In the midst of changing some of the employment information with the adoption
agency the social worker informed us that they had a beautiful baby boy for us. God did
exactly what he said.
I did not have to wait a long time like Habakkuk. I did not have to suffer seeing
destruction, death, and God’s judgment. I tried to be patient and wait on God, but
waiting for God is NOT the easiest task he calls each of us to. The result of waiting on
God was wonderful. If I had taken the pastorate at the other church, I know now, they
would have chewed me up and spit me out like used up chewing gum. They went
through pastors like some Hollywood celebreties got through marriages. They changed
pastors more frequently than some people change their socks.
By waiting on God, I was strengthened. Habakkuk declares that is going to be his
experience, but he has to declare it by faith. Many years will go by before the
Babylonians are judged and Habakkuk probably did not live to see it.
Habakkuk speaks of the desolation that will come on the land. He relates it to
the raising of food crops and animals:
No figs on the tree No olives barren fields
empty sheep pens empty cattle stalls
Yet he declares that he will trust in the Lord. He declares that he will find strength
in God despite the economic destruction that is going to come upon the Jews. He
recognizes that God will once again raise them up to a high place (a place of honor and
power) and declares his trust in God.
This last verse also seems to relate to Psalm 18 as an affirmation of the source of
one’s strength being in God. Further the reference to a deer’s feet being placed on high
places is also found in Psalm 18.
The imagery of high places evokes two ideas:
1) Deer flee to high mountains for safety and Habakkuk is declaring that God will
bring his people to a safe place.
2) Some scholars also believes it refers to the children of Israel on the mountains
looking over into the promised land, ready to go forth and conquer with God as their
strength.
Habakkuk looks forward to the day when his people will be safe, but also when
they will be back in the land.
The closing verse helps us identify this as a song-- and suggests that it was used in the temple as worship music of some sort.
