Habakkuk 1:1 The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk wrote from Judah around 605 BC, during a time of moral decline. Jerusalem would fall within a couple decades and Habakkuk probably lived to see it. He couldn’t understand God’s ways, but he learned to trust and rejoice in him.
Habakkuk 1:2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Habakkuk was bothered by the moral decline of his day and called on God to do something. He likely prayed for years, without results, and was bewildered at God’s apparent indifference. King David also felt this way at times. How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? (Psalm 13:1-2).
God’s failure to act is a recurring problem for his people, and a serious test of faith. By one estimate, sixty percent of believers struggle with a problem for which they have no foreseeable solution. As a result, some even stop believing. Such a response is sad, however, since the only thing worse than suffering with God, is suffering without him. With God at least there’s hope. Without him is only despair.
Habakkuk 1:3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Like many before and since, the prophet thought he could do a better job running the world than God. The world is so full of evil that it could be much improved by simply removing the worst of it. If God is so good and powerful, why does he allow so much evil?
We can’t answer that question completely, but it’s helpful to understand that God overcomes evil with good. Jesus overcame the crucifixion through his resurrection, and has promised a glorious future to all who believe (John 14:2). If God overcomes evil with good, then evil won’t have the last word.
One dear lady was raped and, as a result, conceived a child. Her pain could’ve been crippling, but she believes God is in control, and has a future for both her and her child. She’s not bound by the past, therefore, but lives by faith in the goodness and power of God. The more we believe that God overcomes evil with good, the better we can cope with evil when it comes to us.
Habakkuk 1:5 I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
God’s answer to the prophet’s problem turned out to be worse than the problem itself. Habakkuk’s problem was that God was allowing evil to go unchecked among his people. God’s answer was that he’d use the Babylonians to punish his people (Habakkuk 1:6). But the Babylonians were even worse than the people of God! How could God use a nation that was worse than the Jews to punish the Jews?
The unbelievability of this event foreshadows the unbelievability of what Jesus did on the cross for us. So when Paul preached Christ to a gathering of Jews he quoted Habakkuk. I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you (Acts 13:41). The gospel is hard to believe but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. It’s also hard to believe in microwaves but, somehow, they heat our food.
Habakkuk 1:8-11 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. . . . Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—guilty people, whose own strength is their god.
With poetic flair the prophet described the coming invasion of the Babylonians. But notice his conclusion: their own strength is their god. The Babylonians were a mighty force, but were later defeated by Cyrus, king of Persia. That’s what happens to those whose strength is their god—they’re defeated by someone stronger.
An important part of biblical faith is relying on God, not on ourselves. We depend on him for breath, sight, memory, pulse and everything else. And whenever our bodies fail, we understand even better how dependent on God we are. That’s why the Bible never condones self-reliance, only reliance on God.
Habakkuk 2:4 [T]he righteous person will live by his faithfulness.
The word translated faithfulness can also be translated faith. The ideas are closely related since those who have faith will also be faithful (James 2:26). The Apostle Paul referred to this verse twice to support the idea that people are saved by faith (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11).
The prophet didn’t understand what God was doing, but continued to believe in him anyway. That’s what faith does. And those who believe in Jesus Christ won’t give up, even when they’re confused. God is always God, and the righteous will live by faith.
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk quoted the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 11:19), who wrote about a century earlier. Both were familiar with Solomon’s prayer: may the whole earth be filled with his glory (Psalm 72:19). After Solomon built the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the temple (2 Chronicles 5:14). And the day is coming when the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth.
The glory of God is that which makes him praiseworthy. We’re attracted to the glory of art, the glory of sports, the glory of music, the glory of nature, the glory science, and many other things. The glory of God includes every other glory and exceeds them all by far. The world is blinded by sin but, one day, will see the glory of God. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The prophet knew better than others that difficult times were ahead. But he also knew that, even in the worst of times, he could rejoice in the Lord. That’s why Paul and Silas could give praise to God at midnight, after being beaten and thrown into prison (Acts 16:22-25). Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4), wrote Paul.
If we wait until our problems are solved before we’re happy, we’ll never be happy this side of heaven. Problems are a fact of life, but so is God. It is the duty of every Christian, by faith in the goodness, power, and love of God, to cultivate a cheerful frame of mind, even though this may be difficult by reason of afflictions (J.G. Vos).
Reflection and Review
How would you change the world if you were in charge?
What’s the difference between having faith and being faithful?
Why can believers rejoice in the Lord, even through hardship?
Habakkuk wrote from Judah around 605 BC, during a time of moral decline. Jerusalem would fall within a couple decades and Habakkuk probably lived to see it. He couldn’t understand God’s ways, but he learned to trust and rejoice in him.
Habakkuk 1:2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Habakkuk was bothered by the moral decline of his day and called on God to do something. He likely prayed for years, without results, and was bewildered at God’s apparent indifference. King David also felt this way at times. How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? (Psalm 13:1-2).
God’s failure to act is a recurring problem for his people, and a serious test of faith. By one estimate, sixty percent of believers struggle with a problem for which they have no foreseeable solution. As a result, some even stop believing. Such a response is sad, however, since the only thing worse than suffering with God, is suffering without him. With God at least there’s hope. Without him is only despair.
Habakkuk 1:3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Like many before and since, the prophet thought he could do a better job running the world than God. The world is so full of evil that it could be much improved by simply removing the worst of it. If God is so good and powerful, why does he allow so much evil?
We can’t answer that question completely, but it’s helpful to understand that God overcomes evil with good. Jesus overcame the crucifixion through his resurrection, and has promised a glorious future to all who believe (John 14:2). If God overcomes evil with good, then evil won’t have the last word.
One dear lady was raped and, as a result, conceived a child. Her pain could’ve been crippling, but she believes God is in control, and has a future for both her and her child. She’s not bound by the past, therefore, but lives by faith in the goodness and power of God. The more we believe that God overcomes evil with good, the better we can cope with evil when it comes to us.
Habakkuk 1:5 I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
God’s answer to the prophet’s problem turned out to be worse than the problem itself. Habakkuk’s problem was that God was allowing evil to go unchecked among his people. God’s answer was that he’d use the Babylonians to punish his people (Habakkuk 1:6). But the Babylonians were even worse than the people of God! How could God use a nation that was worse than the Jews to punish the Jews?
The unbelievability of this event foreshadows the unbelievability of what Jesus did on the cross for us. So when Paul preached Christ to a gathering of Jews he quoted Habakkuk. I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you (Acts 13:41). The gospel is hard to believe but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. It’s also hard to believe in microwaves but, somehow, they heat our food.
Habakkuk 1:8-11 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping to devour; they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. . . . Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—guilty people, whose own strength is their god.
With poetic flair the prophet described the coming invasion of the Babylonians. But notice his conclusion: their own strength is their god. The Babylonians were a mighty force, but were later defeated by Cyrus, king of Persia. That’s what happens to those whose strength is their god—they’re defeated by someone stronger.
An important part of biblical faith is relying on God, not on ourselves. We depend on him for breath, sight, memory, pulse and everything else. And whenever our bodies fail, we understand even better how dependent on God we are. That’s why the Bible never condones self-reliance, only reliance on God.
Habakkuk 2:4 [T]he righteous person will live by his faithfulness.
The word translated faithfulness can also be translated faith. The ideas are closely related since those who have faith will also be faithful (James 2:26). The Apostle Paul referred to this verse twice to support the idea that people are saved by faith (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11).
The prophet didn’t understand what God was doing, but continued to believe in him anyway. That’s what faith does. And those who believe in Jesus Christ won’t give up, even when they’re confused. God is always God, and the righteous will live by faith.
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk quoted the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 11:19), who wrote about a century earlier. Both were familiar with Solomon’s prayer: may the whole earth be filled with his glory (Psalm 72:19). After Solomon built the temple, the glory of the Lord filled the temple (2 Chronicles 5:14). And the day is coming when the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth.
The glory of God is that which makes him praiseworthy. We’re attracted to the glory of art, the glory of sports, the glory of music, the glory of nature, the glory science, and many other things. The glory of God includes every other glory and exceeds them all by far. The world is blinded by sin but, one day, will see the glory of God. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The prophet knew better than others that difficult times were ahead. But he also knew that, even in the worst of times, he could rejoice in the Lord. That’s why Paul and Silas could give praise to God at midnight, after being beaten and thrown into prison (Acts 16:22-25). Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4), wrote Paul.
If we wait until our problems are solved before we’re happy, we’ll never be happy this side of heaven. Problems are a fact of life, but so is God. It is the duty of every Christian, by faith in the goodness, power, and love of God, to cultivate a cheerful frame of mind, even though this may be difficult by reason of afflictions (J.G. Vos).
Reflection and Review
How would you change the world if you were in charge?
What’s the difference between having faith and being faithful?
Why can believers rejoice in the Lord, even through hardship?