The Book of
HABAKKUK
Author: Habakkuk
Date: About 600 B.C.
Theme: The Just Shall Live by Faith
Key Words: Faith, Why?, Woe
Author. The name “Habakkuk” means “Embrace,” either signifying that he was “embraced by God” and thus strengthened by Him for his difficult task, or “embracing others” and so encouraging them in time of national crisis. The musical notation in 3:19 may indicate that Habakkuk was qualified to lead in temple worship as a member of the Levitical family. The prophet is imbued with a sense of justice, which will not let him ignore the rampant unrighteousness around him. He has also learned the necessity of bringing the major questions of life to the One who created and redeems life.
Background and Date. Habakkuk lived during one of Judah’s most critical periods. His country had fallen from the heights of Josiah’s reforms to the depths of violent treatment of its citizens, oppressive measures against the poor, and collapse of the legal system. The world around Judah was at war, with Babylonia rising to ascendancy over Assyria and Egypt. The threat of invasion from the north added to Judah’s internal turmoil. Habakkuk probably wrote during the interval between the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. and the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Content. The Book of Habakkuk gives the account of a spiritual journey, telling of one man’s pilgrimage from doubt to worship. The difference between the beginning of the book (1:1–4) and the end of the book (3:17–19) is striking.
In the first four verses Habakkuk is overwhelmed by the circumstances all about him. He can think of nothing except the iniquity and violence he sees among his people. Although Habakkuk addresses God (1:2), he believes God has removed Himself from the earthly scene: His words are forgotten; His hand is not manifest; God is nowhere to be found. Men are in control, and evil men at that. And they act just as one would expect men to act without God’s restraint. These words and phrases describe the scene: “iniquity ... trouble ... plundering ... violence ... strife ... contention ... law is powerless ... justice never goes forth ... wicked surround the righteous ... perverse judgment proceeds.”
How different is the scene in the last three verses of the book (3:17–19)! All has changed. The prophet is no longer controlled by or even anxious over his circumstances, for his sights have been raised. Temporal affairs no longer fill his thoughts, but his thoughts are on things above. Instead of being ruled by worldly considerations, Habakkuk has fixed his hopes on God, for he realizes that God does take an interest in His creatures. He is the Source of the prophet’s strength and joy. Habakkuk has discovered that he is made for higher ground: “He will make me walk on my high hills” (3:19). The words in the last paragraph contrast sharply with those in the first: “rejoice in the LORD ... joy in the God of my salvation ... God is my strength ... feet like deer’s feet ... walk on my high hills” (3:18, 19). So Habakkuk has gone from complaining to confidence, from doubt to trust, from man to God, from the valley to the high hills.
If the heart of the gospel is change and transformation, the Book of Habakkuk demonstrates evangelical renewal. At the center of the change and at the center of the book stands this clear credo of faith: “The just shall live by his faith” (2:4). For the prophet, the promise is for physical protection in time of great upheaval and war. When the predicted invasion by foreign armies becomes a reality, that righteous remnant whose God is the Lord, whose trust and dependence is in Him, will be delivered and they will live. For New Testament writers, such as Paul and the author of Hebrews, this statement of confident faith becomes demonstration of the power of the gospel to give assurance of eternal salvation. For Martin Luther, Habakkuk’s theme becomes the watchword of the Reformation.
Personal Application. Habakkuk reminds us that the question “Why?” can, should, and must be asked. His circumstances demanded that he ask God about the apparent reign of unrighteousness around him. Because he believed in God, he believed that God had an answer to his problem. His questions demonstrated the presence of faith, not the lack of it. For an atheist the question “Why?” has no meaning; for a believer the question “Why?” finds its ultimate answer in God.
Paul the apostle takes the statement of Habakkuk 2:4 and makes it the heart of the gospel. The righteousness of God is attained only through faith, so that the right way to live is to trust. Habakkuk calls all believers in all times to trust God, to be faithful to Him, and so to find life as God means it to be lived.
The final verses of this prophecy teach that it is possible to rise above circumstances, and even to rejoice in them, by focusing on God who stands above all. Habakkuk does not deny his problems, nor does he treat them lightly; instead, he finds God sufficient in the midst of his troubles.
Christ Revealed. The terms used by Habakkuk in 3:13 join the idea of salvation with the Lord’s Anointed. The Hebrew roots of these words reflect the two names of our Lord: Jesus, meaning “Salvation,” and Christ, meaning “the Anointed One.” The context here is God’s great power manifested in behalf of His people through a Davidic King to bring them deliverance from their enemies. The Messiah came in the fullness of time (2:3; Gal. 4:4), was given the name “Jesus” as a prenatal prophecy of His ministry (Matt. 1:21), and was born “in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
As Habakkuk waits for the answer to his questions, God grants him the gift of a truth that satisfies his unspoken longings as well as provides the solution to his present situation: “The just shall live by his faith” (2:4). The apostle Paul sees this statement of Habakkuk as the foundation stone of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16, 17). Christ is the answer to human needs, including cleansing from sin, relationship with God, and hope for the future.
The Holy Spirit at Work. Though no direct references to the Holy Spirit are found in Habakkuk, there are intimations of His life working in the prophet. As Habakkuk surveys the ruin brought about by the invading armies, he nevertheless expresses an abiding joy that even disaster on so large a scale cannot steal from him, reminding us that “the fruit of the Spirit is ... joy” (Gal. 5:22).
Also, in Galatians, Paul links the most famous verse from Habakkuk with the reception of the promised Holy Spirit through faith (2:4; Gal. 3:11–14). The righteous person lives by his faith in all aspects of his life, including entering into the life of the Spirit.
Jack W. Hayford, Spirit Filled Life Study Bible
HABAKKUK
Author: Habakkuk
Date: About 600 B.C.
Theme: The Just Shall Live by Faith
Key Words: Faith, Why?, Woe
Author. The name “Habakkuk” means “Embrace,” either signifying that he was “embraced by God” and thus strengthened by Him for his difficult task, or “embracing others” and so encouraging them in time of national crisis. The musical notation in 3:19 may indicate that Habakkuk was qualified to lead in temple worship as a member of the Levitical family. The prophet is imbued with a sense of justice, which will not let him ignore the rampant unrighteousness around him. He has also learned the necessity of bringing the major questions of life to the One who created and redeems life.
Background and Date. Habakkuk lived during one of Judah’s most critical periods. His country had fallen from the heights of Josiah’s reforms to the depths of violent treatment of its citizens, oppressive measures against the poor, and collapse of the legal system. The world around Judah was at war, with Babylonia rising to ascendancy over Assyria and Egypt. The threat of invasion from the north added to Judah’s internal turmoil. Habakkuk probably wrote during the interval between the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. and the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Content. The Book of Habakkuk gives the account of a spiritual journey, telling of one man’s pilgrimage from doubt to worship. The difference between the beginning of the book (1:1–4) and the end of the book (3:17–19) is striking.
In the first four verses Habakkuk is overwhelmed by the circumstances all about him. He can think of nothing except the iniquity and violence he sees among his people. Although Habakkuk addresses God (1:2), he believes God has removed Himself from the earthly scene: His words are forgotten; His hand is not manifest; God is nowhere to be found. Men are in control, and evil men at that. And they act just as one would expect men to act without God’s restraint. These words and phrases describe the scene: “iniquity ... trouble ... plundering ... violence ... strife ... contention ... law is powerless ... justice never goes forth ... wicked surround the righteous ... perverse judgment proceeds.”
How different is the scene in the last three verses of the book (3:17–19)! All has changed. The prophet is no longer controlled by or even anxious over his circumstances, for his sights have been raised. Temporal affairs no longer fill his thoughts, but his thoughts are on things above. Instead of being ruled by worldly considerations, Habakkuk has fixed his hopes on God, for he realizes that God does take an interest in His creatures. He is the Source of the prophet’s strength and joy. Habakkuk has discovered that he is made for higher ground: “He will make me walk on my high hills” (3:19). The words in the last paragraph contrast sharply with those in the first: “rejoice in the LORD ... joy in the God of my salvation ... God is my strength ... feet like deer’s feet ... walk on my high hills” (3:18, 19). So Habakkuk has gone from complaining to confidence, from doubt to trust, from man to God, from the valley to the high hills.
If the heart of the gospel is change and transformation, the Book of Habakkuk demonstrates evangelical renewal. At the center of the change and at the center of the book stands this clear credo of faith: “The just shall live by his faith” (2:4). For the prophet, the promise is for physical protection in time of great upheaval and war. When the predicted invasion by foreign armies becomes a reality, that righteous remnant whose God is the Lord, whose trust and dependence is in Him, will be delivered and they will live. For New Testament writers, such as Paul and the author of Hebrews, this statement of confident faith becomes demonstration of the power of the gospel to give assurance of eternal salvation. For Martin Luther, Habakkuk’s theme becomes the watchword of the Reformation.
Personal Application. Habakkuk reminds us that the question “Why?” can, should, and must be asked. His circumstances demanded that he ask God about the apparent reign of unrighteousness around him. Because he believed in God, he believed that God had an answer to his problem. His questions demonstrated the presence of faith, not the lack of it. For an atheist the question “Why?” has no meaning; for a believer the question “Why?” finds its ultimate answer in God.
Paul the apostle takes the statement of Habakkuk 2:4 and makes it the heart of the gospel. The righteousness of God is attained only through faith, so that the right way to live is to trust. Habakkuk calls all believers in all times to trust God, to be faithful to Him, and so to find life as God means it to be lived.
The final verses of this prophecy teach that it is possible to rise above circumstances, and even to rejoice in them, by focusing on God who stands above all. Habakkuk does not deny his problems, nor does he treat them lightly; instead, he finds God sufficient in the midst of his troubles.
Christ Revealed. The terms used by Habakkuk in 3:13 join the idea of salvation with the Lord’s Anointed. The Hebrew roots of these words reflect the two names of our Lord: Jesus, meaning “Salvation,” and Christ, meaning “the Anointed One.” The context here is God’s great power manifested in behalf of His people through a Davidic King to bring them deliverance from their enemies. The Messiah came in the fullness of time (2:3; Gal. 4:4), was given the name “Jesus” as a prenatal prophecy of His ministry (Matt. 1:21), and was born “in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
As Habakkuk waits for the answer to his questions, God grants him the gift of a truth that satisfies his unspoken longings as well as provides the solution to his present situation: “The just shall live by his faith” (2:4). The apostle Paul sees this statement of Habakkuk as the foundation stone of the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16, 17). Christ is the answer to human needs, including cleansing from sin, relationship with God, and hope for the future.
The Holy Spirit at Work. Though no direct references to the Holy Spirit are found in Habakkuk, there are intimations of His life working in the prophet. As Habakkuk surveys the ruin brought about by the invading armies, he nevertheless expresses an abiding joy that even disaster on so large a scale cannot steal from him, reminding us that “the fruit of the Spirit is ... joy” (Gal. 5:22).
Also, in Galatians, Paul links the most famous verse from Habakkuk with the reception of the promised Holy Spirit through faith (2:4; Gal. 3:11–14). The righteous person lives by his faith in all aspects of his life, including entering into the life of the Spirit.
Jack W. Hayford, Spirit Filled Life Study Bible
