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Basics
BOOK: Habakkuk
Description: A prophet has questions about unrighteousness – God’s failure to deal with it, and even to use it.
Author: an unknown Habakkuk
Date written: Somewhere about 605BC
Chapters: 3
Overall Background
Habakkuk is an otherwise unknown prophet. The fact that God speaks to him about the Babylonians coming, suggests he must have been writing sometime before 605BC, the year when Nebuchadnezzar first invaded Judah, probably in the latter years of Josiah’s reign.
Habakkuk is troubled by the state of the nation (Ch.1) and asks the Lord how He can put up with it. His answers shatters Habakkuk for He says He is about to bring the Babylonians to discipline Israel. Habakkuk struggles with how God can use the unrighteous. In chapter 2 the Lord simply shares that He is fully aware of the wrongs of the unrighteous. Habakkuk comes to realize that whatever appears to be going on, the Lord reigns [2.20]. In chapter 3, Habakkuk prays and acknowledges the Lord’s greatness and power and concludes by declaring his trust in the Lord, come what may!]
Brief Synopsis
- Habakkuk complains, why does the evil in Judah go unpunished?
- God answers, the Babylonians will punish Judah
- Habakkuk complains, how can a just God use wicked Babylon to punish a people more righteous than themselves?
- God answers the Babylonians will be punished, and faith will be rewarded
- Habakkuk prays closing with a confession of trust and joy in God
Outline
- 1:1 Title
- 1:2-4 Habakkuk’s First Complaint
- 1:5-11 God’s Answer
- 1:12-17 Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
- 2:1-20 God’s Answer
- 3:1- 19 Habakkuk’s Prayer
Concluding Comments
- A short and simple book concerning a prophet’s ethical questions.
- The only difficulty with it is some of the cultural language that is used, otherwise it is very straight forward.