Habakkuk

Chapter 1

Verse 1 “The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.”

The prophet Habakkuk: We don’t know much about the prophet Habakkuk from any other book in the Bible. It’s hard to say with certainty when Habakkuk prophesied. Since he speaks of God raising up the Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:6), we can guess that he wrote in the 25-year period between the time when Babylon conquered Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.) and the time when Babylon conquered Jerusalem (587 B.C.). We also don’t know how old Habakkuk was when he gave this prophecy, but it is likely that he lived during the time of godly king Josiah (640 to 609 B.C.) and then gave this prophecy during the reign of one of Josiah’s successors, possible King Johoiakim, around the year 607 B.C. Habakkuk knew what it was like to live during a time of revival, and then to see God’s people and the nation slip into lethargy and sin. The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw: Habakkuk had a burden – not only in the sense of a message from God, but also in the sense of a heavy weight. It was heavy in its content, because Habakkuk announced coming judgment on Judah. It was also heavy in its source, because Habakkuk deals with tough questions he brings to God and God’s answer to those questions.

The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw: Habakkuk had a burden – not only in the sense of a message from God, but also in the sense of a heavy weight. It was heavy in its content, because Habakkuk announced coming judgement on Judah. It was also heavy in its source, because Habakkuk deals with tough questions he brings to God and God’s answer to those questions.

The name "Habakkuk", is derived from the Hebrew verb “embrace.” His name probably means, “He Who Embraces” or “He Who Clings.” It is an appropriate name for both the prophet and the book, because Habakkuk comes to a firm faith through grappling with tough questions.

"The prophet": “This title is rare in book headings (see Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 1:1), and is taken by some to indicate that Habakkuk was a professional prophet, one who earned his living serving as a prophet at the Temple or court, unlike Amos (Amos 7:14)” Verse 2 - 4

"O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgement doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgement proceedeth."

Even cry out unto thee of Violence, and thou wilt not save: Habakkuk looked at the violence and injustice around him in the nation of Judah. He wondered where God was, and why God did not set things right.

Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? This was and is an excellent question. Why does God allow us to see iniquity and trouble, in our self or in others?

i. Why God allows us to see iniquity in our self:

· To keep us humble.

· To keep us submissive to Him in the hour of trouble.

· To make us value salvation all the more.

ii. Why God allows us to see iniquity in others:

· To show us what we might have been ourselves.

· To make us see the wickedness of sin, that we might pass by it and hate it, and not indulge in it ourselves.

· To make us admire the grace of God when He saves sinners.

· To set us more earnestly to work that God can use us to save others and extend God’s kingdom.

Iniquity… grievance… spoiling and violence… strife… contention… the law is slacked… judgement doth never go forth… wrong judgement proceedeth: Habakkuk saw trouble and sin everywhere, from personal relationships to the courts of law. This distressed him so much that he cried out to God and asked God why He didn’t bring judgement and immediately correct things.

i. Habakkuk dealt with the questions that come up when someone really believes God, yet looks around and sees that the world doesn’t seem to match up with how God wants it. Habakkuk saw this – especially remembering the prior times of revival under King Josiah – and asked, “LORD, why are you allowing this?”

ii. “This prophecy deals with the problems created by faith; and with the Divine answers to the questions which express those problems.” (Morgan)