The final chapter is a hymn of praise extolling Yahweh for His wise ways. The purpose of the book, then, was to vindicate the justice of God so God's people would have hope and encouragement. The answer is the same; the result of all will be one great reversal, the evil drawing upon themselves evil, God crowning the patient waiting of the righteous in still submission to His holy Will. This is the disturbing problem addressed by the prophet Habakkuk.
This book employs a variety of literary forms. The second part is a taunt or mocking song that the prophet put in the mouths of the nations that had suffered under Babylon's oppression. It consists of five "woes" The third part is a psalm, complete with musical directions ch. Unlike other prophets who declared God's message to people this prophet dialogued with God about people. Most Old Testament prophets proclaimed divine judgment. Habakkuk pleaded for divine judgment. In contrast with the typical indictment, this little book records an intriguing interchange between a perplexed prophet and his Maker.
If God's initial response sounded the death knell for any strictly nationalistic covenant theology of Judah, his second reply outlined in a positive sense the fact that all history was hastening to a conclusion that was [as] certain as it was satisfying. The faith prescribed—or 'faithfulness,' as many have argued that 'emunah should be translated—is still called for as a basic response to the unanswered questions in today's universe; and it is this, a theology for life both then and now, that stands as Habakkuk's most basic contribution.
Each one gives a different facet of the dealings of God with mankind. They show how the government of God is integrated into the government of men. They also show God's dealings with the individual. But these are all part of the same picture.
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It was given to three of the Hebrew prophets specially to pronounce the doom of these three powers. The prophecy of Obadiah sealed the fate of Edom.
The prophecy of Nahum tolled the knell over Assyria. The prophecy of Habakkuk dug the grave of Babylon. Habakkuk is unusual among the prophetical books in that it tells a story. In this, it is similar to Jonah, which is also the record of a prophet's experience.
Jonah gives the account of a prophet's failure to sympathize with God. Habakkuk gives the account of a prophet's failure to understand God. Jonah deals with a problem posed by Nineveh , and Habakkuk deals with a problem posed by Babylon.
Where are we?
Habakkuk, like Jonah, also records one major event in the life of the prophet. Most of the other prophetic books record the messages and activities of a prophet over an extended period of years. Habakkuk does contain prophecies, so it is like the other prophetic books in this respect. The key verse in the book is "Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. Habakkuk is a book in which a man, the prophet, asked questions and received answers.
Note, for example, , which voices the prophet's initial question. Then gives his final affirmation, after having received answers.
Habakkuk 3:16-19 Sermon
The contrast between these verses is startling. It is a contrast between a wail of despair and a shout of confidence. This is the story of Habakkuk. At the beginning, we hear a believer questioning God. The prophet's problem was why God was not doing what He promised to do, specifically: delivering His people from the violence with which the Babylonians were threatening them. Every believer faces the same problem sooner or later. Circumstances challenge the promises of God, and we wonder why God does not do something about the situation. Habakkuk wondered how God could use an even more wicked nation—Babylon—to discipline the wicked Judahites.
The key verse, , is similar to the constricted part of an hourglass.
Habakkuk 3 Bible Commentary
Everything that precedes it leads up to it, and everything that follows it results from it. It is like a doorway through which everything in the book passes. This verse contains two contrasting viewpoints on all of life. First, we have a swollen, proud, conceited person. Second, we have a person who is full of faith. The first is full of himself or herself, and the second is full of God. The difference is in attitude: great confidence in self, or in God. In both cases, we have something hidden and something manifest.
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In the case of the proud, his soul or inner man is not straight or right within him. It is not upright or level, but crooked or twisted. His is an unnatural condition. While his inner, hidden condition is crookedness of soul, his outer, manifest condition is conceit or pride. He is wrapped up in himself, and being wrapped up in himself, he is wrapped up in a ball, so to speak—all twisted up on the inside.
It is interesting that the verse says nothing about the outcome of the proud. We only have a description of him as swollen and twisted. In the case of the righteous, his soul is right within him. His inner, hidden condition is straight. His outward manifestation of that condition is trust in God.
It is interesting, in passing, that there is only one straightness, but there are many kinds of crookedness, perversity. If I asked a group of people to imagine a straight stick, everyone would visualize a stick that is free of any bends or curves. But if I asked them to imagine a crooked stick, everyone would visualize a different shape of crookedness. A crooked stick may be crooked in a hundred different ways, but there is only one way a straight stick can be straight. Goodness is basically simple, but evil is exceedingly complex. Goodness looks only one way, but evil can take many different forms and shapes.
The central affirmation of Habakkuk is the last part of "the righteous will live by his faith. It is interesting that in the three places where this verse is quoted in the New Testament, in each case a different word receives the emphasis. In Romans , the emphasis is on "righteous. In Hebrews , the emphasis is on "live. And in Galatians , the emphasis is on "faith. Thus, we can see that this statement is packed with meaning.
In fact, many people believe that this verse expresses the central theme of the entire Bible. It has been called the John of the Old Testament. Now let us relate this to what Habakkuk saw that created a problem of faith for him. He saw the proud flourishing. He saw crookedness all around him in a hundred different manifestations of evil. He also saw the righteous, who were trusting in God, oppressed, threatened, and persecuted.
Specifically, he saw the proud Babylonians, who did not acknowledge Yahweh, gaining more and more power. They appeared to be the ones truly alive. He saw the people of God, who were trusting in Yahweh, losing more and more power.
They appeared to be headed for certain death and extinction. And, most disturbing of all, Habakkuk saw God doing nothing. In the hour of his crisis of faith, God spoke to the prophet and gave him the great truth of Faith is the principle that leads to life, in spite of all appearances, and pride is destructive, in spite of all appearances. Godless people and their plans seem so strong and invincible. Their enterprises, which are often in rebellion against God, seem so inevitable and sure to succeed.
Book of Habakkuk Overview - Insight for Living Ministries
Nevertheless, the one whom God regards as righteous, because of his or her trust in Him, will live on. What is God doing? He is causing things to work out in harmony with the principle set forth in , in spite of appearances. The Sovereign of the Universe, who often takes centuries to work out His plans—when we want Him to do it in years, if not months—holds everything in His grasp.
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- Sermons on habakkuk.
- Habakkuk 3 Commentary - The Pulpit Commentaries.
He will fulfill His promises. He will reward faith. He will destroy the crooked and the proud.