(Dedicated to the late Dr. Tom Elkins, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, missionary, believer, and inspiration.) It was Dr. Elkins who first pointed me to some of the most encouraging verses in Habakkuk, verses shared with him by a missionary in Nigeria.)
We are about to study another one of the minor prophets, Habakkuk. Pastor Chuck Swindoll, Insight for Living, says this about Habakkuk:
“We know little of Habakkuk beyond the two mentions of his name in this book of prophecy. Both times, he identified himself as “Habakkuk the prophet” (Habakkuk 1:1; 3:1), a term that seems to indicate Habakkuk was a professional prophet. This could mean that Habakkuk was trained in the Law of Moses in a prophetic school, an institution for educating prophets that cropped up after the days of Samuel (1 Samuel 19:20; 2 Kings 4:38). Habakkuk also could have been a priest involved with the worship of God at the temple. This assumption is based on the book’s final, psalm-like statement: “For the choir director, on my stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:19).
Determining the date of the book of Habakkuk is quite a bit easier than dating most books. He spoke often of an imminent Babylonian invasion (Habakkuk 1:6; 2:1; 3:16), an event that occurred on a smaller scale in 605 BC before the total destruction of Judah’s capital city, Jerusalem, in 586 BC. The way Habakkuk described Judah indicates a low time in its history. If the dating is to remain close to the Babylonian invasion, Habakkuk likely prophesied in the first five years of Jehoiakim’s reign (609–598 BC) to a king who led his people into evil.
Habakkuk’s prophecy was directed to a world that, through the eyes of God’s people, must have seemed on the edge of disaster. Even when the northern kingdom had been destroyed in 722 BC, God’s people remained in Judah. However, with another powerful foreign army on the rampage, faithful people like Habakkuk were wondering what God was doing. Hadn’t He given the land to His people? Would He now take it away? Habakkuk’s prayer of faith for the remainder of God’s people in the face of such destruction still stands today as a remarkable witness of true faith and undying hope.
Habakkuk provides us one of the most remarkable sections in all of Scripture, as it contains an extended dialogue between Habakkuk and God (Habakkuk 1–2). The prophet initiated this conversation based on his distress about God’s “inaction” in the world. He wanted to see God do something more, particularly in the area of justice for evildoers. The book of Habakkuk pictures a frustrated prophet, much like Jonah, though Habakkuk channeled his frustration into prayers and eventually praise to God, rather than trying to run from the Lord as Jonah did.
As the prophet Habakkuk stood in Jerusalem and pondered the state of his nation, Judah, he must have been dumbfounded. So much evil thrived, completely in the open, but God remained strangely silent. Where was He? How long would He allow this mess to continue? Not long, according to the Lord (Habakkuk 2:2–3). Another nation, the Babylonians, would come and execute justice on the Lord’s behalf. The wicked in Judah, those who thought they would get away with their evil deeds forever, were soon to be punished.
The book of Habakkuk offers us a picture of a prideful people being humbled, while the righteous live by faith in God (2:4). It reminds us that while God may seem silent and uninvolved in our world, He always has a plan to deal with evil and always works out justice . . . eventually. The example of the prophet Habakkuk encourages believers to wait on the Lord, expecting that He will indeed work out all things for our good (Romans 8:28).”
APPLICATION: Habakkuk is a short book, but it’s full of good stuff. Who among us has not become disgusted with the tides of sin and filth flooding current society? Who among us has not longed for God to step in and take control, instead of allowing people to continue to mess things up? And who among us has not become impatient with God, wondering WHY isn’t He doing something RIGHT NOW?!? If you have ever treasured any of those sentiments, then Habakkuk is the book for you.
The truth is that being a firm believer has never been an easy task. As Jesus warned his disciples, there have always been “wars and rumors of wars.” These days the internet and social media have facilitated the spread of evil on a scale unmatched at any previous time in history. On the dark web, children are sold as sex slaves and weapons dealers carry on facilitating conflicts. BUT…and there is always a “but!” GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE! GOD IS NOT ASLEEP! AND GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL EVENTUALLY PREVAIL!
The author Joyce Landorf has written a book entitled Balcony People, designating the saints that have gone before us as sitting in the balcony of heaven watching us. It is comforting to know that when we pray and praise God, we are joining our prayers and praises with all the company of heaven, a vast multitude that only God can count. No matter how difficult your situation, no matter the hardship, you are never alone, for God and the saints are there as well.
1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.” No matter how privileged or wealthy or gifted a person is, they will still face the same temptations as everyone else. But there will always be a God-ordained way of escape. The ultimate message of Habakkuk is that God still has us on His mind and heart and that He will see us through any difficulty, no matter how miserable and strenuous the trial.
Are you stuck in the middle of a mess? Do you feel there’s no way out? Then God’s messages to Habakkuk are meant specifically for you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are stuck in trying situations and long for relief. Bless all who are reading these words to know Your watch care for them and to experience You in a new way. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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