Following is a very brief overview of the relevant background material for a study of the book of Habakkuk. This is summarized from information presented in more detail in the fuller background study of Habakkuk posted elsewhere on this blog.
Habakkuk At a Glance
Author: Habakkuk
the prophet (1:1; 3:1)
Date and Historical
Setting: The book of Habakkuk can be dated between the years 609 and 605
B.C., following the death of King Josiah of Judah (the last of Judah’s godly
kings), and the deposing of his son Jehoahaz by the Egyptians. The Egyptian
Pharaoh Neco installed another son of Josiah, Eliakim (whose name was changed
to Jehoiakim), as king in Judah .
Jehoiakim was an evil king and under his reign, the moral and religious reforms
of his father Josiah were all undone. Internally, Judah became filled with violence
and systemic social injustice. These conditions were decried by the prophet in
the opening verses of the prophecy. As a means of bringing judgment on the
nation, God promises to raise up the Chaldeans (the Babylonians, under
Nebuchadnezzar) to invade the nation and plunder it. This began to happen in
598 B.C., as the Israelites were carried away into the Babylonian Exile (or
Captivity), with Jerusalem
falling in 586 B.C.
Audience: Unlike
other prophetic books, Habakkuk’s words are not directed to a nation or a king,
but to God Himself. Chapters 1 and 2 form a dialogue between the prophet and
God, with the prophet’s words being a desperate prayer for judgment and mercy.
Chapter 3 is a psalm of praise to God composed by the prophet after he came to
an understanding of God’s nature and His ways of dealing with Judah and the
nations.
Habakkuk’s Influence
on the New Testament: The salvation of the faithful remnant that is
promised in Habakkuk points forward, ultimately to the coming of Christ into
the world. Paul takes up the words of Habakkuk 1:5 in his sermon in the
synagogue of Pisidian Antioch recorded in Acts 13 (see Acts 13:41). Habakkuk
2:4, the key verse of Habakkuk, was
also understood by the Apostle Paul and the anonymous writer of Hebrews as a cornerstone
text of justification by faith alone and the perseverance of that faith through
life’s trials (see Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
Key Doctrines:
Justification by faith
(2:4); God’s sovereignty over nations
and history.
Brief Outline:
I. Chapter 1 – A Burden: Faith grappling with a problem
II. Chapter 2 – A Vision: Faith grasping the solution
III. Chapter 3 – A Prayer: Faith glorying in assurance[1]
In-Depth Analysis:
I. A Dialogue with God: Habakkuk Previewed God’s Discipline
of Judah (Ch 1)
A. Habakkuk’s distress (1:1-4)
1. Why is God indifferent to
supplication? (1:1-2)
2. Why is God insensitive to sin
and suffering? (1:3-4)
B. God’s disclosure (1:5-11)
1. God’s intention of discipline
(1:5)
2. God’s instrument of discipline
(1:6-11)
C. Habakkuk’s dilemma (1:12-17)
1. Why would God employ a people
of iniquity? (1:12-13)
2. Why would God endorse a people
of injustice? (1:14-15)
3. Why would God excuse a people
of idolatry? (1:16-17)
II. A Dirge from God: Habakkuk Pronounced God’s Destruction
of Babylon (Ch 2)
A. Habakkuk’s anticipation: “Watch”
(2:1)
B. God’s admonition: “Write”
(2:2-5)
1. God’s clear revelation (2:2)
2. God’s certain revelation (2:3)
3. God’s condemnatory revelation
(2:4-5)
C. Habakkuk’s annotation: “Woe”
(2:6-20)
1. Woe for intimidation (2:6-8)
2. Woe for intemperance (2:9-11)
3. Woe for iniquity (2:12-14)
4. Woe for indignity (2:15-17)
5. Woe for idolatry (2:18-20)
III. A Doxology to God: Habakkuk Praised God’s Design of
Creation (Ch 3)
A. Habakkuk’s prayer for mercy
(3:1-2)
B. God’s presence of majesty
(3:3-15)
1. God’s arrival (3:3a)
2. God’s appearance (3:3b-7)
3. God’s actions (3:8-15)
C. Habakkuk’s peace in ministry (3:16-19)[2]
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