Study notes ▪ 2017 Tags: Habakkuk; Judah; Babylon Excerpted from Twelve: Getting to Know the Minor Prophets Habakkuk, a prophet who is mentioned only in the book bearing his name (1:1; 3:1) Date625-605 BC
Kings MentionedJudah: None Israel: None Nation(s) TargetedPrimary:
Secondary: None Representative Texts1:1-7; 1:12-13; 1:17; 2:2-4; 2:8; 2:12-14; 2:18-3:4; 3:12-13; 3:16-19 Core MessageYahweh’s people are guilty of perverting justice and failing to observe the law. Habakkuk complains that God has inexplicably tolerated their wrongdoing. Yahweh responds by assuring the prophet that he will imminently dispense justice by the hands of the Chaldeans, a vicious military force. The prophet objects: How can the Lord justify mobilizing a merciless and violent nation to correct his people’s waywardness? Over time Habakkuk learns that faith/faithfulness sustains one in the midst of trying circumstances. Yahweh will eventually see to it that the Chaldeans suffer retribution; their judgment will be carried out by the remnants of the nations that they have ravaged. In the midst of this the Lord will work to make himself known as the living God who, unlike idols, is worthy of reverence. The prophet resolves to fear God and wait patiently for him to act. His confidence is rooted in Yahweh’s past actions—namely, the establishment and preservation of Israel. Therefore, Habakkuk determines to rejoice in God even in the absence of advantageous conditions. New Testament References[1]
FeaturesIn chapter 2 Yahweh responds to Habakkuk’s complaint about the Chaldeans by assuring him of their eventual demise. Verses 6-20 consist of five woes, each three verses long (Patterson 670-71). Collectively, these woes indict the Babylonian invaders as greedy, violent, treacherous, and idolatrous. More importantly, they emphasize that the Lord is in control of the Chaldeans’ destiny, and that he will turn the events of history to make himself known. Chapter 3 is a psalm that extols Yahweh’s majesty and power. Its language and geographic references are reminiscent of other Old Testament texts that narrate or celebrate God’s intervention in Israel’s history. For example, commentators have noted similarities between Habakkuk 3 and poetic sources such as Deuteronomy 32-33, Judges 5, and Psalm 18 (Ferguson 320; Patterson 672; Blue 1520). SourcesArmerding, Carl Edwin. “Habakkuk.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, fully revised, vol. 2, Eerdmans, 1982, pp. 583-86. Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2007. Blue, J. Ronald. “Habakkuk.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Chariot Victor, 1985, pp. 1505-22. Ferguson, Paul. “Habakkuk, Theology of.” Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible, edited by Walter A. Elwell, Baker Books, 2000, pp. 320-21. Geisler, Norman L. A Popular Survey of the Old Testament. Baker Book House, 1977. Merrill, Eugene H. Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel. Baker Books, 1996. Patterson, R. D. “Habakkuk.” Baker Commentary on the Bible, edited by Walter A. Elwell, Baker Books, 2000, pp. 666-73. [1] New Testament citations of texts from Habakkuk were identified in part by consulting Beale and Carson’s Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. |