Habakkuk: 626 B.C. - 3 Chapters and 56 Verses

Narrator: Chris Genthree

Duration: 5min

Habakkuk • 3 min. read • grade level: 12

Of the personal history, or even parentage, of this prophet Scripture is silent. He must have lived and prophesied some time before the ruin of Judah, or even its first invasion by the Babylonians, as he foretells the triumph of the Chaldeans -"that hasty and bitter nation"-over Immanuel's land and people. Nahum announced the destruction of the Assyrians who destroyed the Kingdom of Israel, so our prophet proclaims the utter ruin of the Chaldeans, who in turn destroyed the Kingdom of Judah. We have not so much the historical treated of in this book; the moral element prevails.

As to the subject matter of the prophecy, it is easily apprehended. The complete overthrow of the Kingdom of Judah and captivity of her princes, rulers, and people by the Chaldeans—whose warlike prowess and justly celebrated cavalry are described in language terse and beautiful—with the utter destruction of Judah's conquerors and glorious intimations of latter-day blessing for Israel, are the themes of which Habakkuk treats. The character of the Chaldean monarchy as hasty, bitter, avaricious, violent, terrible, dreadful, proud, swift in conquest, fierce as the evening wolves, imperious, idolatrous, treacherous, the instrument of Jehovah's vengeance upon Judah and the nations, is described in poetic and powerful terms in Hab. 1:6-17⁶For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. ⁷They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. ⁸Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. ⁹They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. ¹⁰And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. ¹¹Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. ¹²Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. ¹³Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? ¹⁴And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? ¹⁵They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. ¹⁶Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. ¹⁷Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? (Habakkuk 1:6‑17). The spiritual exercises of the prophet and his identification with the people in their sin and with the future remnant of Israel (in this like Christ) turning to Jehovah and hoping in His mercy are weighty and precious instruction. O for more heart to thoroughly identify oneself with the afflictions and trials of God's people—to watch and wait for the coming in of God in power and grace into the circumstances!

Luke (Acts 13:41⁴¹Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. (Acts 13:41)) quotes Hab. 1:5⁵Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. (Habakkuk 1:5), and Paul applies Hab. 2:4⁴Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4) three times: (1) Rom. 1:17¹⁷For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17); (2) Gal. 3:11¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (Galatians 3:11); (3) Heb. 10:38³⁸Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Hebrews 10:38). These quotations in their connections are exceedingly interesting. The word "selah" meaning to "pause" occurs three times in the third chapter, occurring also about seventy times in the book of Psalms; that chapter also supplies other points of resemblance to the book of Psalms.

"In the small compass of this book may be found, as in a compendium, all the glories and excellencies of prophetic poetry. Nothing can be more magnificent and sublime than the Divine hymn which terminates his prophecy—nothing more terrible than his threats—nothing more biting than his scorn—nothing more sweet and safe than his consolations." Again, "it were difficult to find words to set forth adequately the exalted claims and peculiar merits of this high minstrel of grief and joy, of desolateness and hope, of scorn and tenderness."

It will be observed that in Hab. 2 there are five woes with which the Chaldeans are taunted by the various nations and peoples so cruelly oppressed by the great Babylonian power; and further, this chapter supplies the answer to the perplexed spirit of the prophet, as shown in the previous one, especially from Hab. 2:12-17¹²Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! ¹³Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? ¹⁴For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁵Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! ¹⁶Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. ¹⁷For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. (Habakkuk 2:12‑17). The Chaldeans, instead of accomplishing the judgment of God—as a mission to which she was Divinely designated—maintained a haughty independence of God, and mocked its vengeance upon Judah in proud self-will Jehovah is righteous in taking vengeance upon the destroyers of His people as these woe-stanzas indicate, which are as follows:-

The first woe (Hab. 2:6-8⁶Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! ⁷Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? ⁸Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. (Habakkuk 2:6‑8)), greed and cruelty of the Chaldeans.

The second woe (Hab. 2:9-11⁹Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! ¹⁰Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. ¹¹For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. (Habakkuk 2:9‑11)), covetousness and self-exaltation of the Chaldeans.

The third woe (Hab. 2:12-14¹²Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! ¹³Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? ¹⁴For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:12‑14)), blood the foundation of the civil power of the Chaldeans.

The fourth woe (Hab. 2:15-17¹⁵Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! ¹⁶Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. ¹⁷For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. (Habakkuk 2:15‑17)), corruption and violence of the Chaldeans.

The fifth woe (Hab. 2:19, 20¹⁹Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. ²⁰But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. (Habakkuk 2:19‑20)), idolatry of the Chaldeans.

GENERAL DIVISIONS.

1.-The prophet troubled in contemplating the judgment of Judah by the Chaldeans who in turn are judged. Hab. 1

2.-The prophet in faith waits upon God for a solution of that which troubles his heart, and is informed that the Chaldeans will be judged because of their sins. Hab. 2

3.-The prophet turns to Jehovah for the revival of His work; for joy and salvation too. Hab. 3

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