Habakkuk

Author: Habakkuk
Date of Writing: 7th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: The just shall live by faith

The book of Habakkuk was really a song written by the prophet Habakkuk. He lived in Judah during the final days of the southern kingdom in the late seventh century. He was probably a contemporary to Jeremiah, even though Jeremiah prophesied after Habakkuk.

Rather than strictly prophesying to the people in Judah, this book is more of a lament to the Lord concerning the sin that was in Judah. It is intensely personal, as the prophet grappled with the question, "Why doesn't God do something?"

The northern kingdom had already fallen to the Assyrians, and it looked like the southern kingdom would be spared the same fate. And yet, Judah had a succession of evil kings, including Manasseh, the worst of all; and it seemed like God was letting them get away with their idolatry. Habakkuk cried out to God asking why He didn't judge their wickedness. And the Lord told him that He was preparing the Babylonians to judge Israel. This really upset Habakkuk because the Babylonians were worse than Israel.

After wrestling with the questions as to why God was allowing their spiritual decline, Habakkuk ultimately placed his trust in the Lord and sang praises to God for His goodness and faithfulness, knowing that the future was in God's hands. The name Habakkuk means "embrace"; and it is as if Habakkuk, after expressing his frustration, ended up falling into the embrace of God who can be trusted.

The key verse of this book is Hab 2:4, "The just shall live by his faith". This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament, in what are probably the three heaviest doctrinal books of the Bible - Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38. And it is the phrase that the Lord used to inspire Martin Luther to revolutionize his undertanding of grace, resulting in the Protestant Reformation. All from this seemingly insignificant prophet who dared to question God.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible