If there is a God why do such terrible things occur in this world? If God is holy and righteous, why do good people so often suffer at the hands of bad people? Why does God allow all this to happen? This bible study on the book of Habakkuk explores these questions.

4 pages. Translated by Gwen van den Berg.

Habakkuk and the Why Question

If there is a God why do such terrible things occur in this world? If God is holy and righteous, why do good people so often suffer at the hands of bad people? Why does God allow all this to happen?

The prophet Habakkuk lived long ago. At the same time he is close to us today. He asked the same questions as we do: why-questions about the manner in which God governs the world. The Bible book that carries the name of this man is recognisable and relevant. In this article I wish to firstly give an overview of the book Habakkuk. Then we will deal with the question of who Habakkuk was and when he lived. After that, using the knowledge of Habakkuk’s time, we will look again at the content of the book.

Worse Than the Complaint🔗

After the introduction in Habakkuk 1:1 the first thing we come across in the book is a prayer (1:2-4). In his prayer Habakkuk complains of injustice and violence which he sees all around him. The law of the Lord appears to have no influence at all anymore. Israelites who no longer heed God or his law deceive the righteous, the faithful children of God. That has been going on for a very long time. But it seems as if God does not notice it. He has not reacted in any way. How long must this situation continue?

God’s response follows in 1:5-11. The Lord assures Habakkuk and his fellow citizens that he will intervene shortly. He will do it in such a way that all people will be astounded. He will send the Chaldeans against his chosen nation. The action they undertake will be very effective: they are so fast and so strong that nobody can resist them. But, so it appears in 1:12-17, this answer does not satisfy Habakkuk at all. On the contrary. The Chaldeans will only make the situation worse than it is already. They catch people as if they are fish or worms. They murder and obliterate complete nations without a suggestion of sympathy. They idolise their own military power. If the Lord wants to act by using the Chaldeans, then the cure he uses is worse than the original complaint! This Habakkuk is unable to understand. He cannot reconcile this with what he already knows about the Lord. If the Lord is a holy God, how then can he send the Chaldeans to teach his people a lesson?

Life and Death🔗

After Habakkuk has laid his complaint before the Lord for a second time, he waits for an answer (2:1). And sure enough, he receives a reply from God. This answer is comprised first of all of an instruction: Habakkuk must record a vision, a revelation from God. He must do that as clearly as possible so that the people are able to read it quickly (2:2). The content of the revelation that he must record is not completely clear. It could be about God’s first response, in 1:5-11. Mostly it is assumed however, that the content of the revelation can be found in chapter 2:4, and could include verse 5 and the verses that follow till the end of chapter 2. In any event, the revelation that Habakkuk must publicise, has a bearing on the future. It will still take some time before the vision that he has seen will come to pass. But he must wait patiently for it to happen: it will most definitely come!

With that the Lord requires Habakkuk to trust in him. He must leave it to God to initiate action whenever he judges the time to be ripe for it. And to do that in the way he wants to. This is the attitude that must characterise God’s children: trust in God, even though they do not understand him or when he tests their patience. Only in this way is there life for them: “the righteous will live by his faith” (2:4b). That life is not there for the likes of a brutal conqueror, who just cannot get enough of destroying and subjugating other nations (2:5). With all his arrogance and bravado his downfall is sure. The nations that became the victims of his conduct will eventually be the ones to mock him. They do that by means of five riddle-proverbs, that all begin with the word “woe” (2:6 -20). The word “woe” sounds more threatening than “heaven help you if...!” It is a word that was used when mourning a dead person. “Woe to him who piles up stolen goods” means: such a person is marked for death. It appears as if he is capable of a lot. But, in fact, he is no more than a living corpse. In Habakkuk 2 this is said of someone who has dishonestly accrued wealth, who has exploited his employees, sheds blood, makes others drunk only to expose their nakedness, has no respect for nature, tries to protect himself by his own power, or trusts in idols that he has made for himself. What he has done to others will come around to overwhelm him (see 2:8, 10 and 15-16)! In this way God will demonstrate just how useless it is to attempt to make your life comfortable at the cost of other people and with contempt for his will (2:13). He will ensure that his kingly power will be recognised and respected worldwide (2:14 and 20).

May it Come!🔗

After God’s second reaction, in Habakkuk 2:2-20, there follows another prayer from Habakkuk in chapter 3. It has a title that reminds one of the psalms. The same counts for the signature: “For the director of music, on stringed instruments” (3:19). Apparently the Israelites later used Habakkuk’s prayer as a communal prayer, in the temple liturgy. The largest part of Habakkuk’s prayer is comprised of a poetical description of the return of the Lord. All things point to him being shown the return of the Lord, in a vision. God’s return is so impressive and drastic that all nations and the whole of creation will be turned upside down. But the purpose of his coming is the salvation of his people and his anointed, the Davidic king. At the same time God’s coming means the definite end of all people of lawlessness, of whom it is said in the previous chapter how much they threatened God’s faithful children (v. 13). Habakkuk, in his prayer, asks if the Lord may hasten the return and make it a reality (v. 2). But may he show compassion at the same time, so that it does not become unbearable! What Habakkuk was shown of God’s return was evidently so shattering that his legs trembled (v. 16). He is facing an anxious time ahead. But he is also looking forward to it. More than that: even if it means things become so bad that there is nothing left to eat, he will remain faithful to his God. He does not doubt that the Lord will give him sufficient strength to enable him to weather the storms. He will still rejoice and praise God for the deliverance he brings (3:17-19).

The Man and his Time🔗

Up to now we have looked at the content of the book Habakkuk. Who was this Habakkuk actually? When did he live? The introduction to the book does not give us many clues. It only gives us his name and that he received the prophetic revelation that is recorded in what follows. The meaning of his name remains a riddle to this day. Earlier it was thought that it meant something like “embrace” or “hug”’. These days people think more along the lines of a vegetable. Habakkuk would then be called “gherkin” or “cucumber”. Just as men in France are called Olivier, “olive tree”, for example. Or women in this country are called Rose or Cherry. The introduction also does not tell us anything about the time in which he was active. But later in the book we do find a few useful indicators. The first and most important is the announcement of the coming of the Chaldeans in chapter 1:6. The Chaldeans were in power for about a century, in Babylonia, currently Iraq. Their most renowned king was Nebuchadnezzar (605-562). Under his guidance the Chaldean empire became a world power, thereby ousting the New-Assyrian empire. The New-Assyrian empire was the most important in the Middle East from around 900 before Christ. The Assyrians had also destroyed the kingdom of Israel, the northern kingdom consisting of ten tribes.

The Assyrians are not mentioned in the book Habakkuk. Evidently their role is over. On the other hand the Lord says in 1:6 concerning the Chaldeans that he will allow them to come. Their coming will bewilder the people (1:5).

This indicates that Judah has not previously had dealings with the Chaldean armies. If you combine all these details you reach the conclusion that Habakkuk 1: 2-11 fits best in the time before Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah for the first time. That brings us to the initial years of the reign of King Jehoiakim.

The rest of the book, from 1:12, is probably dated from a later period in the reign of Jehoiakim. We can deduce from 2 Kings 24:2 that Nebuchadnezzar first sent raiding parties against Judah, which were made up of Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites and Ammonites, before he attacked Jerusalem himself. In Habakkuk 3:16 the expression “the nation invading us” appears to refer to the attacks by raiding parties.

The Lawless Addressed🔗

The time in which Habakkuk ministered is thus best placed during the reign of King Jehoiakim, fifteen to twenty years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The injustice and violence that Habakkuk bemoans in 1:2-4 also fit in with this estimation. This is also valid for the malpractices described in 2:9-12. There we find someone admonished because he, using illegal means, builds himself a safe house and a fortress. That concurs with what the Lord says in Jeremiah 23: 13-19 in the accusation levelled at King Jehoiakim: You build for yourself a beautiful palace, but do not pay your workers their salary; you are seeking your own advantage, you shed innocent blood, extortion and exploitation are the order of the day.

Contents - Habakkuk🔗

1:1 Introduction

1:2-2:20               Habakkuk’s complaints and God’s answers

         1:2-4           Habakkuk’s first complaint: injustice in Judah

         1:5-11         God’s first reply: I will send the Chaldeans

         1:12-17       Habakkuk’s second complaint: cure worse than complaint

2:1            God’s second reply

                           2:2-5: Introductory words

                           2:2-20: Five woe- laments

3:1-19                 Habakkuk’s prayer

      3:1                Introduction

      3:2                Habakkuk’s prayer: may it come

      3:3-15           Description of God’s coming

      3:16-19a       Habakkuk’s reaction: he continues to rejoice because of God

      3:19b            Signature

The second woe-lament, in Habakkuk 2:9-12, clearly appears to be addressed to Jehoiakim. That is a bit strange. The woe-laments form the largest part of God’s reply to Habakkuk’s complaint about the conduct of the Chaldeans in 1:12-17. You would expect that the Lord in the woe-laments would pronounce his judgement over the Chaldeans. In some parts of chapter 2 it appears as if he clearly does that. Verse 8, for example, deals with the looting of many nations. This is what Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans did. King Jehoiakim did not have that sort of power. But other parts, especially verse 9-12, appear to refer to Jehoiakim. But this difficulty should not surprise us. The text itself indicates that you can expect something like that. The woe-laments are announced in 2:6 as “proverbs” and “riddles”. The Lord formulates them in such a way that they appear to be like riddles. You have to think about them! The woes are not directed at one specific group of godless people. They are nowhere addressed by name. In chapter 2 the Lord does not pronounce a death sentence over a specific nation over against other nations. It is not as if the Chaldeans will be struck down and the Judeans escape. Nor is it the other way around. There is no-one who can say, on hearing these words: “ That does not apply to me; that is only valid for such and such.” The Lord addresses himself to everyone who chooses to live a life of lawlessness and malpractice. And that is exactly the answer that Habakkuk needed! He did not understand why the Lord used the Chaldeans to combat the evil in Judah. That cure was worse than the disease! Now he receives the news that the Lord will not stop at that. All those who live lawlessly, no matter to which nation they belong, are condemned to death. If that is valid for the Judeans, then it is just as valid for the Chaldeans. God uses them as his instrument. But that does not mean that they can do just what they feel like. Should they conduct themselves worse than the Judeans they will definitely not escape punishment. In this way Habakkuk receives an answer to his why-questions. God reveals to him that he will intervene. And that he will do this in a way which will completely satisfy Habakkuk: all injustice will be dealt with. God’s children will really be delivered. But this will not occur from one moment to the next. It will also not happen without the righteous experiencing the consequences. They also will have to suffer the judgments poured out over the world. That is why for them there is but one avenue of escape: that of patience, perseverance and unending trust in God.

Questions🔗

  1. What can we learn from Habakkuk 1:2-3 and 12-17 about the manner in which we may pray to God?
  2. Where can you find lawless people today who oust or devour the righteous (Hab. 1:4, 13)?
  3. Sometimes the cure is worse than the complaint. What have you learned from Habakkuk about dealing with this?
  4. Compare the manner in which Job dealt with the suffering at God’s hand with the way in which Habakkuk did it. What are the similarities and the differences?
  5. Where in history can you indicate the fulfilment of Habakkuk’s prophecies?

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