Habakkuk
Habakkuk dares to ask God why he allows violence and injustice. God answers: "the righteous shall live by his faith".
AuthorHabakkuk
DateAround 605-597 BC
AudienceJudah facing the Babylonian threat
🎯 Learning objective
Understand the message of Habakkuk, its historical setting and its place in the history of salvation.
🏛️ Historical context
Babylon was becoming the new power and threatening Judah, while violence and corruption grew within the kingdom.
🔙 Background
The prophet does not understand why God uses a more wicked people to punish Judah, and he says so in his prayer.
🧭 Structure of the book
Chapters 1-2: the prophet's dialogue with God
Chapter 3: prayer and song of trust
⭐ Key events and teachings
- 1"O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?" (1:2)
- 2God's answer: "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4), quoted by Saint Paul (Rom 1:17)
- 3Woes against the oppressors (ch. 2)
- 4"Though the fig tree does not blossom... yet I will rejoice in the Lord" (3:17-18)
🏷️ Main themes
📖 Verses to memorize
- Habakkuk 1:2How long, O Lord, shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? shall I cry out to thee suffering violence, and thou wilt not save?
- Habakkuk 2:3For as yet the vision is far off, and it shall appear at the end, and shall not lie: if it make any delay, wait for it: for it shall surely come, and it shall not be slack.
- Habakkuk 2:4Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself: but the just shall live in his faith.
- Habakkuk 3:18But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus.
- Habakkuk 3:19The Lord God is my strength: and he will make my feet like the feet of harts: and he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.
💭 For reflection
- Do I dare to bring my questions to God in prayer?
- What does "the righteous shall live by his faith" mean?
Habakkuk asks God why he allows injustice, and receives the answer that the righteous will live by faithfulness. It ends with a song of trust even in the midst of scarcity.