Habakkuk 1:1–3, 5–6, 13; 2:1, 4–6; 3:2, 17–19b

Bible Studies for Life 
Director, Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence, Samford University

HABAKKUK: A MESSAGE OF FAITH

Habakkuk 1:1–3, 5–6, 13; 2:1, 4–6; 3:2, 17–19b
The Book of Habakkuk tackles the tough question of unjust suffering. Why does it seem wrong so often prevails over right? An even more difficult question is why do good people suffer while devious, evil persons seem to thrive? 

This week’s lesson invites us to ponder this age-old question. Long before us, Habakkuk had a bona fide crisis of faith that led him to verbally wrestle with God to find answers. We can learn from him as we deal with our own struggles to resolve the “why?” questions that trouble us and test our faith. 

An Honest Question (1:1–3, 13; 2:1)
Times were dark in Judah when Habakkuk prophesied. The Assyrian empire had been crushed by the Babylonians. Once an ally during the reign of Josiah, after his death, the Babylonians began treating the Hebrew people like subjects to be used and abused. 

Jehoiakim, Judah’s king, did not help circumstances. Because Jehoiakim was ambitious, corrupt and cruel, religious reforms instituted by Josiah were soon abandoned. Violence, destruction, injustice, strife, conflict — these were everyday occurrences that eventually overwhelmed Habakkuk. In a desperate crisis of faith he pleaded with God, “ … how long must I call but you do not listen” (v. 2). 

Habakkuk’s question is our question as well: why does it sometimes seem God is distant and uninvolved even as wrong prevails over right? We too have had our own crises of faith and have pleaded with God for resolution. Sometimes we have received a response. Other times God seems deafeningly silent. We need to remember God is not troubled by the hard questions we have. Our struggle to find answers more often reflects a process of maturing faith taking place in us. Perhaps God is moved more by the desperate prayers and questions of the person who struggles with his or her faith than by the superficial, “easy” prayers of one who has no questions about hard things; no struggles with difficult matters of faith and belief.

A Divine Response (1:5–6; 2:4–6)
Yogi Berra was said to have said, “You can see a lot just by looking.” God’s response to Habakkuk’s plea was a call to look — to observe what God was doing all around him. Unfortunately the particulars of God’s response were not what Habakkuk expected and were just as troubling to him as God’s apparent inaction. The Babylonians would again prove to be the instrument of God’s judgment, but this time on unfaithful Judah. In effect, God would use an unrighteous nation to bring about judgment on God’s chosen people, who were much less evil than the Babylonians. What seemed right about that? No wonder Habakkuk had difficulty with God’s response (1:13). Like a patient parent, God’s further response to Habakkuk’s complaint was a call to faith and trust. Write it in big letters (2:2), God tells the prophet, noting there is no future for the arrogant and unrighteous. 

The righteous will live and it is their faith that will give them life.

The Believer’s Response (3:2, 17–19b)
The science fiction writer H.G. Wells, a skeptic of the Christian faith, once said that God is an “ever-absent help” in times of trouble. Thankfully most of us have a different experience of God’s presence and activity. Though we may not see how the hand of God’s care works in our times of faith-testing struggle or anxiety, in looking back over the months and years we see clearly that God was indeed working for good in all things (Rom. 8:28). Habakkuk could reflect on how God had worked in the lives of the Hebrew people and in his own life. Though he struggled to understand the manner of God’s working, he knew God would be faithful. He could rejoice in the God of his salvation and strength.