Habakkuk -- an introduction

Habakkuk We know nothing about the prophet Habakkuk. The book was probably written between the fall of Nineveh (612 BC) and conquering of Judah (597 BC) and eventual destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC). Judah rejoiced at the fall of Nineveh at the hands of the Babylonians, only to see the Babylonians (also called the Chaldeans in the Old Testament) seek world domination. The Chaldeans destroy Nineveh in 612 BC, defeat the Egyptians in 605 BC, and the march continues all the way to Judah. Habakkuk struggles with the same question as Job: how can God’s people suffer while the wicked go free?

Habakkuk can be outlined as follows:

·         Habakkuk 1:1-4          Internal discord

·         Habakkuk 1:5-11        God’s solution

·         Habakkuk 1:12-2:1     Is God just?

·         Habakkuk 2:2-20        God answers

·         Habakkuk 3:19            Habakkuk’s prayer

Key learning: God is good even when we don’t feel it; God is just even when that justice is hard for us to endure.