Habakkuk
Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. Each review contains quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Habakkuk, a book written around 600 BC and one that is part of a larger collection of books called The Bible.
Habakkuk
Author
Habakkuk
Introduction
One of the Minor Prophets, the book of Habakkuk is unique in its style. Rather than speaking to the people on God's behalf, Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people. Habakkuk struggled with how to understand God's actions in history, especially His use of an unrighteous nation as an instrument of His justice. God's answer to Habakkuk's rejection was an assurance that the righteous people will live by their faith.
Message and Purpose
Like some other Old Testament figures, Habakkuk deals with the problem of understanding God's ways: Why does God allow injustice to prevail (1:3)? How can God use the more wicked Babylonians to punish the less wicked Judeans (1:13)? How long will God allow evildoers to dominate the world (1:17)?
God did not give clear answers to the questions Habakkuk raised. Instead He called on the godly to have faith (2:4). When Habakkuk declared he would rejoice in God no matter what (3:17-19), he showed that he had accepted and appropriated this message to his own life.
Here are the three takeaways I have from reading the powerful book of Habakkuk:
God's sovereign greatness. Habakkuk shows the greatness of God. He is eternally alive (1:12), unlike dead idols of wood or stone (2:18-19). His prophecies come true (2:3). He can raise up nations to accomplish His purposes (1:6), and He shakes the world through pestilence and war (3:2-15).
God's hidden justice. Habakkuk's God is holy (1:12). The prophet expected Him to oppose injustice (1:2-4,13a), though sometimes it is hard to see the justice of God working through the events of human history (1:13b). But though God may use the wicked acts of men for His good purposes and allow evil to prevail for a time, ultimately the wicked will pay for their crimes (2:6-14) and God will come to save His people and crush the wicked (3:13-15).
Faith. The key verse of Habakkuk is 2:4b: "The righteous one will live by his faith." Though we find it difficult to fathom the ways of God with man, we can learn, as Habakkuk did, to trust and exult in God's goodness despite our imperfect understanding (3:16-19).
Remarkable Chapter
While this book only contains three chapters, there are some lofty remarks about the goodness of God and expressing confidence in Him. I love the imagery in Chapter 3, where Habakkuk stands in awe of God's power and glory. In the form of a prayer, Habakkuk exclaims in verses 3-4, "His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise. His brilliance is like light; rays are flashing from His hand."
Concluding the chapter, and therefore the entire book, Habakkuk wraps up his prayer by expressing that even in the middle of hardship, he will continue to give praise to God. In the final two verses, Habakkuk exclaims, "...yet I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!"
Conclusion
The book of Habakkuk looks at an issue that often confronts people: trying to discern God's purposes in the midst of this crazy world. Yet, there is a realization of the will of God for this world, and this truth is seen throughout Scripture: God's promises to Abraham, God's desire for us to have life abundantly, and God's will for a human community of joy, security, and righteousness. We ultimately triumph in the world and live abundantly only through faith. Habakkuk's message that the righteous will live by faith prepared the way for the greater understanding of this truth in the New Testament, which emphasizes salvation through faith in Christ.