Habakkuk is unique among the prophets. Rather than speaking God's message to the people, this book records a dialogue between the prophet and God. Habakkuk's honest questions and God's answers offer profound insight for anyone struggling to understand God's ways.
Habakkuk's First Complaint (1:1-4)
"O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!" — Habakkuk 1:2
Habakkuk saw rampant wickedness in Judah:
- Violence and injustice
- Law ignored
- The wicked surrounding the righteous
- Perverted justice
His question: Why doesn't God do something?
God's Surprising Answer (1:5-11)
"Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you." — Habakkuk 1:5
God was going to act—but not as Habakkuk expected. He was raising up the Babylonians to judge Judah.
The Babylonians were:
- Fierce and impetuous
- Violent conquerors
- Self-sufficient and proud
- Ruthless beyond measure
Habakkuk's Second Complaint (1:12-2:1)
This answer troubled Habakkuk even more:
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" — Habakkuk 1:13
The logic seemed backward: Why use a more wicked nation to punish a less wicked one? How could a holy God use such an instrument?
Habakkuk positioned himself to wait for God's answer:
"I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me." — Habakkuk 2:1
God's Answer (2:2-20)
Write It Down
"Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." — Habakkuk 2:2
God's answer was so important it needed to be recorded clearly.
The Vision Awaits Its Time
"For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come." — Habakkuk 2:3
God's timing differs from ours. What seems like delay is actually divine appointment.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." — Habakkuk 2:4
This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). It became foundational to the Protestant Reformation.
The proud trust in themselves. The righteous trust in God—even when circumstances don't make sense.
Woes Against Babylon
God then pronounced five woes against Babylon:
- Woe to the plunderer (2:6-8)
- Woe to the covetous (2:9-11)
- Woe to the violent (2:12-14)
- Woe to the shameless (2:15-17)
- Woe to the idolater (2:18-19)
The Babylonians would themselves be judged. God's instrument would not escape accountability.
"But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." — Habakkuk 2:20
Habakkuk's Prayer (Chapter 3)
The book concludes with one of Scripture's most beautiful prayers:
Remembering God's Past Acts
Habakkuk recounts God's mighty deeds in delivering Israel—the exodus, the wilderness journey, the conquest.
Present Fear
"When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself." — Habakkuk 3:16
Understanding what was coming brought fear. The Babylonian invasion would be devastating.
Resolute Faith
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." — Habakkuk 3:17-18
This is faith at its finest. Even if everything fails—crops, livestock, livelihood—Habakkuk will rejoice in God.
The Source of Strength
"The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." — Habakkuk 3:19
Lessons from Habakkuk
Honest Questions Are Okay
Habakkuk brought his confusion directly to God. We can too.
God's Ways Are Higher
His methods may puzzle us, but His purposes are always right.
Faith Trusts Despite Circumstances
The righteous live by faith—not by sight, not by understanding, but by trusting God's character.
Worship Transcends Circumstances
True worship doesn't depend on favorable conditions.
Joy in God Is Possible Always
Even in loss, we can rejoice in the God of our salvation.
When life doesn't make sense, may we, like Habakkuk, move from questioning to worship, trusting the God who holds all things in His hands.