1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.

Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
but you do not come to save.
3 Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look,
I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people
who love to argue and fight.
4 The law has become paralyzed,
and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous,
so that justice has become perverted.

The Lord’s Reply
5 The Lord replied,

“Look around at the nations;
look and be amazed![a]
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[b]
a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
and conquer other lands.
7 They are notorious for their cruelty
and do whatever they like.
8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs[c]
and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.

9 “On they come, all bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
against their walls and capture them!
11 They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.”

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal—
surely you do not plan to wipe us out?
O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us,
to punish us for our many sins.
13 But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil.
Will you wink at their treachery?
Should you be silent while the wicked
swallow up people more righteous than they?

14 Are we only fish to be caught and killed?
Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?
15 Must we be strung up on their hooks
and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?
16 Then they will worship their nets
and burn incense in front of them.
“These nets are the gods who have made us rich!”
they will claim.
17 Will you let them get away with this forever?
Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

2 I will climb up to my watchtower
and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
and how he[a] will answer my complaint.

The Lord’s Second Reply
2 Then the Lord said to me,

“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.

4 “Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.[b]
5 Wealth[c] is treacherous,
and the arrogant are never at rest.
They open their mouths as wide as the grave,[d]
and like death, they are never satisfied.
In their greed they have gathered up many nations
and swallowed many peoples.

6 “But soon their captives will taunt them.
They will mock them, saying,
‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!
Now you will get what you deserve!
You’ve become rich by extortion,
but how much longer can this go on?’
7 Suddenly, your debtors will take action.
They will turn on you and take all you have,
while you stand trembling and helpless.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
now all the survivors will plunder you.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence.

9 “What sorrow awaits you who build big houses
with money gained dishonestly!
You believe your wealth will buy security,
putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.
10 But by the murders you committed,
you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.
11 The very stones in the walls cry out against you,
and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

12 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities
with money gained through murder and corruption!
13 Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised
that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes?
They work so hard,
but all in vain!
14 For as the waters fill the sea,
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the Lord.

15 “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!
You force your cup on them
so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.
16 But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.
Come, drink and be exposed![e]
Drink from the cup of the Lord’s judgment,
and all your glory will be turned to shame.
17 You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
Now you will be cut down.
You destroyed the wild animals,
so now their terror will be yours.
You committed murder throughout the countryside
and filled the towns with violence.

18 “What good is an idol carved by man,
or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation—
a god that can’t even talk!
19 What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,
‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
‘Rise up and teach us!’
Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver,
but they are lifeless inside.
20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:

2 I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
remember your mercy.

3 I see God moving across the deserts from Edom,
the Holy One coming from Mount Paran.
His brilliant splendor fills the heavens,
and the earth is filled with his praise.
4 His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from his hands,
where his awesome power is hidden.
5 Pestilence marches before him;
plague follows close behind.
6 When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One!
7 I see the people of Cushan in distress,
and the nation of Midian trembling in terror.

8 Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers
and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
9 You brandished your bow
and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
10 The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky
as your brilliant arrows flew
and your glittering spear flashed.

12 You marched across the land in anger
and trampled the nations in your fury.
13 You went out to rescue your chosen people,
to save your anointed ones.
You crushed the heads of the wicked
and stripped their bones from head to toe.
14 With his own weapons,
you destroyed the chief of those
who rushed out like a whirlwind,
thinking Israel would be easy prey.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
and the mighty waters piled high.

16 I trembled inside when I heard this;
my lips quivered with fear.
My legs gave way beneath me,
and I shook in terror.
I will wait quietly for the coming day
when disaster will strike the people who invade us.
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Habakkuk

Dear God, I’m following up on a prayer on Habakkuk I did a few weeks ago. I want to teach a Sunday school lesson on it in a couple of days, so I want to pray this morning as I get my thoughts organized for it. But I’m going to reference the prayer from October 5 to be reminded of what I worked out with you then.

I think the breakdown is pretty easy. There will be seven parts to the lesson:

1. Introduction and set up the book. Habakkuk 1:1
2. Habakkuk’s complaint: Habakkuk 1:2-4
3. God’s response: Habakkuk 1:5-11
4. Habakkuk’s second complaint: Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
5. God’s second response: Habakkuk 2:2-20
6. Habakkuk’s prayer: Habakkuk 3
7. Our response

Set up the book:

First, I want to quote Walter Kaiser from the Mastering the Old Testament book that covers Habakkuk among other minor prophets.

The clearest evidence for dating the book of Habakkuk is in 1:6, which mentions the Chaldeans. This new world power had just destroyed the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 B.C. It then scored a decisive victory of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605 B.C. It is likely that this book was written just before 605 B.C., for the prophet was told that God was going to do a work in his time of such magnitude that no one would believe it if they were told about it this (1:5). God would use the Babylonians (1:6), a nation that was by no means a threat or a world empire at the time, to judge Judah’s sin. This would be astonishing, to say the least.

Habakkuk’s Complaint

• Confusing times. Has there ever been anyone, from Adam and Eve until now, who didn’t think they were living in confusing times? You, Father, are never in confusing times. You know exactly what is going on.
• Are there any words in verses 2-4 that we think could be prayed now?
• What kind of violence did Habakkuk know and had he seen compared with the kind of violence we have personally experienced?
• Taking our American glasses off for a second, could this prayer be legitimately prayed by people today?

God’s response (1:5-11)

• God tells Habakkuk to look around and be amazed. Would God’s words comfort you if you were Habakkuk?
• We have the benefit of knowing that the Babylonian exile will last a long time and will then be followed by the Persians about 70 years later–beyond Habakkuk’s life. How do you feel about Habakkuk never seeing an answer to his prayer during his earthly life?
• Do you think there are times we have prayers that God is answering in a way that is slower than we will have a chance to see his plan? Can we be at peace with that?

Habakkuk’s Second Complaint (1:12-2:1)

• Habakkuk is concerned this conquest will wipe out Israel.
• Is it really God’s plan to use evil people to correct Israel?
• Habakkuk does not like the idea of Israel being humiliated at the hands of Pagans.
• Are there limits to what God will allow to happen to those he loves in order to correct them and bring them back to himself?

God’s Second Response (2:2-20)

• God gives more details about what will happen
• Look at verse 2:4b: But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Do you think righteous people died in the process of the Babylonian conquest? How do you feel about the idea that righteous people died as a part of God’s plan to correct the unrighteousness of Israel as a whole?
• The conquerors will have their day, but it will be limited. But “limited” is a relative term. We measure time in days, weeks, and months while God measures time in years, decades, and centuries. Some of the Babylonians will be born, live, and die as powerful abusers while some righteous Israelites will be born, live, and die as slaves. Is that okay?
• Are there areas of our worldview that it is hard to have patience for God’s plan to flesh out?
• In my translation, God says, “What sorrow awaits…” 5 times (6, 9, 12, 15, and 19) Will there be Babylonians who never experience the sorrow while alive?
• How does that apply to now?

Habakkuk’s Prayer

• Humble worship
• He asks for mercy
• He has a vision of God’s might and power
• He has a vision of God’s ultimate salvation
• Do you think his vision for Israel’s ultimate redemption fit into the paradigm of the redemption Jesus would bring?
• Read chapter 3 again, but thinking about Jesus.
• How does envisioning Jesus as God’s ultimate answer for Israel’s salvation change how you read this passage?

Our Response

• How does today’s reading of Habakkuk impact how we see the “confusing times” we are living in today? Personal lives? Community/state/country/world?
• Does it change how we should pray for these things?

Father, I think this is what you have for me to bring this Sunday school class on Sunday. I pray that you will guide the discussion. Guide me. Holy Spirit, move in my heart, in the hearts of the people in there, and in that room on that morning. Prepare all of our hearts now for this discussion so that each of us might be in the place you need us to be so that we can hear from you and the seeds you plant might find fertile soil.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen