Habakkuk and jeremiah these were gods last prophets to judah. A whole nation is going to hell and god does not seem to care. The example of the prophet habakkuk encourages believers to. But in his commentary to the biblical verse itself, rashi goes further. Gods silence to habakkuks prayers in the face of such wickedness was confusing and frustrating for the prophet and this was a burden. Our study of each chapter of habakkuk will begin with quotes from a work of the. One of the books of the minor prophets, habakkuk records a dialogue between the prophet and god.
Habakkuk is unique among prophets because he does not speak for. He alludes to a tradition whereby god went to the other nations to see if they would accept the torah, but they refused. By the end of the prophecy, this name becomes appropriate as the prophet clings to god regardless of his confusion about gods plans for his people. It is deserving, therefore, of a preachers best efforts. As martin luther was crawling on his knees up the scala scanta in rome, the spirit used this passage to pierce this burdened monks heart of stone and set in motion the reformation. The prophet habakkuk what do you do when you feel like your prayers are just hitting the ceiling. The book of habakkuk offers hope to people living in an. At the end of his book this name becomes appropriate because habakkuk chooses to cling firmly to embrace god regardless of what happens to his nation 3. There is absolutely no information about the background or person of habakkuk recorded. One group, which is crooked, is flowing toward destruction. Very little, except that he was a jewish man, a contemporary of the prophet jeremiah, and that he was a man of deep faithevidenced by what is written in this short, 3chapter book. The commentary on habakkuk found at qumran does not expound this psalm, either.
He wonders why god is allowing these things to happen. Written for our learning, it is a source of comfort and hope ro 15. The prophet complains to god of the violence done by the abuse of the sword of justice among his own people and the hardships thereby put upon many good people v. Like haggai and zechariah in the books that bear their names haggai 1. The thirtyfifth book in the old testament is that of habakkuk, the eighth of the minor prophets. The author of this book is not mentioned anywhere in the bible except in habakkuk 1. Makest men as the fishes of the sea easily are we taken and destroyed. In looking at the books of the major and minor prophets, you see very much. A prayer of habakkuk the prophet habakkuk signifieth a wrestler, that by closing striveth to get the better, as hath been before noted on habakkuk 1. Some words have been emphasized by the author of this commentary using bold.
The name habakkuk is an unusual one of uncertain meaning. We see the struggle in habakkuk s mind as he moves from a state of perplexity and confusion as he openly questions the wisdom of god to a settled conviction that the just must live by faith. The book of habakkuk offers us a picture of a prideful people being humbled, while the righteous live by faith in god 2. This prophetic book takes its name from its author and possibly means one who embraces 1. Commentary to habakkuk john schultz bible commentaries.
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee. He penned what he was given some time in the reign of jehoiakim 609598 bc. Pdf the book of habakkuk 2018 edition gary everett, mdiv. He was contemporary with the prophet jeremiah who knew of habakkuks prophecies, as did all judah. In the story, habakkuk who has made a stew to take to feed some harvesters encounters an angel who lifts him. Filled habakkuk 2 gods answer to habakkuks questions in habakkuk 1. Habakkuks prophecy is even introduced as a burden which the prophet saw 1.
To close with the adversary is the best way to supplant him, or to avoid the blow. The old testament book of habakkuk, written 2,600 years ago, is yet another ancient bible text that has startling relevance for people today. Some feel it comes from the hebrew word habaq which means to embrace thus, his name would signify an ardent embrace. We have no leader to guide us, and no power to defend ourselves. Unity the major challenge to the unity of the book has come from liberal scholars who view psalmic material such as chapter 3 as postexilic. The book of habakkuk is a compilation of the prophets laments, not an accusation against israel and its sin or a message to the people on gods behalf like some of the other prophetic books.
His style is poetic and nearer to the psalms than any other old testament prophet. The prophet, waiting for a return to his expostulation, is answered by god that the time for the destruction of the jewish polity by the chaldeans is not only fixed in the divine counsel, but is awfully near. It is in the form of a song that makes fun of the proud oppressor. Habakkuk 1 habakkuk 2 habakkuk 3 it is a very foolish fancy of some of the jewish rabbin that this prophet was the son of the shunamite woman that was at first miraculously given, and afterwards raised to life, by elisha 2 kings iv. The term implies acts of injury, both physical and moral, inflicted on others gen. We see the struggle in habakkuks mind as he moves from a state of perplexity and confusion as he openly questions the wisdom of god to a settled conviction that the just must live by faith. Due to its early discovery and rapid publication, as well as its relatively pristine preservation, 1qphab is one of the most frequently researched and analyzed scrolls of the several hundred now known. He succeeded nahum in the line of prophecy in the year 3254 and became a link in the chain of tradition which reaches back to moshe rabbenu habakkuks main prophecy was directed against the kingdoms of babylon, persia and. Habakkuks prophecy possesses a burdensome dimension from start to finish. Gods silence to habakkuk s prayers in the face of such wickedness was confusing and frustrating for the prophet and this was a burden. A hope the promise of god verse 5 in the middle of habakkuks despair, god reveals to his prophet that he is already working in a way that will in future days prove to be almost unbelievable.
Habakkuk had the assurance that god would bring to completion his promise. Gawrisch in preparation for the 500th anniversary of luthers birth, mequon, wi, january 17, 1983 preaching a sermon for the 500th anniversary of luthers birth is a onceinmanyalifetime experience. He penned what he was given some time in the reign of. His main theme, like psalm 73 and other old testament passages, was the affliction of the godly and the prosperity of the ungodly.
Habakkuks theme centers in the theological question of how gods patience with evil can square with his holiness. The psalm in habakkuk provides a key for unlocking the meaning of most. Instead, habakkuk questions gods goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil and tragedy in the world. The crisis about which habakkuk calls for help is the violence that permeated his society. Godas consistency with himself in spite of permitted evil 2. He probably prophesied in the latter days of josiah upon the eve of the babylonian captivity 3. A hope the promise of god verse 5 in the middle of habakkuk s despair, god reveals to his prophet that he is already working in a way that will in future days prove to be almost unbelievable. He explains that the armies of babylon are moving throughout the ancient world on a. It reminds us that while god may seem silent and uninvolved in our world, he always has a plan to deal with evil and always works out justice. Nebuchadnezzar is here represented as a fisherman, who is constantly casting his nets into the sea, and enclosing multitudes of fishes. Habakkuk 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Significantly, these homilies make their point through exegetical use of habakkuk 3. Hope this video helps and blesses you, if so, please like, subscribe and write a comment below.
Commentary on habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai by john calvin. Ronald blue, habakkuk, in the bible knowledge commentary. Habakkuk sermoncommentary in looking at the books of the. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the.
He may have been a professional prophet of the temple from the 7th century bce probably between 605597 bce. What habakkuk had to say lay as a heavy burden on his heart. The answer the prophet received is valid for all time. God to the people but rather he speaks to god about the people. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. The fact that in his book he is twice called the prophet i, 1. A general date may be determined by readings such as habakkuk 1. Outline of the book of habakkuk the prophet and date of letter the name habakkuk means embrace or embracer isbe v. The prophet habakkuk lived at the time of the exile of king jechoniah, eleven years before the destruction of the first beth hamikdosh in the year 3328 after creation. Being a prophet, habakkuk knows well how much god loves. A complete commentary on the first 2 chapters of the book has been found in the dead sea scrolls.
Therefore, habakkuk was written after 612 bc, and very likely after 605 bc, but before the destruction of the temple, most likely prior to 598 bc. Habakkuks name comes from the hebrew root that means to embrace. The habakkuk commentary or pesher habakkuk, labelled 1qphab cave 1, qumran, pesher, habakkuk was among the original seven dead sea scrolls discovered in 1947 and published in 1951. In the last years of the kingdom of judah the changes made by the good king josiah had been overturned by his successors. When possible, historical information will be included in the notes to increase reading comprehension and enhance application. Habakkuk introduction old testament matthew henry st. Studies in the minor prophets 3 studies in the minor prophets introduction introduction 1. Habakkuk lived in the period of the rise of the neobabylonian empire 625 b. The date of composition cannot be determined with certainty but. The book of habakkuk is further noteworthy in that a commentary on habakkuk was one of the first three dead sea scrolls along with the complete book of isaiah, and the manual of discipline, also called the rule of the community discovered in the caves of qumran in 1947 by a bedouin shepherd named muhammed eddhib. The kingdom had once again descended into sin and this prompted the prophet habakkuk to ask god why he was not punishing them.
A study of the book of habakkuk cornerstone church. Almost all information about habakkuk is drawn from the book of the bible bearing his name, with no biographical details provided other than his title, the. Habakkuk, who was active around 612 bc, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the book of habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible. This burden, or prophetic vision, communicated to habakkuk, was against the chaldeans as well as the jews. He believed that god would accomplish in his lifetime what was necessary, and that later he would implement the final stages of his purpose for all nations. While christians are not under the old testament as a system of justification, it is of great value for us today. Habakkuk is different from all the other prophetic. The burden the grievous calamities, or heavy judgments. God by him foretels the punishment of that abuse of power by the sword of war, and the desolations which the army of the chaldeans should make upon them v. We know nothing more about habakkuk with certainty than that he was a prophet who also had the ability to write poetry ch3. Of this prophets birthplace, parentage, and life we have no reliable information. The prophet seeks deliverance for the people of judah.
The book of habakkuk, the eighth book of the twelve minor prophets, was written by a prophet difficult to identify. Habakkuk is the prophet of faith, as he has been labeled by many commentators. For while the prophet was complaining of iniquity among the jews, 1st, god foreshows him the desolations which the chaldeans would make. It begins with a series of difficult questions expressing habakkuks deep doubts and concerns over the unchecked evil in his society. Book of habakkuk overview insight for living ministries.
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