What's Habakkuk about?

The book of Habakkuk was written when it had become clear that the Israelites would be conquered by the Babylonians, around 600 B.C. The book is short, with only three chapters, but it was well known at the time of Jesus, and is referred to by Paul in his discussions of faith in his letters to the Romans and Galatians, as well as in Hebrews.

The three chapters

The book is a conversational challenge between Habakkuk and God. In the first chapter Habakkuk complains that God is ignoring the injustices going on among the people and God replies that the Babylonians will punish the people. Habakkuk is outraged that God will do such a thing as bringing unclean non-believers to punish the people. In chapter 2, God responds to Habakukk’s challenge by saying that God will punish the Babylonians more severely than the Israelites. In the final chapter, Habakkuk still does not understand why God is acting in this way, but has no choice but to trust.

How Habakkuk is helpful to us

We, too, live in time in which injustice and even hope of the future seem to be at and end, and God seems to do nothing about it. Our calling, like that of Habakkuk, will be to trust that indeed God is in control and that in ways that may not be clear, God’s reign of justice will prevail. There really is no other choice.