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At this point in our journey through the Book of the Twelve, we’ve seen indignant prophets blasting Israel’s numerous decisions to embrace evil. Firebrands like Hosea, Amos, and Micah burn with anger at the idolatry and injustice rotting their nation from the inside out.

When Yahweh’s prophets accuse Israel of breaking its agreement with Yahweh, they never attempt to soften their warnings. Remember Amos? He calls Israel’s religious elite the “cows of Bashan.” He is saying they are fattened, lazy, and guided by their own carnal ignorance rather than God’s divine wisdom.

Habakkuk lived in the same debauched period of Israel’s history as many of the other prophets. He witnessed moral corruption that drew intense, colorful outcries from his counterparts. But today’s reading contains no blistering critiques of Israel’s sin—no sordid affairs, no putrid sacrifices, no cannibalistic shepherds.

Instead, the book of Habakkuk envisions a grieving prophet, wrestling with the complexity of God’s justice. How could a wise and just God allow rebellion to run rampant among his chosen people? Also, how could God allow wicked, violent Babylon to amass so much wealth and power? Even worse, how could God allow this brutal nation to beat his own people, Israel, into the dirt?

Habakkuk’s famous refrain—“How long, O Lord?”—repeats throughout the text, expressing something every human being trying to follow God may feel. God, how long will you let this corruption continue?

Habakkuk pours out his grief and confusion to Yahweh, and Yahweh answers. God meets Habakkuk in the bewildering darkness of the world and invites him to live by faith, to trust God’s fierce love for his world, and to rest in the sure hope that God will one day take down evil for good.

Watch the video to learn about Yahweh’s mission to crush the head of evil empires in the book of Habakkuk.

Reflection Questions

• Habakkuk 2:4 appears three times in the New Testament: Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:37-38. Read each of these passages in their New Testament context. How does the message of Habakkuk help you understand the arguments Paul and the author of Hebrews make with these citations?
• Compare Yahweh’s thunderous appearance in Habakkuk 3:3-6 to his appearances in Micah 1:3-5, Nahum 1:3-6, and Exodus 19-20. How are these events similar? How are they different?