“Why in the world would you preach Habakkuk?” This question came to mind as Nate Stevens, our Discipleship Director, and I were brainstorming series ideas late 2021. He mentioned Habakkuk and I initially wrinkled my nose at the proposition, which then drove me to conclude that we must preach through it. Habakkuk deals with an issue that is at the heart of many of our questions, “Why God?” Have you ever found yourself asking God why He is allowing evil and injustice to seemingly run rampant without repercussion? If you’ve thought that, or perhaps even prayed for it, then you may find hope in the prophecy of Habakkuk.
Two key verses come to light in this short book. Hab. 2:4, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith,” and Hab. 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” These statements play an integral part to understanding Habakkuk’s question and the Lord’s response. Will you live by faith in the midst of the tempest? Do you trust that the Lord will bring about the filling of the earth with the knowledge of His glory (restoration)? As we venture through Habakkuk’s oracle, these two verses will play a massive role in our understanding of the issues at hand, our response to them, and the Lord’s sure plan of justice and mercy.
Is this book relevant? Absolutely, the problem of injustice and evil has been one that resides at the heart of questioning God’s existence by most skeptics. Moreover, the historical context of Habakkuk is relevant to our modern world. The forces of evil are at work in Habakkuk’s day, in both the local and geopolitical realm. Injustice dominates the Judean society, with words like iniquity, wrong, destruction, violence, wickedness and perversion… and these are just the words used to describe Habakkuk’s community. As division and injustice are rife in Judah, on the greater geopolitical theater, Babylon is gaining power and control. They have made a god of their power, swiftness, and military might. They have no regard for human flourishing as they sweep across the earth subverting every nation they encounter. Division, injustice, and geopolitical strife, many of the issues that we now face were occurring about 2500 years ago when Habakkuk conversed with the Lord. We find relevance in living by faith in tumultuous times and resting firm in the restorative plan of the Lord.
My hope and prayer is that you find comfort in connecting with Habakkuk in his questioning and lament, that you find solace in the sure and steady hand of the Lord’s plan, and that you live moment by moment by faith in the Lord. Join us on Sundays beginning September 11 as we unearth the mysteries of Habakkuk’s prophecy.
Reading Plan:
9/11/22: Hab. 1:1-11
9/18/22: Hab. 1:12-2:4
9/25/22: Hab. 2:5-20
10/2/22: Hab. 3
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