THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK
LESSON 2: CHAPTERS 1-2
PART I. HABAKKUK'S ORACLES (1:1-2:20)
They cry out, there is no one to
save; to Yahweh, but no answer comes.
Psalm 18:41
Dialogue between Habakkuk and God (1:1-2:4)
Habakkuk 1:1-4 ~ Habakkuk's First Complaint: Lawlessness Prevails
1 The charge [massa] that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision [chazah]. 2 How long, Yahweh, am I to cry for
help while you will not listen; to cry, "Violence!" in your ear while you will
not save? 3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing, why do you countenance
oppression? Plundering and violence confront me, contention and discord
flourish. 4 And so the law loses its grip and justice never emerges, since the
wicked outwits the upright and so justice comes out perverted.
The visions the prophet Habakkuk received dated from 605-597 BC. These were the years between the Battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates River in northern Syria when Babylonian general Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians and took control of the region in 605 BC, and the Babylonian invasion of Judah in 597 BC (Jer 42:6). During these years, the situation in the Kingdom of Judah was desperate, with the practice of idol worship and political intrigue widespread in the kingdom.
Chapters 1-2 are an "oracle" or "pronouncement" (massa in Hebrew) that the prophet received in a vision (Hab 1:1), followed by a dialogue between the prophet and the Lord. The Book of Habakkuk is unique in that it is one of the few times in Scripture that a prophet questioned God's actions and called Him to account for His governing of the world.
In verses 1-2, the prophet complains to Yahweh about the evils and miseries in Judah that the Lord has not addressed. "How long," the prophet asks, will God continue to let these abuses go on? Habakkuk's appeal is similar to the complaints of Job and other prophets condemning the social injustices of their day (c.f., Job 19:6-8; Psalm 18:41; Isaiah 59:9-11; Jeremiah 10:23-25; 14:9). God answered the prophet in verses 5-11, saying that He was preparing an avenging instrument, Babylon/Chaldea (Hab 1:6), which He will use to punish the sinful people of Judah.
The Hebrew word massa means "burden" (Strong's # 4853). The call to a prophetic ministry was a "burden" because of the heavy responsibility to share God's word no matter the personal cost. 1 Habakkuk received his oracles not only by sound but also by visions, chazah in Hebrew (Strong's #2372). The book opens with a dialogue between Habakkuk and Yahweh. Twice the prophet complains, and twice Yahweh answers (1:2-2:4).
In his first complaint, speaking in the name of his people, Habakkuk protests that his cries for help and the miseries they suffer seem to go unanswered. He lists what has gone wrong for the people and asks the Lord why He allows the wicked to triumph in sewing discord and violence, to abuse the Law, and perverting justice (verses 3-4). The prophet complains that Yahweh does nothing about it (verse 2); it is a prayer from Habakkuk's wounded heart.
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-97), also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus, wrote that all prayer should come from the heart: "I say to God simply what I want to say to Him, without using sweet words or beautiful phrases, and He always hears and understands me. [...] For me, in times of suffering and times of joy, prayer is an impulse of the heart, a glance up to heaven, an expression of gratitude and love" (Autobiographical Writings, 25).
Habakkuk 1:5-11 ~ God's First Answer: The Chaldaeans as Instruments of Justice
5 Cast your eyes over the nations, look, and be amazed, astounded. For I am doing
something in your own days which you will not believe if you are told of it. 6
For look, I am stirring up the Chaldeans, that fierce and fiery nation who
marched miles across the country to seize the homes of others. 7 They are
dreadful and awesome, a law and authority to themselves. 8 Their horses are
swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at night; their horsemen gallop on,
their horsemen advance from afar, swooping like an eagle anxious to feed. 9
They are all bent on violence, their faces scorching like an east wind; they
scoop up prisoners like sand. 10 They scoff at kings; they despise princes.
They make light of all fortresses; they heap up earth and take them. 11 Then
the wind changes and is gone. Guilty is he who makes his strength his god.
God responds to Habakkuk, saying that He does act, and the prophet will see how He acts simply by looking ("cast your eyes" in verse 5) at the Chaldeans (Babylonians) that He has raised to power. 2 St. Paul quoted Habakkuk 1:5 as a warning in Acts 13:41 and applied the verse to the incarnation, ministry, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He sternly told the Jews in the Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia: Cast your eyes around you, mockers; be amazed, and perish! For I am doing something in your own days that you would never believe if you were told of it."
Similar dramatic descriptions of invasions in verses 6-9 occur frequently in the prophetic books (e.g., Isaiah 5:26-29; 13:17-18; Jeremiah 4:5-7, 13, 16-17; 5:15-17; 6:22-24; Ezekiel 23:22-26; 28:7-10; Nahum 3:2-3).
7 They are dreadful and awesome, a law and authority to themselves.
The Chaldean Babylonians do not acknowledge any human or divine power as their
master; they attribute their victories to their fierceness and skill in battle
(see verse 11b), like building earthen ramps or earthworks in their sieges of
fortresses (verse 10b).
11 Then the wind changes and is gone. Guilty is he who makes his strength his god.
The Babylonian invasion will come like a violent windstorm and then pass on,
leaving total destruction in its path. However, while God may use this foreign
power as His instrument of judgment to punish His covenant people and cleanse
them of their sins, the Chaldeans are not innocent of wrongdoing. They are
guilty of making their strength their god.
Habakkuk 1:12-17 ~ Habakkuk's Second Complaint: The Tyranny of the Conqueror
12 Surely you, Yahweh, are from ancient times, my holy God, who never dies!
Yahweh, you have appointed him to execute judgment; O Rock, you have set him
firm to punish. 13 Your eyes are too pure to rest on evil, you cannot look on
at oppression. Why do you look on at those who play the traitor, why say
nothing while the wicked swallows someone more upright than himself? 14 Why
treat people like fish of the sea, like gliding creatures who have no leader?
15 They haul them all up on their hook, they catch them in their net, they
sweep them up in their dragnet, and then make merry and rejoice. 16 And so they
offer a sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet, for by these
they get a rich living and live off the fat of the land. 17 Are they to go on
emptying their net unceasingly, slaughtering the nations without pity?
The prophet's second dialogue with the Lord concerning the Southern Kingdom of Judah's many sins and covenant violations begins in 1:12 and continues to 2:1. Habakkuk is confused. He acknowledges that God is the sovereign Lord who has chosen to use the Chaldean Babylonians as His instrument of judgment and chastisement (1:12). He knows the punishment is just, but he does not understand why God would use this method. Using the ancient title "Rock" for God (cf. Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 31), he asks how the LORD, who is the immortal Holy and just God (1:12), can use a vicious and unbelieving pagan nation to carry out His just punishment (1:13).
14 Why treat people like fish of the sea, like gliding creatures who have no
leader? 15 They haul them all up on their hook, they catch them in their net,
they sweep them up in their dragnet, and then make merry and rejoice. 16 And so
they offer a sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their dragnet, for by
these they get a rich living and live off the fat of the land. 17 Are they to
go on emptying their net unceasingly, slaughtering the nations without pity?
Habakkuk describes the situation using the analogy of fishing. The righteous population
is like fish living in their natural habitat, and the invaders are like the
fisherman who catches them with his hook and net and then kills them without
mercy (verses 14-15). But there is no justice in the cruel acts of the foreign
invaders because they delight in the suffering they cause and have no pity.
Habakkuk 2:1-4 ~ God's Second Answer: The Upright Will Live Through Faithfulness
1 I shall stand at my post, I shall station myself on my watch-tower, watching to
see what he will say to me, what answer he will make to my complaints.
2 Then Yahweh answered me and said, "Write the vision
down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read. 3 For the vision is for its
appointed time, it hastens towards its end, and it will not lie; although it
may take some time, wait for it, for come it certainly will before too long.
4 You see, anyone whose heart is not upright will succumb, but the upright will
live through faithfulness [ emunah].
Habakkuk announced that he would maintain his position "on my watch-tower," awaiting the Lord's reply to his complaints. This verse can also be translated as "I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower ..." (Revised Standard Version) or I will stand at my guard post, and station myself upon the rampart... (NABRE). The ministerial priesthood and God's prophets served as His watchmen to judge the moral condition of the covenant people, and the Jerusalem Temple was God's "watch-tower" to warn the people of the danger of apostatizing from their covenant obligations.
God gave His answer to His prophet in Habakkuk 2:2-20. In verse 4, God told the prophet to draw up a covenant lawsuit [riv/rib] against the people of Judah in which He pronounces five "woe" judgments against the nation (2:6-20). God will bring His judgment against the wicked, but He promises to spare the righteous who have faith in Him; their faith will be their salvation (2:4). The trust in God that enables the just man and woman to survive the coming destruction is both a confident belief in God's divine justice and the patience to endure in living through its fulfillment.
2 Then Yahweh answered me and said,
"Write the vision down, inscribe it on tablets to be easily read."
God commands Habakkuk to write down the vision for three reasons:
In verses 2-3, God answers His prophet's question, saying that when He promises something, it will happen; some time may pass, even a long time, but His word will not pass away unfulfilled (verses 2-3). The delay in fulfillment is a test of the people's faithfulness (verse 4).
4 You see, anyone whose heart is not upright will succumb, but the upright will
live through faithfulness [ emunah].
The Hebrew word emunah translates as stability, faith, or faithfulness. It
is one of God's attributes (Deuteronomy 32:4) and also a quality of those who
believe and honor Him (2 Chronicles 19:9) and prove themselves righteous in His
eyes (Proverbs 12:22).
Verse 4 claims that the righteous will live by faith, a statement affirmed in New Testament teachings. Being faithful to God, i.e., to His word and His will, is characteristic of the "upright," righteous and will assure them security in this life on the journey to eternity (cf. Psalm 37:3; Proverbs 10:25; Isaiah 33:6). The wicked, who does not have this character of uprightness, is destined for ruin. In the context of Habakkuk's oracle, the upright and the wicked are, respectively, the faithful citizens of Judah and the Babylonians. Although the former may suffer, they will "live" with God, and the latter will perish without Him.
St. Paul used these same words in his discourse on the doctrine of "justification by faith" (c.f. Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38). The Letter to the Hebrews quotes this verse from the Greek Septuagint translation to encourage Christians to persevere in the faith they have received. Is faith by which we will be justified and receive supernatural life in Christ Jesus: But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him. We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life (Heb 10:38-39 NABRE). Rabbi Simlay observed in the Talmudic period (fourth to sixth century AD) that Habakkuk 2:4 was a summary of the 613 precepts of Mosaic Law. It is a confession of faith and trust in God that we should all turn to in times of affliction. See CCC 153-55 and 1814-16.
God Curses the Oppressors (2:5-20)
Habakkuk 2:5-6a ~ Prelude
5 Now, surely, wealth is treacherous! He is arrogant, for ever on the move, with
appetite as large as Sheol and as insatiable as Death, gathering in all the
nations, and making a harvest of all peoples. 6 Are not the peoples all bound
to satirize and make up cryptic riddles about him?
In the second proclamation, God calls down five curse judgments on the wicked oppressors (2:5-20). Verse 5 describes any army and its commander who, like the Babylonians, possesses insatiable arrogance and greed. They may reap riches in their unrelenting greed, but they will also be judged not only by the historical record but by the Divine Judge.
Habakkuk 2:6b-8 ~ The First of Five Judgments
6b As for instance: Disaster [Hoy] to anyone who amasses goods not his (for how
long?) and anyone who weighs himself down with goods taken in pledge! 7 Will
not your creditors suddenly stand up, will not those who make you shiver wake
up, and you will fall a prey to them? 8 Since you have plundered many nations,
all the nations that remain will plunder you, because of the bloodshed and
violence done in the country, to the city and to all who live in it.
"Hoy," in Hebrew, or "Woe," in Greek, meaning "Oh" or "Alas," is often a word used preceding a divine covenant indictment. Jesus gave seven "Woe" judgments against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-32. Each "Hoy" is followed by a description of the one cursed and, often, the reason for the punishment. Each indictment has a proclamation of divine judgment against the oppressor (verses 8, 11, 17) or one proclaiming the holiness of Yahweh, who presides over the earth and all its events (verses 14 and 20).
At times, it is difficult to determine if the oracle's message is directed against the foreign invader or the wicked Jews who have apostatized from their covenant with Yahweh. Despite this ambiguity, the message is that the sins of nations are always the moral faults of people, individually and collectively. St. Jerome made this point in his commentary of Habakkuk: "Everything we say about Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar could be said about the whole world, or about the devil who is arrogant and proud, and believes himself to be powerful though he can bring nothing to its proper end" (Jerome, Commentary on Habakkuk, 2.5).
Habakkuk 2:9-11 ~ The Second Judgment
9 Disaster [Hoy] to anyone who amasses ill-gotten gain for his house, so as to
fix his nest on high and so evade the reach of misfortune! 10 You have
conspired to bring shame on your house; by overthrowing many peoples, you have
worked your own ruin. 11 For the very stone will protect from the wall, and the
beam will respond from the framework.
This indictment may refer to the tribute Nebuchadnezzar demanded from subjected peoples, including the Southern Kingdom of Judah (cf. 2 Kings 24:1). Verses 9-11 repeat some words Jeremiah uttered against King Jehoiakim of Judah (Jeremiah 22:13-17). The indictment says that avarice leads to theft and the accumulation of unjust riches (verse 9).
Habakkuk 2:12-14 ~ The Third Judgment
12 Disaster [Hoy] to anyone who builds a town with bloodshed and founds a city on
wrongdoing! 13 Is it not thanks to Yahweh Sabaoth that the peoples' toil is
fuel for the fire, and the nations' labor came to nothing? 14 But the earth
will be full of the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh as the waters cover the
depths of the sea.
The third and fourth indictments concern acts of violence (verses 12-14 and 15-18), suggesting that greed (verse 9) goes along with violence. However, as in the books of the other prophets, Habakkuk's oracle not only denounces evil but asserts God's sovereignty over all things "God knows everything that happens (verse 13: cf. Jeremiah 51:58; verse 14: cf. Isaiah 11:9), and ultimately, God will right every wrong (verse 16).
Habakkuk 2:15-17 ~ The Fourth Judgment
15 Disaster [Hoy] to anyone who makes his neighbors drink, pouring out his poison
until they are drunk, so that he can see them naked! 16 You are full of shame,
not glory! Your turn now to drink and show your foreskin. The cup in Yahweh's
right hand comes round to you, and disgrace will overshadow your glory. 17 For
the violence done to the Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the massacre of
animals will terrify you, because of the bloodshed and violence done to the
country, to the city, and to all who live in it.
The lack of compassion of the conquerer is like someone who encourages others to get drunk to degrade them (verses 15-16). Their shame will become his. The uncircumcised and debauched Babylonians, whose foreskins denounce them as outside Yahweh's covenant (Genesis 17:9-14), will become drunk and disgraced. The prophets Nahum and Jeremiah wrote that the Assyrian capital of Nineveh and Babylon, the Babylonian capital, were guilty of this (Nahum 3:4-7; Jeremiah 51:7).
17 For the violence done to the Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the massacre of
animals will terrify you, because of the bloodshed and violence done to the
country, to the city, and to all who live in it.
Lebanon, north of Israel and Judah, was despoiled by Nebuchadnezzar, who cut down its
great cedar forests (cf. Isaiah 14:8; 37:24).
Habakkuk 2:18-20 ~ The Fifth Judgment
18 What use is a sculpted image that a sculptor should make it?; a metal image, a
lying instructor! And why does the image-maker put his trust in it that he
should make dumb idols?19 Disaster [Hoy] to anyone who says to the log, "Wake
up!" to the dumb stone, "On your feet!" (This is the prophecy!) Look, he is
encased in gold and silver, but not a breath of life inside it! 20 But Yahweh
is in his holy Temple: let the whole earth be silent before him.
Verses 18-19 condemn the Babylonians' idolatry in worshipping images of wood, metal, or stone and denounce anyone who worships such manufactured creations. Yahweh is a living God without an image who is the sovereign ruler of "the whole earth."
The conclusion of the five indictments in verse 20 is similar to Zechariah 2:17, Let all people be silent before Yahweh, now that he is stirring from his holy Dwelling! Silence is a sign of reverence that sometimes precedes the word of God (cf. Psalm 76:8; Wisdom 18:14; Isaiah 41:1; Lamentations 3:26; Zephaniah 1:7). St. John's vision in Revelation 8:1 echos this holy silence: The Lamb then broke the seventh seal, and there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. This is why, at the end of the celebration of the Mass, after the congregation has received the Eucharist and the faithful have returned to their seats, all singing and music stops, and there is complete silence for a time until the presiding priest begins the concluding rite of the Mass.
Questions asked by Habakkuk for reflection or discussion:
Question #1: Habakkuk asked why God did not respond to the wickedness and injustice in
the land (1:2-4). What was God's plan? See 1:5-11.
Question #2: Habakkuk asked why God planned to use the Babylonians to punish those more righteous than themselves (1:12, 13). What was God's response? See 2:2-3; 2:6-20.
Answers:
Answer #1: God will respond by using the Babylonians as an instrument of His judgment.
Answer #2: God, in His wisdom, has chosen this plan (2:2-3). The righteous and just person will live by faith in God (2:4) but woe to the unrighteous who will suffer God's judgment (2:6-20).
We can ask these same questions concerning conditions in the world today. How does God's answers to Habakkuk apply to conditions today?
Endnotes:
1. Also see Isaiah 13:1 ("the burden/massa of Babylon") and seven times in Jeremiah 23
in verses 33, 34, 36 twice, and three times in verse 38 in the Hebrew text.
2. The Chaldeans invaded southern Babylonia in the 10th -8th centuries BC, and under the leadership of the Chaldean dynasty of Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the Assyrian empire (625-609 BC). The Chaldean Neo-Babylonian empire fell to Cyrus of Persia in 539 BC.
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