Habakkuk was a prophet during the final decades of Judah before its fall to Babylon. It was a time full of injustice and idolatry. Unlike most of the other prophets, Habakkuk does not accuse Israel, but is writing a lament. As he sees the unrighteous deeds the people and the looming threat of evil Babylon, Habakkuk expresses his concerns and cares to God. He was asking a question which still is asked today: “If God is good, how is there so much evil in the world?”
The first two chapters are in the form of complaints from Habakkuk to God and a response from God to Habakkuk. Habakkuk’s first compliant is the situation in Judah. The people had rejected God’s commandments, leading to violence and injustice. The corrupt leadership of Judah ignores this. God responds to Habakkuk by saying that He is aware of the situation and is bringing the Babylonians to punish Judah for its sins. Habakkuk is not happy with this answer! Babylon is worse than Israel. They exalt their military might, they treat people like animals, and they devour other nations. How can a good God use such unrighteous people?
God’s response to Habakkuk is that He will use them, but He does not endorse them or other nations like them. God will bring them down once He is finished using them. All of the nations are ultimately responsible to God and He brings judgment on all of them for their corrupt actions. God condemns Babylon with a series of woes that frankly describe all nations of the world. They glorified their success to their own power, gained through illegitimate economic practices, slavery, and injustice. They then worship those things rather than God. Therefore, God’s answer to Habakkuk is the answer for us today.
Habakkuk 3 is a plea from Habakkuk asking God to confront the evil. Habakkuk describes the coming of God and the judgment that will come in a second Exodus. God will once again defeat evil, bring justice, and rescue the innocent. Therefore, Habakkuk ends his prophecy with hopeful praise. Habakkuk becomes an example of Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous will live by faith.”
The New Testament quotes Habakkuk 2:4 three times. In Romans 1:17, the Apostle Paul expanded the faith in the promised power and sovereignty of God to include faith in the resurrection power of the crucified Christ to reconcile believers and to install God’s sovereignty among them. Rather than being bound to the Old Testament covenant, the believer is bound to faithfulness in the fulfillment of the covenant, the person of Jesus Christ. Paul used this verse again in Galatians 3:11 to contradict the legalism by arguing that only the person who is justified by Christ can please God. In Hebrews 10:37-38, the author also quotes Habakkuk 2:3-4 to demonstrate that God’s fulfills His will, even if it seems to take a long time.
For the believer looking at the injustice in our world today, we can draw two points of application from the book of Habakkuk:
- We should pray about the evil in our world. Habakkuk took his requests to God. He did not get the answer he wanted, but he understood that God was the one in control. God is the only One with power to do anything about the problem of sin in our world. We can and should stand against injustice and sin, but the reality is that God is the only one with the power to make real change.
- We should remember that God’s will shall prevail. God reminded Habakkuk that He would use whomever He wills to accomplish His purposes. It may not seem like it is good at the time, but God accomplishes His will through the acts of nature and humanity. God seeks to draw all people to live by faith in Him. The believer must remain faithful to Christ to receive the reward. Be faithful to Him.
Joel McReynolds 
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