Habakkuk

Habakkuk lived in the final days of Judah.  The Assyrians had already conquered the northern kingdom and threatened Judah.  It appeared they would be spared from Assyria; yet, the wicked people in the land continued in their path of sin and rebellion against God.  The evil people in the land, including some of their kings, were doing quite well.  They were thriving while God's faithful were suffering. 

Outline

•     Habakkuk's first complaint (Hab 1:1–4)

•     God's first answer (Hab 1:5–11)

•     Habakkuk's second complaint (Hab 1:12–2:1)

•     God's second answer (Hab 2:2–20)

•     Habakkuk's prayer (Hab 3:1–19)^[1]

Theme:

• Why does God permit evil to flourish (Hab 1:1–4)?
• How, if God is righteous, can a wicked nation function as the means of judgment (Hab 1:12–2:1)?
• Habakkuk also protests that the righteous are suffering punishment alongside those who deserve such judgment.

The book of Habbakkuk is not so much prophetic as it is an inside look at Habakkuk growing in his understanding and trust of God.  We get to learn as Habakkuk learned; he asked God the questions that bothered him.  These were questions some would fear to ask and others just plain ignore.  Habakkuk trusted God and had a relationship with Him, so he felt comfortable approaching the Lord with these questions.