Habakkuk means "embrace" or "ardent embrace". Luther says that his name. . . speaks as one "who took his nation to his heart, comforted it held it up, as one embraces and presses to his bosom a poor weeping child, calming and consoling it with good hope -- if God so will (from Hailey, 271)."
Nothing is known of his home except that the context of the book leads us to conclude that it was probably Jerusalem. His occupation is also a mystery.
Various dates from 630 B.C. to a date during the Babylonian captivity have been assigned for the activities described in this book. Those who argue for 605 B.C. or later overlooked Hab 3:16 . Here Habakkuk's says that he must wait quietly for the day of trouble, for the coming up of the people that invadeth them (he and the Jews). This places the date BEFORE the Babylonian invasion. Assyria fell to the Babylonians in the years 612 B.C. When Habakkuk spoke, Nebuchadnessar was already pressing westward, but had not reached Jerusalem. The oppression of Judah and her first of three captivities did not occur till 605 B.C. (Daniel and his three friends were captured during the first captivity). It seems best to assign the book of Habakkuk to a date shortly before 606 B.C. and after the Babylonian had started westward after the destruction of Assyria, 612 B.C.
The book begins with a complaint by Habakkuk that God had taken too long in chastising the wicked Jews. The righteous have suffered enough in the hands of the wicked Jews. There was violence and lawlessness in the Jerusalem and Judah. Habakkuk pleaded for immediate justice from the LORD.
The LORD's reply was not what the prophet had in mind. The LORD said that judgment was near. It will upon the land of Judah very soon. The time was ripe. God's instrument of chastisement was the Chaldeans which God calls. . . "that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not their. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves (Hab 1:6-7 )".
Instead of soothing Habakkuk's distraught mind because of the injustice in the land, it brought about a greater complaint from Habakkuk. How can God use a more evil and wicked nation to judge a lesser wicked nation like Judah? The prophet was perturbed by this knowledge. His theology would not allow him to accept this truth fro the LORD. It was under such circumstances that this book was written.
The book opens with the cry of Habakkuk to the LORD because of the wickedness, injustice and disregard for God's law in Judah. In response, the LORD points to the rising Chaldean power as His instrument of judgment. Habakkuk was thoroughly taken aback by this revelation. It added to his perplexity. God cannot really use a more wicked nation than Judah to judge her now would He?
The LORD points out that the righteous man shall live by faith (Hab 2:4 ). And as Habakkuk and any remaining righteous men in Judah live by faith, they must wait for the LORD. The LORD said that whatever happens to the righteous, the wicked will receive their just rewards. They will not escape. This explanation partially answers Habakkuk's perplexity.
Habakkuk ponders further what the LORD has said. How long before the full impact of the words hit him was not told but the effect of it brought forth "one of the most beautiful expressions of faith found in the Old Testament" (Hailey, 273). Faith in the LORD to do that which is absolutely just and righteous even if it boggles our mind and contradicts our "human kindness" and sense of "righteousness" is a precious lesson for every believer to learn.
Though all avenues of life's sustaining food are cut off and taken away, yet he will joy in Jehovah; he will rejoice in the God of his salvation. The prophet has now learned the principle that God had spoken through him, "the righteous shall live by faith". The prophet has learned and announced to the world how God can permit and use tyranny to accomplish His divine purpose; but in the end the tyranny must be punished (Hailey, 273).
1. The universal supremacy of the LORD's judgment upon the wicked. The LORD used the more wicked Chaldean to judge wicked Judah. But the Chaldeans in turn will be judged by God through another nation or by His Own hand in God's time. We see from history that the Chaldeans were judged by the Medo-Persians who in turn were judged by the Greeks. The Greeks were then judged by the mightier Romans and the list goes on until the LORD will finally judge the kingdom of the antichrist by His own sovereign Hand. No evil will escape the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of the universe. The destiny of all nations past, present and future is in His Almighty Hand. Every kingdom of man will have a beginning and an end except for the kingdom of God which will be for eternity! Are you part of God's eternal kingdom?
2. Faithfulness is the guarantee of permanence. The believer's faith is in God. This is where the stability lies. The character and nature of God is the foundation of our beliefs. Therefore the more we know God, the greater will our faith be. True faith is not like the faith of the world where the object of his faith is carnal, worldly and transient. When we put our faith in God we are entrusting ourselves in One who is immutable whereby our faithfulness is guaranteed permanence.
3. Evil is self-destructive. This fact is stressed by Habakkuk as well as by the other prophetical books. Habakkuk points this out well in the five woes pronounced against the conquering Chaldeans. The believers must remain patient and wait for God's plan to unfold even if this might not fall within the purview of the believer's heart's desire. This is true genuine faith. This lesson should eliminate all murmuring and grumblings from the believer.
4. The fact of divine judgment and chastisement. The LORD will judge His people. He will make no exceptions. The basis for judgment might be different between Judah and the Chaldeans, nonetheless judgment falls upon all. In the case of the former the Bible calls it chastisement whereas the latter is called judgment. The yardstick that God uses to judge His people is the Word of God. If God will judge His people rest assure He will judge the wicked. 1 Peter 4:17 points out, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
5. Faith in the LORD solves the problem of injustice in believer's life. The woes of the world can only be solved by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. We know from Scripture that this will not come about. In fact it will only get worse. It will come to a boiling point where Satan and his hosts will unleash their final assault against God and his followers and will be thoroughly destroyed. This is a lesson for the believer as well. This is seen from the change in Habakkuk's whole attitude toward the "injustice" of the impending judgment by the Chaldeans. "The growth of faith from perplexity and doubt to the height of absolute trust is one of the beautiful aspects of the book. Its lesson is for all time (Hailey, 274)."