According to the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Habakkuk means (embrace). This book would be the eighth, in order, of the Minor Prophets. Of the facts of the prophet's life, we have no certain information.

One important aspect of the ancient Old Testament order of the Hebrew Bible is that the 12 prophetic works of Hosea through Malachi, sometimes referred to as the Minor Prophets, were designed as a single book called The Twelve. Habakkuk is the eighth book of The Twelve.

Habakkuk lived in the final decades of Judah, Israel’s southern kingdom. It was a time of injustice and idolatry, and he saw the rising threat of the Babylonian empire on the horizon. Unlike the other Hebrew prophets, Habakkuk doesn’t accuse Israel or even speak to the people on Yahweh’s behalf. Instead, all of his words are addressed to Yahweh. The book of Habakkuk tells us about Habakkuk’s personal struggle to believe that Yahweh is good when there is so much tragedy and evil in the world.

Habakkuk sees the darkness of the world as an invitation to have faith in Yahweh’s promise to one day set things right. Living with such faith means trusting that Yahweh loves this world and works to one day eliminate all evil forever.

Now we come to chapter 3 this is called

The Prophet’s Prayer

 Trust in Yahweh and His Ultimate Justice

This is what the last chapter is all about. It opens with a prayer of Habakkuk, where the prophet begins by pleading with Yahweh to act in the present like he has in the past, bringing down corrupt nations. “Revive Thy works in the midst of the years” (Hab. 3:2). What follows is an ancient poem that describes a powerful and terrifying appearance of Yahweh through clouds, fire, and earthquake. It’s very similar to the opening poems of Micah (Who is like Yahweh) and Nahum (the Compassionate), as well as the appearance of Yahweh at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-20. When the Creator shows up to confront human evil, it will get everyone’s attention.

Habakkuk continues by describing the future defeat of evil among the nations as a future exodus. Just like Yahweh came as a warrior and split the sea in his battle against Pharaoh, Habakkuk says that Yahweh will once more bring his judgment down on the “head of the evil house.” Pharaoh, like Babylon, serves as a prototype of violent nations. At the same time, when Yahweh confronts evil, he will “save his people, and his anointed one” (Hab. 3:13), a reference to the coming king from the line of David. In this poem, the Exodus story of the past has become an image of a future exodus Yahweh will perform. He will once again defeat evil and bring down the Pharaohs and Babylon’s of the world, bringing justice to all people and rescuing the oppressed and innocent.

It’s this promise that enables Habakkuk to end the book with hopeful praise. Even if the world is falling apart from food shortages, drought, war, or whatever, he will choose to trust and take joy in the covenant promise of Yahweh. By the end of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet becomes a shining example of how “the righteous live by faith.” He recognizes just how dark and chaotic the world and our lives can become, but he also sees how this invites us into the journey of faith, trusting that Yahweh loves this world more than we can imagine and that he will one day deal with its evil.

Therefore the book concludes with a prayer of Habakkuk, which is a psalm of praise and trust in Yahweh. Habakkuk reflects on Yahweh’s past deeds and expresses confidence in Yahweh's salvation, despite the impending hardships. He declares, "Yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the Yahweh of my salvation!"

Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!

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