The Messages of Habakkuk - Ben Bailey

The Messages of Habakkuk

            One of the key concepts in the book of Habakkuk is God’s use of the nations.  In the Book of Habakkuk, we are shown how God would use the Chaldeans to subdue and punish His wayward people.  The concept of God using the nations to teach His people a lesson is found throughout the Bible.  For example, in Jeremiah 25:9 God referred to Nebuchadnezzar as “My Servant.”  God used His servant Nebuchadnezzar to take Israel into 70 years of Babylonian captivity because of Israel’s sins.  Also, in Isaiah 45:1 Cyrus, who God would use to let Israel go out of captivity, was called the Servant of the Lord.  This principle should remind people of every country, that nations rise and fall throughout history, but the people who put God first will be blessed (Prov. 14:34).

          Another main concept taught in the book of Habakkuk is the holiness of God.  In chapter 1:13 Habakkuk tells us that God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil and can not look upon wickedness.”  This is the reason that God momentarily forsook Christ when He bore our sins in His body (2 Cor 5:21, I Pet 2:24).  In Habakkuk 2:20 we are told, “The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before Him.”  Because of God’s holiness, we are also reminded to be a holy people (I Pet 1:15, 2:5,9).  

            In addition, the book of Habakkuk is well known for the phrase “the just shall live by faith.”  The Holy Spirit uses this amazing phrase three times in the New Testament (Gal 3:10-11, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38-39).  The idea is that Christians must possess an enduring faith even under trials and persecution to be sustained and receive God’s blessings.  A mere belief alone won’t work.  Righteous people must survive and thrive by trusting and obeying almighty God (1 John 5:4). May God help us be a people of faith (Luke 18:1)!