Habakkuk is a tiny book near the end of the Old Testament ... one I can never quite find. It resides among a collection called the Minor Prophets – minor because, quite literally, these are smaller books with fewer words. His name means "to embrace or cling to," which aptly describes the dejected prophet who comes to embrace God's future promises in the midst of his (Israel's) current chaos.
Increasingly, Habakkuk's example may be the necessary posture of American Christianity.
Habakkuk has just three chapters, so no Herculean effort is required to read it. Its structure is simple:
- Habakkuk Complains.
- God Answers.
- Habakkuk Complains Again.
- God Answers Again.
- Habakkuk, Having Gained Perspective, Prays.
For a more robust overview of the book, consider this simple video from the Bible Project:
Key Takeaways from Habakkuk:
Though Habakkuk ends positively, it doesn't hide the negative reality that Israel is experiencing in 600BC. Here are my sober takeaways from the book: God is referred to as "the Holy One" twice in this book. We tend to forget ... God is Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8).
- 1:5 is often misquoted. It reads: "Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I (God) am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Sounds nice, eh? Even optimistic. But it's not. The next verse declares the utterly amazing thing God is going to do -- send the ruthless Babylonians into Israel to conquer them!
- While all will go poorly for Israel, God reminds the prophet that those who really belong to Him will do the following: "The righteous will live by faith." They will trust Him. The New Testament picks up on this verse (Habakkuk 2:4) and quotes it in three places: Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38. Why? To show that the only way to be right with God, to be justified before Him, is by faith (trust) in His only Son.
- Five times God says "Woe" (i.e. ruined, doomed) to the Babylonian invaders (even though He uses them to discipline Israel, He doesn't excuse them). Why do they deserve "Woe" from God? Because they exhibit 5 characteristics antithetical to God's character and law. They are: a) thieves (2:6-8), b) unjust (2:9-11), c) violent (2:12-13), d) depraved (2:15-17), and e) idolaters (2:18-20). By my count, these five violate six of the Ten Commandments (#1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 10).
A Pony
Maybe you've heard the old yarn about two young brothers who lived on a farm, one a pessimist and the other an optimist. When both are gifted their birthday surprise: a barn piled 10 feet high with manure, the pessimistic boy cried out, "This is exactly what I deserve on my birthday," while his optimistic brother dove into the pile of manure, shouting: "Surely in a pile of manure this big, there must be a pony in here somewhere!"
Though I'd hardly label Habakkuk an optimist ... nevertheless, in all the muck, mud, and manure of his brief book, Habakkuk finds a pony. Actually, he finds several:
- 2:14 "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea." 70% of the earth's surface is covered in seas and oceans. A day will come when God's visible glory will be as ubiquitous as all the water in all the oceans of the earth.
- 3:2 "Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath, remember mercy." This verse is worth memorizing. In future days of grief, we will need them.
- 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior (Rescuer)." So, no figs, grapes, olives, crops, sheep, or cattle... in other words, nothing on which to subsist. Can we, like Habakkuk, rejoice in God our Savior when all is taken from us?
- 3:19 For the difficult climb ahead, Habakkuk gives us a picture – not of ease, but of grace to climb to the summit. Here it is: "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a hind (mountain deer or goat), He enables me to go on the heights."
I'm reminded that when the Lord calls, He enables. And he's calling us today to be His holy, courageous mouthpieces in a world that's deserted Him. Watch the video below to get a sense of how we will need to climb, with His enablement.
Why Don't We Name Our Sons Habakkuk?
So, after all that, I think "Habakkuk" could be a great name for a young man to grow into. In the short run, you could nickname him, "Hab" or maybe, "Bakk." Imagine the humor as you encourage your son at his football game: "Run forward, son! Go Bakk!"