Skip to main content

From Meltdown to Mountaintop: Why Study the Book of Habakkuk Part 02?

 

In Part 01, we had a survey of recent history and the meltdowns it has brought. In 2001, there was a major terrorist attack called ‘9-11.’ In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was a major natural disaster that destroyed the American city of New Orleans. In 2008, the world economy had a heart attack called the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). 

Just in 2020 alone, there has been drought, bush fires (wild fires in the USA), Covid-19, lockdowns, Covid-19 fascism, economic downturn, protests and riots

How do we respond when ‘the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vine?’ How can we survive and thrive in the midst of crisis?

How do we go from ‘meltdown to mountaintop?’

We get our cue from Habakkuk. He teaches us to have serious, honest dialogue with the living God. We are enlightened by that transformational verse (2:4), The just shall live by his faith,’ which spawned the Protestant Reformation. Vision, faithfully waiting for its fulfilment, drawing strength from God, putting on the deer’s feet, walking on the high places, and rejoicing in all circumstances are part of the priceless legacy this prophet left to the world.

 Here in Part 02, we will continue and conclude the introduction to this key prophetic book. 

HEBREW NAME OF HABAKKUK

"Habaqquq" UNUSUAL, FROM habaq meaning ‘embrace' or ‘cling.’ As Jonah ran from God, Habakkuk is the prophet who ran to God to embrace and cling unto Him.

AUTHOR OF HABAKKUK 

Calls himself a prophet from the kingdom of Judah and possibly served as a priest in the Jerusalem temple. Apart from this, we know nothing more about him.

PORTRAIT OF CHRIST IN HABAKKUK

God is our strength and hind’s feet (3:18). Salvation is used 3 times (3:13, 18). This salvation ushers in the promise of chapter 2:14 ‘For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.’

THEME OF THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK

God’s ways may not make sense to the natural mind, like using the Chaldeans to chasten the Judeans, but you can ‘believe and trust’ Him to do what is right. The key word is ‘faith.’

At the end of the book, we also learn much about victorious living. When everything goes wrong, rejoice in the Lord, draw strength from God, and He will give you hind’s feet to walk upon the high places.

KEY VERSES OF HABAKKUK

2:4: Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

3:17-19: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

SUMMARY OF HABAKKUK

Considering these tragic events, Habakkuk wants to know how God can be holy and yet patient in the face of such evil from Judah. God replies that He will judge Judah by the Babylonians. Habakkuk is shocked that God would use a thoroughly unrighteous nation like Babylon to judge a much less unrighteous nation like Judah.

The prophet learns that judging evil--in His own way and time--is God’s sovereign business. Our business is to live by faith. God’s justice decrees that Babylon will be judged. Judah will be revived and restored, because of God’s promises in the covenants. Habakkuk asks for mercy and learns that through faith, rejoicing, and God’s strength, he can catapult from valley bottom to mountain top (3:17-19)

OUTLINE OF HABAKKUK

I.           Meltdown of Habakkuk (1:1 - 17): Question & Answer

 

A.    Habakkuk’s First Question: Why Hasn’t God Judged Judah’s Sin? (1:1-4)

 

B.     God’s First Answer: Judah will be Chastened by the Chaldeans (1:5-11)

 

C.    Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Use Wicked Chaldeans to Punish Less Wicked Judah? (1:12-17)

 

D.    God’s Second Answer (2:1-20)

1.      The Just--Who Live By Faith--Shall Be Preserved (2:1-5)

2.      The Chaldeans will be Judged (2:6-19)

3.      God is in Control (2:20)


II.        Mountaintop of Habakkuk (3:1-19): From Vision to Ascent

A.    Habakkuk Prays for Mercy (3:1-2)

B.     The Glory of God Revealed (3:3-4)

C.    The Power of God Revealed (3:5-15)

D.    Habakkuk Humbled (3:16)

E.     Habakkuk Promoted ... to the Mountaintop (3:17-19)

 

 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Operation Epic Fury: Was the War between Iran and the US / Israel Inevitable?

It was the Sabbath morning in Israel when the air raid sirens were activated, beckoning the population to their closest bomb shelter. War had broken ou between Israel and its archenemy, Iran. Operation Epic Fury (US name) had begun. And for the first time, Israel was not fighting alone but alongside itsgreat ally, the United States. Comparisons have been frequently made between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sir Winston Churchill with US Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Donald J. Trump. If the current leadership wins its war as World War II leaders won theirs, the comparison will hold. Operation Epic Fury was meticulously designed and flawlessly executed, using multi-domain warfare (cyber, outer space, and AI). With the failure of negotiations, Israel and the US sincerely believed that Iran was a growing threat, so they swung into action. Israel sent out two hundred flights, and each plane had two targets each. In amazingly swift speed, the allies sank Iran’s navy a...
Post a Comment
Read more

FALL FROM GRACE: WHAT’S NEXT FOR EX-PRINCE ANDREW?

It was like a nuclear explosion. First is the impact, then the mushroom cloud, followed by the fallout. For the first time in the 1,000-year history of the British monarchy, a close member of the royal family was arrested for alleged criminal conduct. Where it is going and how it will end is anyone’s guess.   Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (AMW), previously known as Prince Andrew, was arrested on 19 February for possible ‘misconduct in public office’. This stems from his past relationship with disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. As of yet, Andrew has not been charged with any crime, but neither has he been cleared either. Multiple police investigations are underway. Born into immense wealth and privilege, until last year, Andrew had known only royal life. Yet on the day of his arrest, 19 February 2026, he was treated like a common man. Pronounced under arrest, his two residences - Royal Lodge (Windsor) and Wood Farm (Sandringham) - were searched, and all electr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dealmaker? Peacemaker?: Trump and the Middle East

His name is a household word, and it is rare for people, both Americans and non-Americans, to be neutral. They either dislike him intensely or love him wholeheartedly. Yet, regardless of your opinion, Donald Trump is the most colourful man to occupy the Oval Office in modern times.   First elected as US President in 2016 on the coattails of Brexit, his first term in office (2017-2021) was eventful and turbulent. He worked hard and fought hard, and, unlike many career establishment elite politicians, the New York ‘blue collar’ billionaire, Donald Trump, related to everyday Americans, the working class, minorities, and Generation Z young people. That’s how he won two presidential elections, despite being a political outsider. Having left the White House after the disputed 2020 presidential election (one that he never conceded), Trump was considered politically dead. The obstacles to a political comeback were enormous: a second impeachment over the January 6th riot at the Capitol Buil...
Post a Comment
Read more