Habakkuk questions god repeatedly concerning the suffering of the righteous, and although the book ends, tentatively, on a note of hope, it is unsettling and. Although habakkuk is initially overwhelmed by the circumstances all about him, by the end of the book, all has changed. Habakkuk questions how yahweh can be a good god who is the protector of his. When these opportunities arise i always try to do two things. Issues of theodicy and the sovereignty of god dominate habakkuks theology. The book of habakkuk, the eighth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Pouring his heart out, and our merciful lord listening intently to the complaints and answering. Note of that event was taken earlier in connection with the. Since theodicy is a common human issue raised during atrocity, habakkuks experience becomes a source of hope and resolute faith for the believing community in the midst of severe adversity. The international standard bible encyclopaedia states about the style. As was mentioned earlier as well, 2 kings 25 describes the destruction of the temple, and. It is attributed to the prophet habakkuk, and was probably composed in the late 7th century bc of the three chapters in the book, the first two are a dialog between yahweh and the prophet. Some feel it comes from the hebrew word habaq which means to embrace thus, his name would signify an ardent embrace.
The book of habakkuk is traditionally divided into five sections. The sovereignty of god in habakkuk american journal of biblical. In the bible as a whole, only job delivers a more pointed challenge to divine rule. I am reading it in english, georgian and azerbaijani. By asking the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how, we will discover why habakkuk was so burdened. Overview of habakkuk in light of gods providence and. Abstract a theological reading of the book of habakkuk offers insight into the. Most familiar to bible readers as the righteous man who suffered unjustly, job exemplifies the person who questions why good people suffer. The vision which habakkuk saw will certainly come to pass at the appointed time 2. Habakkuk, who was active around 612 bc, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the book of habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible. Reading the book as a literary whole, grace ko uses a holistic, synchronic approach to investigate how its writer presents his case, and. The book betrays the influence of liturgical forms, suggesting that either habakkuk was a cult prophet or that those responsible for the final form of the book were cult personnel.
Understanding habakkuk by understanding his context read. Habakkuk overview and outline reasons for hope jesus. The book of habakkuk, chapter 2 king james version. And the lord answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it. The prophet questions gods judgments the burden which the prophet habakkuk saw. Theodicy, wisdom, and prophecy in the book of habakkuk. This sensible, clearly written book deserves the attention of all serious old testament scholars and students. Development of a practical theodicy through a biblical theology of habakkuk by d. Habakkuk was a sensitive and passionate man, completely devoted to the lord. Theodicy in habakkuk paternoster biblical monographs and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Habakkuks prophecy is dated to around 605 bc, the time of king jehoiakim and before nebuchadnezzar first invaded judah and took daniel and others as captives to babylon. Date the prediction of the coming babylonian invasion 1. Intro to habakkuk biblica the international bible society.
The vision in habakkuk university of gloucestershire. Amp for, lo, i raise up the chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. Habakkuk, part 2, presentation vanderbilt university. We dont know very much about habakkuk other than what we learn in his book. The message that the just shall live by his faith plays an important role in christian thought. One is why as habakkuk struggled with the issues here and the other is.
In both the jewish tanakh and christian canon, the book of habakkuk can be found within what is commonly known as the book of the twelve. Two words are key not because of their repetition but because of the content of the book. The contrast between habakkuks initial and final states is extraordinary. Watch our overview video on the book of habakkuk, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
We dont know much about the prophet habakkuk from any other book in the bible. Development of a practical theodicy through a biblical. According to the apocryphal book bel and the dragon, habakkuk ministered to the prophet daniel bel 3339. Every prophet is unique in his own right, habakkuk being no exception. Key words habakkuk, suffering, evil, theodicy decontextualization and the book of habakkuk the book of habakkuk is at once concise and one of the most startling in the ot for a reader committed to faith in a benevolent god. A dialogue between habakkuk and yahwehgods justice revealed. Habakkuks immediate concern is with the effectiveness of the king of judah.
The book of habakkuk describes a spiritual journey from doubt to faith, from complaint to worship, from despair to joy. These questions led me to the book of habakkuk, which tells a story that is beautifully. Theodicy in habakkuk ebook by grace ko 9781780783314. He want to interced and for sins of his country and his people.
Jobs faith in god is put to the extreme test, and the story intimates that jobs commitment to god wanes. Dating is therefore completely dependent on resonance with more datable biblical material. Nahum a seventhcentury prophet and thus date the book after the fall of thebes in. Only the hebrew student can get an adequate idea of the literary excellence of the book of habakkuk. Habakkuk introduction old testament matthew henry st. The ability to calm your soul and wait before god is one of the most difficult things in the christian life. Why do you show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble. Of the man habakkuk nothing is known outside of the book that bears his name. Many interpret the book of habakkuk as a theodicy, a defense of gods goodness and power given the existence of evil. The book is thus a theodicy, a defense of gods goodness and power in view of the problem of evil. The name of a prophet and of the eighth book of the minor prophets, which is entitled the oracle that habakkuk the prophet received hab. This book is the oracle which habakkuk the prophet received 1.
The prophet habakkuk decries the sins of judah but grapples with the fact that gods chosen people will suffer at the hands of enemies even more wicked than they. Theodicy in habakkuk is a welcome addition to the interpretation of the prophetic message of habakkuk. Habakkuk 1 habakkuk 2 habakkuk 3 it is a very foolish fancy of some of the jewish rabbin that this prophet was the son of the shunamite woman that was at first miraculously given, and afterwards raised to life, by elisha 2 kings iv. Theology and themes job bible commentary theology of. No longer is habakkuk anxious, fretful, and bitter. Sbl annual meeting san diego november 23, 2014 theodicy, wisdom, and prophecy in the book of habakkuk thomas kruger university of zurich switzerland my paper has three parts. The name habakkuk is an unusual one of uncertain meaning. O lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known.
In the first i will give a short overview of the book of habakkuk. Its subject is the most inexplicable example of theodicy in the old testament. John hick, in his theodicy, popularized the concept of the present world as a vale of soul. Is taking us to a place in the scripture that most of us dont naturally go. Ko argues that the three scenes of the book utilize lament, woe oracles, and a song of victory respectively. Unlike the other prophets of god habakkuk did not speak to the people for god, but spoke to god concerning the people.
Yahweh answers that the vision habakkuk saw will certainly come to pass also affirming that babylon is not right, and his people will live by faith 2. Read theodicy in habakkuk online by grace ko books free 30. Habakkuk is the only prophet to devote his entire work to the question of the justice of gods government of the world. The world around us is frantically in a hurry but a restless heart usually. In one way, the book of habakkuk parallels the book of jobboth. When habakkuk laments over yahwehs silence over the unrighteous behavior of the wicked among him, he learns to his surprise that the lord is working by raising up the mighty, violent chaldeans to judge judah, that this is not a conflict with.
In the first part of the book habakkuk is talking with god about why people are allowed to do evil things. As the book nahum, the hebrew of this book is a literary masterpiece. It is generally accepted that habakkuk was written to judah the southern kingdom. Glen taylor, wycliffe college, university of toronto, canada.
Many think that habakkuk ministered sometime during the reign of king johoiakim, perhaps around the year 607 b. At the end of his book this name becomes appropriate because habakkuk chooses to cling firmly to embrace god regardless of what happens to his nation 3. Theodicy and the nature of god in nahum and jonah concept. Chapter 3, habakkuk and theodicy, examines the theme of theodicy in habakkuk and also compares it to other passages in the hebrew bible that address this topic. The literary power of habakkuk, says driver, is considerable. The book of habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the bible. Book of habakkuk simple english wikipedia, the free. Gods leniency towards the wicked, justifying the ways of god. Habakkuks prophecy is dated to around 605 bc, the time of king jehoiakim and before nebuchadnezzar first invaded judah and. We can, however, piece together from other prophets, kings and general history, what was happening in this era. The book of habakkuk describes the prophets maturation from protester chapter 1 to pupil chapter 2 to praiser chapter 3. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what i shall answer when i am reproved. A critical and exegetical commentary on micah, zephaniah, nahum, habakkuk, obadiah and joel call number.
It is thought to be written by the prophet habakkuk, in the late 7th century bc. Legendary references to him in the apocryphal bel and the dragon and elsewhere. The book of habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the hebrew bible. Overview of habakkuk in light of gods providence and the problem of evil. Read theodicy in habakkuk by grace ko for free with a 30 day free trial. The book of habakkuk was likely written between 610 and 605 b. He sought to understand the existence and continuation of evil in light of gods righteousness. Since he prophesied the coming babylonian army and its destruction of judah, he prophesied some time before that invasion. A theodicy is an attempt to establish that god is righteous despite allowing evil, pain, and suffering to exist in the world.
1498 1258 404 555 1222 89 1184 116 1103 679 394 1507 782 942 1253 1378 651 646 562 680 1030 634 938 865 833 1024 1025 286 1079 1082 1014 308 1506 121 939 947 449 3 432 1330 482 1066 1406 988 965 1045