Habakkuk had a problem. As a prophet, he was called to bring God's word to the people of Judah. Those people were wicked, and Habakkuk complained to God about it, asking why God was silent/inactive in the face of such injustice. God replied that He was in fact doing something: he would send the Babylonians to destroy the people of Judah. That gave Habakkuk a bigger problem: how could God use a people even more wicked than the Jews as an instrument of justice? God responded simply that the just shall live by faith, and said the Babylonians would one day see justice as well. Habakkuk responds with a song of trust and faith, vowing to delight in the Lord even when his world would come tumbling down.
Ultimately, the book of Habakkuk is about how we wrestle with our doubts. Since we know God is just and omnipotent, why does evil exist, endure, and sometimes thrive in this world? We have been asking such questions for millenia, and Habakkuk models how to do it correctly: it is okay (and perhaps even good) to have doubts , but we must take those doubts to God rather than complain about God. And even if/when God doesn't respond in a way we like, we must trust.
The content of this book is outstanding; the writing is only average. Though I wish the delivery were better, the content more than makes up for it. Recommended.
Rating: A
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