Study Guide for Habakkuk 1:12–17 - Habakkuk’s Dilemma

SUMMARY OF HABAKKUK 1:12-17 AND 2:1

 God’s amazing disclosure left the prophet even more perplexed and bewildered. Habakkuk’s complaint about the sin and lawlessness in Judah (vv. 2-4) was met by God’s response that He was not ignorant of His people’s conduct. Judgment was on its way. The Babylonians  would soon take these erring people captive. The prophet was astonished, just as God said he would be (v. 5). He was appalled that Yahweh would employ so evil an instrument to punish Judah. Habakkuk expressed his deep concern; he questioned God’s plan. 

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*Adapted from J. Ronald Blue from The Bible Knowledge Commentary

QUESTIONS

1.      At first, Habakkuk was frustrated God didn’t respond to his concerns. After hearing Yahweh’s response, Habakkuk is frustrated with the answer. Summarize the main concerns of Habakkuk in his next prayer found in 1:12-2:1.

Identify 2-3 commendable things Habakkuk does in this prayer:

1.

2.

3.

2.      Go back and review Habakkuk’s original complaint in 1:2-4. Next, look over his second complaint in 1:12-17 and 2:1. Do you share some of his same frustrations in your life right now? In what way?

3.      What does God mean when he tells Habakkuk that “the righteous will live by faith”? (2:4) Read Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 19:38. How is the phrase “the righteous will live by faith” expanded upon and used in these passages?

4.      Our faith in God secures our eternal relationship with God and ensures that we are justified (i.e righteous, not guilty). Because we are justified we can be faithful to God now and in the future.

5. How should these truths impact how we see ourselves and how we handle major events in our lives - whether they go well for us or they don’t go well for us?

6. How can these truths help us trust in God’s plan and his timing, especially when we don’t understand it? (2:3-4)

 

 TIMELINE OF THE FALL OF ISRAEL

*1446-1406 BC – The Exodus and wilderness wanderings

*1406-1399 BC – The Canaanite conquest under Joshua

*1350 BC - Era of the Judges begins (Deborah, Gideon, Samson, etc.)

*1051-931 BC – United Monarchy under Saul, David and Solomon

*931 BC - Kingdom divides into North (Israel) and South (Judah)

*722 BC - Assyria invades Samaria, results in the fall of Israel
*586 BC—Babylon invades Jerusalem, results in the fall of Judah

*586-515 BC – The 70-year Babylonian exile begins

  

CASE STUDY

Over the next 9 months, you have the worst 9 months of your life. All the bad things that can happen to you and people around you – do. Extremely negative things happen at work, death strikes your family, you make some horrible decisions and the consequences are hard to face, your finances take a serious hit, a dispute disrupts some of your closet relationships, you become diagnosed with some strange illness, you discover you’ve been lied to about some pretty big things, and some other “smaller tragedies” occur as well (use your imagination).

All of this causes you to seriously question your faith. How could God let these things happen like this? You have a close friend who is a strong, mature, and loving Christian. You meet up with them one day and recount all the horrible things in your life right now and explain you are unsure if you believe anymore.

How does your friend counsel you in a biblical and Christ-centered way?

BONUS QUESTIONS

1.      Perhaps you (or someone you know) are struggling with disappointment with God’s seeming lack of response or even a disappointing response. Based upon Habakkuk’s second prayer in this section, what should you (or they) do? How should you (or they) proceed?

2.      When we are in these kinds of tough situations in life, what are some of the ways we should NOT respond:

3.      Please clearly state why these responses are harmful and how they betray a lack of trust in God and a lack of satisfaction in Christ. Please be detailed!

4.      Have you taken these things to the Lord in prayer like Habakkuk? If not, will you make a commitment to do so this day?

FURTHER REFLECTION

“But, God, who once commanded light to shine out of darkness, can marvelously bring, if He pleases, salvation out of hell itself, and thus turn darkness itself to light. But what worketh Satan? In a certain sense, the work of God! That is, God, by holding Satan fast bound in obedience to His Providence, turns him whithersoever He will, and thus applies the great enemy’s devices and attempts to the accomplishment of His own eternal principles.” - John Calvin, The Secret Providence of God