Huh? Habakkuk?
Habakkuk – an Introductory Lesson
Introduction / Lesson:
- What Book of the Bible did you read this week? (Trick question?)
- Habakkuk
- Who wrote the Book that we’re going to be studying?
- Habakkuk
- Means “embraced” or “wrestled”.
- What do you already know about Habakkuk now, before we’ve studied it?
- Doesn’t get much “play” or attention.
- Funny sounding name.
- He’s a whiner. (…but not angry or disrespectful like Nahum (I think)?)
- He was a minor prophet (what’s that mean? Who says so?)
- When did this book take place?
- Probably between 620 and 612 B.C.
- So?
i. That’s right before the establishment of the Babylonian Empire. H. was probably just seeing the beginnings of it.
ii. Nabopolasser took kingship of Babylon in 626. He and his son (Nebuchadnezzar) had wiped out the Assyrians by 605.
- What do we know about him?
- He might have been a Levite
- He might have been a musician
- What do we know about the Assyrians and Babylonians?
- Assyrians were ruthless, pagan, horrible people. They’re why Jonah was all upset.
- Babylonians were at least no better, some would say worse.
- What is the “format” of this Book? Sermon? Poetry? Law?
- Mostly a prayer…to God. A lament. But it’s a dialog. We get to hear God’s answer to H.
- Who did he write it to?
- God.
- What is the purpose of the book?
- So that H. could air his grievances with God.
- Plead his case to God.
- God uses this message for us to learn that God’s in control and that it’s all to His glory.
- Where was the author when he wrote this book?
- In Judah somewhere…
- What was H’s life like at this time?
- Threatened. Judah dealt with the Assyrians only to have to face the Babylonians.
- Tormented. He feels they’re “righteous”, but yet keep falling into the hands of these wicked pagan empires (Assyrians, Babylonians, etc)
- Etc…