Prophet Habakkuk
640 BC
📂 BIBLICAL
📖 About This Event
Habakkuk is unique among the Old Testament prophets because his book takes the form of a dialogue between the prophet and God. Rather than delivering a message from God to the people, Habakkuk brings a complaint from the prophet to God. 'How long, O Lord, must I call for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you, "Violence!" and you will not save?' (Habakkuk 1:2). Habakkuk lived in a time of widespread injustice in Judah, and he was troubled that God seemed indifferent to the violence and lawlessness around him.
God's answer was staggering: He was raising up the Babylonians—a fierce and ruthless nation—to judge Judah. But Habakkuk's second complaint was even more profound: How can a holy God use a wicked nation as His instrument of judgment? God's response was patient and instructive, and Habakkuk's concluding prayer (Habakkuk 3) is one of the most beautiful hymns in Scripture. The climax comes in Habakkuk 2:4: 'The righteous shall live by his faith'—a verse that the New Testament cites three times (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38) as a foundational principle of the gospel.
The Catholic Church sees in Habakkuk a model of honest prayer and persistent faith. The prophet does not suppress his doubts but brings them before God, and God meets him with patience and wisdom. Key Scripture: Habakkuk 1-3; Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38; CCC 1814-1816
📜 Key Facts
Date
640 BC
Category
Biblical
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