Habakkuk: The Expectant Prophet (Welwyn Commentary Series)

The days in which Habakkuk preached were a dark time for the church in the Old Testament. God's people were suffering at the hands of others in the community, and the law of God was being sidelined in society. It was about to get worse! Why would God allow this? The author shows how Habakkuk teaches the sovereignty of God in a way not found in any other book of the Bible. The days in which Habakkuk preached were a dark time for the church in the Old Testament. God's people were suffering at the hands of others in the community, and the law of God was being sidelined in society. The prophet questions why God would allow such things to happen and to continue. Why is God not doing something about the suffering and injustice? Habakkuk learns that the just shall live by faith, even though the covenant nation itself is about to be destroyed, and the prophecy ends with a psalm of joyful praise to God. And so we learn, right along with the prophet, that no matter what is swirling around us, good or ill, we are to place our full trust in the sovereign Lord of the universe. We learn of the different genres of literature in the book: prophecy, wisdom, lamentation, complaint, psalmody. It is, what the author calls, 'a menagerie of genres'. Ultimately, this is about God's full control over, and care for, his people.