Let God Be God! (Habakkuk 1)

Scripture reading – Habakkuk 1

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.

Our chronological study of the Scriptures brings us to Habakkuk, a brief prophetic book that records the musings and prophecies of Habakkuk, a contemporary of Jeremiah.

Habakkuk’s lamentations over Judah’s sins and his awareness of the imminent threat posed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army moved the prophet to question the LORD. Only three chapters long, Habakkuk’s prophecies were an appeal to the LORD for Judah and a longing to understand His ways.  

Habakkuk 1

Why Does God Allow the Wicked to Oppress the Righteous? (Habakkuk 1:1-4)

Habakkuk 1 recounts Judah’s sins (Habakkuk 1:1-4) as the prophet pondered how long Judah would go unpunished (Habakkuk 1:2). He grieved over the people’s sins and wondered why the LORD tolerated them (Habakkuk 1:3). Strife and unrest prevailed in the nation, and when men sought justice, they found none (Habakkuk 1:3b, 4), for the wicked ruled Judah and the courts’ judgments were twisted and unjust (Habakkuk 1:4).

God’s Response to His Tolerance of Judah’s Sins (Habakkuk 1:5-11)

The LORD replied to Habakkuk’s questions beginning in verse 5. He said, “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously” (Habakkuk 1:5a). In essence, the LORD told Habakkuk to look around, for He would bring a terrible judgment on Judah.

What judgment did the LORD plan for His people? He declared, “I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs” (Habakkuk 1:6). God had chosen Babylon to punish the nations for their wickedness, and Judah was among them.

Nebuchadnezzar’s army was described as “terrible and dreadful” (Habakkuk 1:7). The LORD foretold that the Chaldeans would come on horses as swift and agile as leopards, and that their riders would be as ferocious as wolves (Habakkuk 1:8). Babylon would spread across the land like a violent horde and gather prisoners “as the sand” (Habakkuk 1:9). Proud and arrogant, Babylon would “scoff at the kings, And the princes shall be a scorn unto them” (Habakkuk 1:10). The nation would lay siege to strongholds and take them (Habakkuk 1:10).

Babylon’s army would sweep over Judah like the wind, and Nebuchadnezzar’s might and strength were his god (Habakkuk 1:11).

Why Did God Employ a Heathen Nation to Chastise Judah? (Habakkuk 1:12-17)

Habakkuk, seeking to make sense of what made no sense, questioned the LORD: “Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; And, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction” (Habakkuk 1:12).   

The prophet wondered, LORD, are you not the Eternal One? Are you not “LORD” [Yahweh, God’s covenant name with Israel]? You are “my God” and the “Holy One” of heaven. Habakkuk understood God’s covenant with Israel and believed the nation would not perish altogether. He acknowledged that the LORD had ordained Babylon to judge His people (Habakkuk 1:12). Yet, knowing the LORD is “of purer eyes than to behold evil,” he questioned why He would use a wicked nation to punish His people (Habakkuk 1:13). 

Habakkuk considered how Judah was like nothing but “fishes of the sea” before Babylon (Habakkuk 1:14). Continuing the fish metaphor, he cried out to the LORD, knowing the mistreatment Judah would suffer (Habakkuk 1:15). He understood that Babylon would rejoice in the people’s suffering and offer the spoils of battle to their gods (Habakkuk 1:16-17). 

Closing thoughts –

Habakkuk started with a lament about Judah’s sins and widespread lawlessness. Seeing that violence and wickedness went unpunished, he questioned where justice was. Sadly, like today, the wicked had gained the highest positions of power in Judah’s judicial system, and “wrong judgment proceedeth” (Habakkuk 1:4). 

Nevertheless, God reminded Habakkuk that He is sovereign over the nations. He declared, “I will raise up the Chaldeans, “that bitter and hasty nation,” and its armies will “march through the breadth of the land” (Habakkuk 1:6).

We close by being reminded that God is just and that Judah’s sins were not left unpunished.

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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