The summary of chapters one and two

Let us summarize chapters one and two of the book of Habakkuk. (1) Habakkuk questioned why God was overlooking the sins of Judah (especially the sin of violence). (2) God’s answer was that He would use the Chaldeans (Babylonia) to judge Judah. (3) Upon hearing this, a second question arose in Habakkuk: why would God use the Chaldeans, who were even more sinful than Judah? (4) God’s answer to that was that He would also judge those Chaldeans. Here we see the principle of the Abrahamic Covenant: “the one who curses Israel will be cursed.” After hearing God’s answer, Habakkuk offers a prayer. The content of that prayer is written in today’s passage. Habakkuk prays that God’s promises will be fulfilled quickly. At the same time, he confesses his faith that even if there are things he cannot understand now, everything will be resolved at the time of the Lord’s return. This prayer is based on the premise of the Second Coming (the theme of the Second Coming appears in verses 3-15).

Habakkuk fears

Verse 1 says, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.” This prayer belongs to Habakkuk himself. It also became a prayer used in worship at the temple. “Shigionoth” refers to a certain melody. Verse 2 says, “Lord, I have heard the report about You, and I was afraid. Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known. In anger remember mercy.” This is a very difficult passage. (1) He is afraid. The reason is that he was given a prophecy concerning the Lord’s judgment. The time of greatest suffering for Israel is what we call the Great Tribulation. We do not know how specifically Habakkuk understood what would later be revealed in the book of Revelation, but at least he understood the coming of the Great Tribulation. (2) It says, “Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known.” Let’s pay attention to the word “years” is in plural. In other words, this is a prayer that the Lord’s plan will be fulfilled within a short period of time (according to the prophecy of Revelation, this would be seven years). (3) Furthermore, Habakkuk prays that there would be “the Lord’s mercy” during the Great Tribulation. In Micah chapter 7, Micah offers the same kind of prayer. Micah prays that during the Great Tribulation “the remnant of Israel (true believers)” would be preserved. Psalm 78:38 says, “But He, being compassionate, forgave their wrongdoing and did not destroy them; and often He restrained His anger and did not stir up all His wrath.” Without God’s grace and mercy, we cannot come before Him. Let us also offer prayers seeking God’s mercy.