The Minor Prophets

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The Minor Prophets
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The Minor Prophets

• Obadiah 840-830 BC
• Joel 830-750 BC
• Jonah 780-740 BC
• Hosea 765-725 BC
• Amos 760 BC
• Micah 740-700 BC

• Nahum 640-620 BC
• Zephaniah 640-609 BC
• Habakkuk 608-605 BC
• Haggai 520 BC
• Zechariah 520-480 BC
• Malachi 420-400 BC

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Habakkuk
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Author

• Embracing or one who is embraced
• Nothing else is known or mentioned about the
  author
• Rabbinic tradition states that he is the son of
  the Shunammite woman restored by Elisha II Kings
  416 embrace a son
• Habakkuk is mentioned in Bel and the dragon
  where he gave food to Daniel in the lions den.

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• Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea he had
  made a stew and crumbled bread into the bowl, and
  he was on the way to his field, carrying it to
  the reapers, when an angel of the Lord said,
  'Habakkuk, carry the meal you have with you to
  Babylon, for Daniel, who is in the lion-pit.'
  Habakkuk said, 'My Lord, I have never been to
  Babylon. I do not know where the lion-pit is.'
  Then the angel took the prophet by the crown of
  his head, and carrying him by his hair, he swept
  him to Babylon with the blast of his breath and
  put him down above the pit. Habakkuk called out,
  'Daniel, Daniel, take the meal that God has sent
  you!' Daniel said, 'O God, thou dost indeed
  remember me thou dost never forsake those who
  love thee.' Then he got up and ate and God's
  angel returned Habakkuk at once to his home. On
  the seventh day the king went to mourn for
  Daniel, but when he arrived at the pit and looked
  in, there sat Daniel! Then the king cried aloud,
  'Great art thou, O Lord, the God of Daniel, and
  there is no God but thou alone.' So the king drew
  Daniel up and the men who had planned to destroy
  him he flung into the pit, and then and there
  they were eaten up before his eyes.

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Date

• Hab 16-Hab 16 ESV For behold, I am raising up
  the Chaldeans
• Had to be written before the Chaldeans became
  prominent
• 605 BC at the battle of Carchemish Babylon
  defeated Egypt
• Hab 12-4conditions that must have existed after
  the death of Josiah

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Date

• The reign of King Jehoiakim (609-597 BC) does fit
  (II Kings 2334 - 245 Jeremiah 2218)
• This would put the book somewhere between 609 and
  605 BC. Probably 607 or 606 BC.

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Historical Background

• Upon the death of the good King Josiah at Megiddo
  (609 BC) --- II Kings 2329 --- his son,
  Jehoahaz, was made king.
• He was only 23 years old, and according to II
  Kings 2332 "he did evil in the sight of the
  Lord.
• He reigned for only 3 months, and then Pharaoh
  Neco of Egypt deposed him and put his brother,
  Jehoiakim (also called Eliakim), upon the throne
  (II Kings 2333-37).
• He was 25 years old when he took the throne and
  he also did evil in the sight of God.

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Historical Background

• "Within a period of approximately 20 years the
  Chaldeans swept over Judah in successive waves,
  and ultimately destroyed the country and took its
  inhabitants away into captivity in 586 BC.
• (Zondervan's Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible)
• In reality the Captivity began in 605 BC when
  Nebuchadnezzar took some Jews with him to Babylon
  (most likely including Daniel)--not at 586 BC
  with the destruction of Jerusalem

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Character of the Book

• Unique in approach
• Consists of a conversation with God and a song
• While others proclaim judgment, Habakkuk asks for
  judgment
• "The book of Habakkuk differs from other books of
  prophecy in one special aspect. Instead of taking
  Jehovah's message directly to the people, he
  takes the complaint of the people to Jehovah,
  representing them in the complaint" (Homer
  Hailey).

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Outline of the Book

• I. Judgment on Evil (in the form of a
  conversation between God and the prophet)
• 1. Habakkuks question about Judah and Gods
  answer. (11-111)
• 2. Habakkuks question about Babylon and Gods
  answer. (112-220)
• III. Habakkuks song of praise to God. (31-19)

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Habakkuk
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Chapter 1

• 11-Inscription of the book.
• 12-14-Habakkuk complains of the iniquity of
  Israel
• V. 3 asks How can God look upon the evil being
  done and not do anything about it.
• V. 4 responds that because of the lack of action
  the law no longer has any force.

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Chapter 1

• 15-111--God answers that he will punish the
  evil with the Chaldeans
• V. 5 Look among the nations, and see the source
  of the punishment will come from a nation around
  them
• V. 6 The Chaldeans are named--God says that he
  will raise them up.
• V. 6 march through the breadth of the earth
  represents their future conquests

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Chapter 1

• V. 7 their judgment and their dignity proceed
  from themselvesmeaning they have no master and
  attribute their position to their own power and
  ability
• V. 9 They come to do violence, which is a
  judgment on the people for their violence (Hab
  12-4)
• V. 10 They do not recognize others as
  authorities. The second half describes them
  taking cities/fortresses with earthworks

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Chapter 1

• V. 11-these people who are the instrument of
  punishment will pass through and themselves be
  guilty, worshipping their own power.
• 112-117--Habakkuk pleads with God not to
  destroy Israel
• V. 12-Habakkuk asks about Gods nature of
  immutability to point that God will fulfill his
  promise to Israel (and thus not destroy them)
• But recognizes that need for the Chaldeans to
  punish them anyway

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Chapter 1

• V. 13-Habakkuk argues that God cannot look upon
  the evilHe must do something about it.
• However, he does not understand how the wicked
  people could be left unpunished while they will
  be the force to punish Israel
• The righteous mentioned is most likely the
  faithful of Israel, not the ones mentioned in
  12-4

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Chapter 1

• V.14-16 use a figure of the fisherman applied to
  Babylon.
• Israel is the fish caught up in the net they cast
• They rejoice in the catch and sacrifice to the
  net (idolatry) for the abundance (victory)
• V. 17 Habakkuk asks if Babylon would stop with
  Israel or continue to take all the other nations
  it could

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Chapter 2

• 21-23-God asks Habakkuk to take the message to
  the people
• V. 1 Habakkuk, speaking to himself, awaits for
  Gods message and is sure that he will receive
  it.
• V. 2 God tells him to make the message plain
  where one can run while he reads it
• V. 3 It needs to be understood because it will
  happen.

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Chapter 2

• V. 4- The proud will not continue, but the
  righteous shall live by faith
• Gal 311 ESV Now it is evident that no one is
  justified before God by the law, for "The
  righteous shall live by faith."
• Rom 117 ESV For in it the righteousness of God
  is revealed from faith for faith, as it is
  written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

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Chapter 2

• V. 5-Desctiption of the character of the
  Chaldeans
• Treacherous, greedy, prideful
• V. 6-20-the judgment on the Chaldeans (as spoken
  by the nations they oppressed through 5 woes)

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Chapter 2

• V. 6-8-The first woe for their plundering of
  others
• Those who were plundered will come back to take
  from you.
• V. 9-11-The second woe for their violence and
  cunning
• Everything here was done for their house yet
  the house speaks out against them

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Chapter 2

• V. 12-14-The third woe for building their nation
  on blood violence
• God will take all that people have built and
  destroy it to demonstrate He is God.
• V. 15-17-The fourth woe for their treatment of
  the subject nations
• Babylon looked to humiliate those who they
  conquered, but they will be the ones humiliated
  at the end.

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Chapter 2

• V. 18-20-The fifth woe for their idolatry
• The idolatrous nations trusted in their gods who
  they made themselves but could not speak for
  themselves (the idols)
• Compared to God, who is in His Holy temple (not
  in Jerusalem, but in Heaven) and all the world
  should keep silent before Him

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Chapter 3

• V. 1-the title
• Shigionoth-an impassioned or triumphal strain,
  with rapid change of emotion
• V. 2-Plea for mercy while executing judgment

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Chapter 3

• V. 33-315-Description of God coming in judgment
• V. 3-connection with both Moses and Deborahs
  songs
• God is coming from the Southbut not connected
  with Sinai, which would be immediately connected
  with the Law

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Chapter 3

• V. 4 Description of God with light (truth) and
  power
• V. 5 punishment goes before him to the
  disobedient
• V. 6 Measured the Earth and shook it up so to
  speak
• His ways are everlasting-not necessarily
  connected with previous point, but stands on its
  own.

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Chapter 3

• V. 7 various nations struck with fear
• V. 8-12 description of God given where all nature
  bows before Him (remember Nahum-typical type of
  imagery for kings and rulers)
• The difference here is that it is a list of
  things God has done for His people (mostly
  account of Exodus and conquering of Canaan)
• V. 13-God leading His people in battle to victory

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Chapter 3

• V. 15- reference to the crossing of the Red Sea
• V. 16-Habakkuk thinks about the wonders of God
  and what he had done for Israel and decides to
  wait until they will be punished.

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Chapter 3

• V. 17-19Habakkuk trusts in God
• Even though bad things may happen, one must trust
  in God
• He gives strength and stability

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