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Italian, Late 17th-Early 18th Century. Daniel in the
Lion's Den with an angel bearing the prophet Habakkuk. |
I remember that, when I began this project and much of the Bible was known only in barest outline, that the Book of Habakkuk sounded especially exotic. Within a few years, I thought, I would be checking out Habakkuk, and would think some deep thoughts about what it contained, and share them with you, my devoted readers.
Well, I was considerably younger then.
Habakkuk is another short ‘un, with only three chapters. It also has three distinct sections, although the first and second section don’t exactly line up with the chapter division. The first section, labelled “Habakkuk’s Complaint,” begins with Habakkuk the Prophet asking God why he tolerates injustice, violence, strife, and corruption. God responds that he’s actually about to do something about that that you would not believe even if you were told (1:5), specifically that he’s going to have the Babylonians sweep down upon the region and conquer all before them.
The logic here, familiar enough from my earlier reading of the prophets, must be that the Israelites are to be punished en banc for their failings. It’s worth mentioning, though, that without this context the answer given by God is a bit counterintuitive. The first thought on how to remedy violence, strife, and injustice wouldn’t normally be an invasion from a neighbor with enormous military resources who
fly like a vulture swooping to devour;
they all come bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners like sand. (1:8-9)
The second section, reasonably labelled “Habakkuk’s Second Complaint,” is really a somewhat more elegant phrasing of the same question: why does God put up with the powerful and wicked picking on the decent majority?
The answer this time is harder for me to understand, or possibly just a bit scattered. God’s response starts with deriding the wicked as arrogant, inclined to drink, and greedy. Then, if they behave this badly, and take people captive, will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn…? (2:6) This almost seems to imply that wickedness is self-limiting, since anyone who seriously steps out of line will be taken to task by the community. And, sure, that dynamic does exist in human communities to a certain extent, but it's not exactly foolproof, and I can’t imagine that poor Habakkuk would have found it a satisfying response.
Later in the answer, though, there’s more indication that God will be taking an active part in the comeuppance – The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory (2:16). So, maybe we’re supposed to gather that the general humiliation of all the wicked is not just something that happens as a matter of course, but rather something that will come later on down the line as a part of divine retribution.
The third section, “Habakkuk’s Prayer,” is a text for sacred music, as you can tell from the last line of the book: For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. (3:19) It is On shigionoth and has three areas labeled Selah, with footnotes to the effect that nobody really knows what these words mean. The text describes God rising up from the mountains in the form of a conquering army, causing plague and storms and natural disasters. This fills Habakkuk with terror and awe, yet also with joy: The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go to the heights. (3:19)
