Rev. Dan Speckhard, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in North Judson, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Habakkuk 1:1-11.
Habakkuk was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, yet his book approaches the time period prior to the fall of Jerusaelm from a unique angle. Habakkuk digs into topics that are quite applicable to Christians of every age: the justice of the LORD, the timing of the LORD, and the faithfulness of the LORD. The book opens with a dialogue between the prophet and the LORD. Habakkuk questions why the LORD allows iniquity while ignoring the prayers of His people. Habakkuk likely has in mind the injustice that is happening in Judah. The LORD is gracious in responding; He does not ignore even the challenging prayers from His people. He tells Habakkuk that He is at work. Yet He is at work in a way that Habakkuk would never expect. The LORD reveals that He is bringing the wicked Chaldeans to punish injustice. Here we see the importance of God’s Word to reveal to us the truth, and the necessity of believing that what God says is true, even when it seems impossible to our human sensibilities. Nowhere is this clearer than in the cross of Jesus Christ.
“Majoring in Minors” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the books of Obadiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. These three prophets all spoke the Word of God in the days leading up to the fall of Jerusalem at the hand of the Babylonians. Through their unique emphases, these men proclaimed the same message of repentance of sins and faith in the LORD, pointing ultimately toward their prophecies’ fulfillment: Jesus Christ.
