Habakkuk 01: Living By Faith

What do you do when justice feels delayed and life starts rewarding the loudest, not the righteous? We open Habakkuk 1 and step into a raw, unfiltered dialogue where a prophet dares to ask God why courts are crooked, violence is normal, and the faithful feel forgotten. The answer is not neat: God will use Babylon—a ruthless empire—to discipline Judah. It sounds backwards, even offensive, until we realize the larger story at play and our own habit of judging the whole book from a single page.

We walk through the historical moment between Assyria’s collapse and Babylon’s rise, and why that geopolitical tension mirrors our inner lives. Habakkuk names the paradox we all feel: how can a holy God allow a worse nation to correct a flawed one? From there, we wrestle with the difference between doubt that seeks truth and cynicism that seeks escape. The heartbeat of the episode is this: God is secure enough to hold your questions, and faithful enough to guide you through them. The righteous live by faithfulness—not by perfect understanding, not by unbroken victories, but by steady trust anchored in God’s character.

You’ll hear a simple metaphor that reframes suffering: trying to interpret a novel from one page. We use it to challenge our timelines, confront our pride, and choose a posture that keeps us honest, humble, and hopeful. Habakkuk’s honesty becomes a model for prayer that engages public injustice and personal fatigue. And as we end with prayer, we lean into a promise with deep roots in Scripture and the New Testament: faith is not a feeling; it’s a practiced loyalty that shapes who we are while we wait.

If this helped you think and trust more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s wrestling right now, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your voice helps this community grow.

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Episode Setup
• 1:27 Why Habakkuk Matters
• 2:57 Context: Empires Rise And Fall
• 4:31 Habakkuk’s Central Question Of Justice
• 6:51 God’s Response: Babylon As Instrument
• 8:39 Wrestling With Paradox And Faith
• 10:45 The One-Page Of The Book Metaphor
• 13:03 Learning To Trust Beyond Our View
• 14:28 Prayer And The Call To Faithfulness

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Habakkuk Chapter 1. And today's title is Living by Faith. Living by Faith. I love the book of Habakkuk, even if it is one of the hardest books of the Bible to pronounce. And can I just get this out here? I can never spell it right. I had to double check I spelled this book right. It's got too many K's in it, but it is an amazing book. And it is it is a hidden gem in the minor prophets. And I want to tell you why in just a moment and maybe, maybe to give us some permission to do something that we didn't know we could do. And I love it for that. And so we're gonna get all that in just a moment. So get your Bibles out, get your popcorn out, get your coffee out, get all of that ready to go. While you're doing that, also take just a moment to like, share, and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us those likes on these YouTube videos. They really do help. Make sure you're leaving us the five-star review on the podcast. It also very much helps. Also, make sure you're going to the Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. It's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job. And you can get the links to all of that stuff at thebibelbreakdown.com. Well, if you found it, I know it takes just a minute to find the book of Habakkuk because it is just kind of hidden in the minor prophets. So if you want to, go to Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, and kind of go left for about maybe, I don't know, 20 pages, and you'll find it. It's right there. But it's a hidden gem, and that's what we're going to call it living by faith, because it gives us permission to have a conversation with God about stuff we don't understand, about what happens when the battle is over, but you know that the war is not over. You ever been in that situation? You kind of you're kind of in it. You're trying to figure out what's going on in life, and you've got some mountains you've got to climb, and you're just trying to believe that God's with you, and all that's good. And you kind of cross over one of those mountains, like you, like you've you've won that battle pretty much, but you know the war is not over. Life's not over. There's gonna be more, and you just feel a sense of tiredness. Like, God, what's next? What do what are we doing here? You know, and it's this idea of living by faith. And it's very much what Habakkuk was all about and what he was experiencing. So let's jump into this. Who is Habakkuk? Well, very little is actually known about him, but his name means to embrace or to wrestle. And I think that that is very telling because that's what this whole book is about. Most scholars believe that he actually prophesied in Judah, likely around Jerusalem during the last days before the Babylonian invasion. So the Assyrians have gone away. Babylon is on the rise, and so they're in this in-between period where he's kind of wrestling with God about this. So to whom and to when? It was written between 612 and 605, so not long before Babylon comes in. It was during a time of great political upheaval in the entire Near East because the Assyrian Empire is collapsing and the Babylonians are coming in. Most scholars believe it was shortly after the fall of Nineveh, that's the capital city of Assyria. Now, some background. The big idea behind this is living by faith when God's plan doesn't make sense or isn't really clear. Like we have we've won some battles, but we haven't yet finished the war. Habakkuk shows us that we can bring our deepest questions to God, but we're called to trust his wisdom and timing. Why is Habakkuk so important? Well, first of all, it's about faith and uncertainty. It's about living in a world with injustice, corruption, suffering. Sound familiar to anybody, but yet Habakkuk shows us how to trust God anyway. Permission to wrestle. Remember, his name means to wrestle, and the book demonstrates that God invites our questions and doubts. Can I tell you, God's a secure God. God is secure in who he is. Therefore, we can come to him and say, God, I don't understand. I don't get it. Why? And he's not going to get intimidated. He's not going to get passive aggressive. He's fine with it. Like it doesn't hurt his feelings at all. And this talks to us about that. And then also it's encouragement and chaos. Even when life feels out of control, God is still working out his plan. And I love that so much. Let me give you some kind of what's going on elsewhere in the world, and we'll get ready to jump in. First of all, like I've already said, Assyria is in decline. Remember that for a while, Assyria, you know, the capital city was Nineveh. They were in charge of everything. They've already destroyed Israel and their capital city, Samaria. All that is gone. They tried to overthrow Judah and Jerusalem and were unsuccessful. And they went back home and now they're falling apart. And so they're going away and they are going to fall during and right before the time this book was written. Also, Babylon is doing the opposite. They're on the rise. They're coming into town. And they are now the new dominant power. And they're obviously have a, you know, they're headed straight for Jerusalem, and everybody knows it. And it's a time of Judah being in rebellion. There's spiritual compromise going on, there's social injustice going on, and it is just, there's there's there's this thing that's happening on the outside. Assyria is falling, Judah is rising, but on the inside of Judah, the spiritual depth of the people is beginning to fade. They really rallied around God when they needed God, when the Assyrians were about to conquer them, but now that they're over with, you can start to see the injustice starting to pile up. Interesting facts about Habakkuk. Number one is it is a prophet who questions God. Most of the time, and all the other prophets, if you think about it, it's God and the prophet speaking against the nation, right? This time it's then the prophet going, God, I don't understand. On behalf of the nation, I don't get it. And notice how God never one says, Well, you're not a prophet anymore, you're out. Instead, he talks to the prophet, he helps him understand, and he even gives him, apparently, permission to write it all down. Number two is there's three different conversations that's happening. It is uniquely structured that talks about dialogue, vision, and prayer. And this is also quoted by Paul, where Paul actually is going to quote Habakkuk 2, verse 4, and it became a foundational verse for justification by faith in the entire New Testament. So we're going to jump into this and remember, this is a conversation going on between the prophet and between God for the benefit of the people. This is God saying, I know these are the questions you're asking, and I'm answering them because I want you to be healthy in our relationship. So here we go. Habakkuk chapter one, verse one says this. How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Violence is everywhere, I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The laws become paralyzed. There's no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. But then the Lord replied in verse five, Look around at the nations, look and be amazed, for I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe, even if someone told you about it. I'm raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like. Their horses are swifter than Cheetahs, and fiercer than the wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away like eagles that swoop down to devour their prey. On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against the walls and capture them. They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their God. O Lord, my God, this is Habakkuk answering, My holy one, you are eternal. Surely you do not have to a plan to wipe us out. O Lord, our rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us and to punish us for our many sins? But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should will you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? Are the only fish to be caught are we the only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea the only sea creatures that have no leader? Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate? Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. These nets are the gods that have made us rich, they will say. And you, will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquest? So what's going on here is Habakkuk is saying, God, what's going on here? Like, why are these things happening? How how long are we gonna cry to you for help and wonder what's going on? And then God answers and goes, Oh, no, no, no, don't worry. I'm going to send my justice, but it's not gonna look like justice for a while. It's gonna look like things are getting worse and not better. And then Habakkuk is going, but wait a minute, that doesn't sound right. Like you're going to send justice, but this justice is gonna be bad. That doesn't sound like you at all. You're a God of justice and a God of mercy and a God of goodness. How can something bad bring about something good? And have you ever wondered that? Have you ever wondered, God, I don't understand what you're doing. You tell me you're for me, you tell me you're with me. I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm doing the very best I can, but it seems like everything's going in the wrong direction. It seems like the the bad people are the ones being blessed, the good people are the ones that are suffering. I understand who you are and I understand your character to the best of my ability, and I don't understand. I don't get it. You ever felt that way? Well, that's exactly what Habakkuk is talking about in this passage. He's saying, God, I do not get what you're doing. Well, the good news is, is Habakkuk doesn't end with chapter one, chapter two and chapter three. God is gonna teach him how to trust in him. He's gonna teach Habakkuk how to trust in God. That even when it doesn't make sense on the outside, that doesn't mean that God's not up to something. Because the problem is, is imagine, imagine you had your favorite book. Now, this is not my favorite book, but I really like this book, and it has got, I see, I'm doing this on the fly, it's got over 140 pages in this book. Not a single picture. Can you believe that? Well, imagine I were to read one page, page 55. I didn't read the page before it. I'd read the page after it. I just read page 55. And if I read this page, I would be utterly confused at what this whole book was about. You know why? Because I have no context. I don't understand what all's gone before it. I don't understand, definitely don't understand what's coming after it. All I have is one page, and I'm trying to make sense of the whole book from one page. It is just a practice in futility. It's ridiculous. Why am I even trying this, right? Well, that's what we do a lot of times because we don't know every single thing that's happened in the past. We definitely don't know everything that's happening in the future. All we have is what's in front of us right now. And we look at what's going on right now with our finite ability to see things from our perspective only, and we go, God, I don't understand. I don't understand how you can be faithful. I don't understand how you can be doing the right thing because this just doesn't make sense to me, therefore it doesn't make sense. Well, what would you say to somebody if they say, well, listen, I read one page out of this whole book and it doesn't make sense to me, therefore this whole book doesn't make any sense. Throw it away. And you go, wait a minute, that's my favorite book. Well, I don't know why you like that book. It doesn't make any sense. And go, well, wait a minute. You've only read one page. How could you possibly understand what this book is about? You you don't even know the author, much less the whole book. I mean, you would just immediately just your brain would freeze going, how can you, how can you even pretend when you've not read the whole book? And I think that's the problem, is God has the bird's eye perspective. He sees the end from the beginning, the beginning from the end, everything in between. And so God says, Yes, there's going to be times when I'm going to do things you don't understand. It is not because I am unjust. It's not because I am unfaithful. It is because you can't see it all. And that that doesn't make me wrong, it doesn't make you wrong. It just means you need to have the humility to say, God, I don't understand what you're doing, but I trust you. I trust that if I could see this book from the beginning to the end, I would completely agree with you. I think that's exactly what's going to happen. I think that every single thing that blows our mind, and can we disagree with this? There's things in our lives that blow our mind. We say, God, I have no idea how how you're going to get glory out of this situation. How can this be just? We have those those very honest questions. And God looks at this, he sees the absurdity of us thinking we know everything and we don't, and he just smiles at us and says, Can you trust me? But God don't understand. I know. There's no way you could understand. You just see one page. Can you trust me? And that's what Habakkuk's all about. It's about saying, Yes, I understand that you don't understand, and I'm not mad at you for it. All I'm asking you to do is trust me. Sometimes the greatest act of faith is faithfulness and just living by faith. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much that you see more than we do. And Lord, here's my favorite part. You're not mad at us for it. You get that we don't get it. And you are so full of justice and mercy and kindness. And Lord, it's very possible that there's somebody watching or listening to this podcast who they're going through some difficulty right now because from their point of view, you look unfair. You look like that you have decided to do something that's not right. And though we know that's not true, it's just we can't see it all. So first of all, I pray for forgiveness. We repent of our uh thinking we know better. But Lord, I also pray, Holy Spirit, you open our eyes to see you more clearly. Give us a glimpse of what you're doing to encourage our faith to never give up. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And what God's Word says is Habakkuk 2, verse 4, it says, the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. God's love language is trust. And I would encourage you, and I'm saying it to myself too, let us never fail to trust in the Lord. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Habakkuk chapter 2.