Habakkuk: When God Answers
Habakkuk 3 English Standard Version
Habakkuk's Prayer
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4 His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.[a]
6 He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation?
9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows.[b] Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
the deep gave forth its voice;
it lifted its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their place
at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear.
12 You marched through the earth in fury;
you threshed the nations in anger.
13 You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck.[c] Selah
14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
the surging of mighty waters.
16 I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed[d] instruments.
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Small Group Study
Habakkuk – When God Answers
Nov 1, 2026
Habakkuk is unique in that it is not a prophetic word given to the Jews but a prophetic word given to one person: Habakkuk. It reads more like a personal journal entry than a public prophetic message. The chapters detail Habakkuk’s questions of God (prayer), God’s response to those prayers, and in chapter 3 we see a final prayer of confidence and hope in God.
Historically Habakkuk fits best in the time of Jehoiakim’s reign (609-605 BC) where Judah was under Babylonian and Egyptian control and soon afterward would raise up the Chaldeans to overthrow the Egyptians. Located in Judah, Habakkuk was critical of other prophets serving Jehoiakim.
Habakkuk’s First Question
Read Habakkuk 1:1-4
What do we learn of Habakkuk’s values in his desire to see punishment for wrongdoing?
What do we learn of Habakkuk’s relationship with God in his questions to God?
God’s Response
Read Habakkuk 1:5-11
In verses 5, 6 God reveals that He will use the Chaldeans to exact justice. They too were enemies of Judah.
Share experiences of God using “unrighteousness” to bring justice/judgment for sin.
List/discuss the undesirable attributes of the Chaldeans in light of how God commands us to live.
Habakkuk’s Second Question
Read Habakkuk 1:12-2:1
Why is God’s use of the Chaldeans a surprise to Habakkuk? (v 12, 13)
What might Habakkuk had assumed about how God would bring justice? (v 17)
Verse 2:1 is not part of Habakkuk’s prayer to God.
Habakkuk is resolute on hearing from God. He is intentionally watchful for God’s response. And he anticipates more dialogue after he finally gets an answer.
Discuss the benefits of each of these intentions on the part of the believer in our prayer life.
God’s Response
Read Habakkuk 2:2-5
Verses 2,3 are God’s directive to Habakkuk. What are the two things Habakkuk is to do?
Verses 4,5 are what Habakkuk is to write down. In writing, it verifies what God has spoken and it provides evidence for when it comes to pass.
Read Habakkuk 2:6-20
This text details five specific “woes” that will come upon Babylon.
Discuss the “woe” of verses 6-8
Discuss the “woe” of verses 9-11
Discuss the “woe” of verses 612-14
Discuss the “woe” of verses 15-18
Discuss the “woe” of verses 19
Verse 20 is part of God’s response. What is the meaning if it isn’t “literal” silence.
Habakkuk’s Prayer/Song
Read Habakkuk 3
In verses 1-2 we see Habakkuk’s heart in his plea for mercy.
Compare verses 1:13 with 3:2. Do you see this as a change of heart for Habakkuk or can these two attitudes exist together?
Verse 3:3-15 is labeled a “theophany” : God appearing. There are similarities with Psalm 18:7-15 and Psalm 77:11-20)
Discuss the impact on Habakkuk in seeing God (verses 16-19)
Our Prayer/Song
Share experiences with God specifically those that brought a new or changed understanding of God.