Habakkuk—the Triumph of Righteousness

Written in the most beautiful Hebrew language is a book of only three chapters, but truly worthy of its place in the canon of Scripture. The author, the Judean prophet Habakkuk, was unable to understand why the evils which he saw in the land, and over which he mourned, were unchecked. The Lord, in vision, answered the question in his mind, and declared that the evil should not go unpunished. The Chaldeans, “that bitter and hasty nation,” were soon to come as a scourge against Judah.AGP 142.4

But this answer raised another question: Why should a nation even more wicked than Judah be permitted to triumph over them? In His reply to this perplexity, the Lord not only sets forth the principle that punishment will come upon the transgressor,AGP 142.5

but He also proclaims the great central truth of the gospel, that “the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4.AGP 143.1

In the prayer with which this book closes is a description of the coming of Christ. The prophet trembled as he contemplated “the day of trouble,” but closes with a paean of triumphant faith and trust which may well sustain God’s people today:AGP 143.2

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Chapter 3:17, 18.