To Whom was Habakkuk Writing?
Habakkuk: The First Audience
Habakkuk’s first audience is God. The book is made up of an intense and emotionally charged conversation between Habakkuk and God as the prophet pours out his heart to God and addresses the violence and evil of his day and God’s form of punishment and judgment on his people. He wants to know why God would allow such things. When we need to ask God “Why?”, Habakkuk shows us it is okay to question God.
Habakkuk: The Second Audience
His second audience is the people of Judah that lived during his lifetime before the Babylonian captivity and addressed the conditions of his country. God was bringing judgment on Judah in the form of the Babylonians conquering them and taking them into captivity. Habakkuk had questions and sought to reconcile his understanding of God’s sovereignty with what appeared to him as the incongruous actions of a loving and merciful God toward His people.
Habakkuk had a Message for His People
If he had questions before the Babylonian captivity, then surely the people would have questions when going through the captivity. Habakkuk’s message to his people via the recording of his conversation with God would help them reflect on the means and methods of God. The people should have expected the coming judgment for God told them exactly what would happen to them if they turned their backs against Him. God had made a covenant with them and that covenant included the consequences of breaking the covenant agreement (See Deuteronomy 28)In Exalting Jesus in Jonah, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk the authors write, “he [Habakkuk] has the prophetic responsibility to enlighten God’s people with an in-depth theological perspective on the events of his day.”[1] In other words, Habakkuk had the hard task of reminding the people of God’s promised curses if they broke their covenant with Him.
Habakkuk: The Third Audience
Because people in every generation experience injustice, violence, and evil, Habakkuk’s audience also includes all the generations after him. Habakkuk would have had no idea that the record of his oracle would become part of the Biblical canon of today, and while unintentional on Habakkuk’s part, his message has become a message for all people in all parts of the world from his day to today and until the end of the ages. What was true then is true now. God’s sovereignty and faithfulness do not change.
[1] Eric Redmond, et al. Exalting Jesus in Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, edited by David Platt, et al., (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2016), 167
One Year Bible Reading Plan: March 16
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One Year Bible Reading Plan
Clicking on the Scripture links above will open a new window where you can read the scripture from the Holman Christian Standard Bible at Biblegateway.com or choose the Bible version you prefer to read. Check back each day to get the Scripture to read in the One Year Bible Reading Plan.
Praying, Meditating, and Journaling the Psalms:
Choose one of the following Psalms: Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, or 136.
1: Read the psalm through in its entirety.
2: Take one verse at a time and pray the verse back to God as it applies to your life.
3: Meditate on the verse and ask the Holy Spirit what He is trying to teach you about God, your Christian walk, or about yourself.
4: Journal what you prayed about and the results of your meditation.
5: Move to the next verse. Continue through the entire psalm this way.
6: Write down one verse that stood out the most to you today on a 3X5 card and carry it with you throughout the day. Memorize the verse and hide it in your heart.
Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template
Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.
Week 11: March 13-19
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| NET, The TEXT Bible, Hardcover, Comfort Print By Thomas Nelson The NET The Text Bible is a new approach to engaging God’s Word, with the attention and in-depth nature of your favorite podcast, as if you’re in such a thought-provoking conversation with a friend that you lose all track of time because you are communicating on a level that piques your interest on multiple subjects and emotions. With a four step Bible study approach: Talk to God; Encounter God and humanity; eXamine your heart; Talk to others, this Bible features study notes, questions and articles all designed to get you to dwell on the biblical stories; to let your heart and mind truly soak in the warmth of God’s wisdom and truth found in the Scriptures. |
Focus on the Text:
- Text-ing the Text: use the 4-step process of Scripture engagement
- Big Q of the Text: big life questions with short answers
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- Follow the Thread: navigate the Bible across topics
- Anatomy of the Text: describes parts of speech or important types of literature such as parables or apocalyptic books
- Terms of the Text: what you need to understand about some of the unique words in the Bible
- “Who is God?”: 100 short devotions on the person and character of God
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| Spiritual Formation Is…: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence – eBook By Rod Dempsey & Dave Earley / B&H Academic Rod Dempsey and Dave Early draw on years of experience as pastors, church planters, professors, and transformed believers to equip readers to grow in their spiritual walk with Christ.Spiritual Formation Is… challenges believers to grow upward, inward, and outward in their spiritual formation by loving God, loving one another, and loving our neighbors. Written in a down-to-earth, approachable style that invites readers to come as they are, Spiritual Formation Is… introduces the principles, philosophy, and practice of sanctification. |
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Romans 8:37 – Kneels Before God
Romans 8:37 says, “No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.” Our victories come when we are on our knees praying.
Scatter Kindness
Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Kindness never goes out of style. Scatter some wherever you go.
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God, Love, and Marshmallow Wars
by Julia M. Bruce
What’s Inside God, Love, and Marshmallow Wars?
This book includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
- Scripture to memorize and meditate on
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- Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages
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