Habakkuk 1: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Habakkuk 1 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Habakkuk expresses his lament to God in verse 1. He asks how long he must cry out without receiving an answer. Violence and strife fill his observations (vv.

Key verse

“Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you.”
Habakkuk 1:5 (WEB)

Outline

Habakkuk 1:1 Habakkuk's Lament to God
Habakkuk 1:2–4 Questions of Injustice
Habakkuk 1:5–11 God's Divine Plan Revealed
Habakkuk 1:12–14 Habakkuk's Challenge to God
Habakkuk 1:15–17 The Chaldeans' Ruthlessness

Discussion questions

In v2, what specific complaint does Habakkuk bring before Yahweh?
What does Habakkuk see in v4 that leads him to conclude justice is perverted?
In v6, why does God choose to raise up the Chaldeans as an instrument of judgment?
In v13, how does Habakkuk's view of God's character clash with the reality of evil's presence?
When have you felt like Habakkuk, crying out 'Violence!' in a situation you faced?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Habakkuk 1: Acts 13, Jeremiah 5, Isaiah 29.

Before next time: read Habakkuk 2.