My son, NoahBuilt the ark in which his family and the animals were saved from a flood. More, as a 9th-grader, read “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne written in 1850. Once done, he said,“Mom, I didn’t understand this book.” I responded with “Do you know what the ‘A’ on Hester Prynne’s smock means?” Noah just shrugged his shoulders. So, using finger puppets, here is a skit I used to help him understand the book:
Index finger (right hand): “This is Hester Prynne.”
Middle finger (right hand): “This is her husband, the colonel, and he goes off to war.” (Put down the middle finger.)
Index finger (left hand): “This is the pastor, and he kisses Hester.” (Both index fingers pretend to kiss.)
Pinky finger (right hand): “Voila! Pearl is born.”
Middle finger (right hand): “The colonel comes back, and Pearl is not his child.”
Index finger, waving (left hand): “Pearl’s dad is the pastor.”
As I told this little vignette, I could see Noah’s wheels turning in his head. His eyes got bigger, and he belted out in a pubescent voice: “Wait, what? What just happened?”
His shock, disbelief, and being wowed can also show when people read Bible stories. Jaws drop and people say, “Wait, what? What just happened?” as God’s word of love, intrigue, scandal, murder, mysteryA mystery is something secret, hidden and not perceived by ordinary means. In the book of Daniel a significant mystery is revealed through divine revelation (Daniel 2); Paul speaks of a mystery of God in Romans 11 and again in Ephesians 3. In speaking of... More, and the supernatural are revealed. But those make the best stories—the ones that have a way of capturing the heart and causing our jaws to drop in unbelievable moments. The Book of Habakkuk is one of those moments.
Habakkuk, wait, what?
One of the most jaw-dropping aspects of the Book of Habakkuk is how it flips the usual prophetic pattern. Whereas most prophets deliver God’s words to the people—calling them to repentance, warning of judgment, and offering hope, often beginning with “Thus says the Lord”—Habakkuk speaks directly to God. The book opens with the prophet boldly questioning God: “How long Lord must I call for help …” He wonders about and questions God’s divine justice, asking why wrongdoing is tolerated and why God does not intervene to fix what is broken. This dialogue, moving from complaint to trust, reads almost like a respectful argument or debate with God, and its raw honesty feels strikingly modern, setting Habakkuk apart from other prophetic writings.
God, wait, what?
God’s response is not what Habakkuk expects. God assures the prophet that God is at work, just not in the way Habakkuk thought would happen. In fact, it was a doomsday approach to find a solution for the people. God reveals that God is raising up the Babylonians, also known as the Chaldeans, to bring judgment against the people of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More. This answer only deepens Habakkuk’s distress: how could God use a nation even more wicked to punish God’s own people? It becomes one of the most theologically unsettling moments in the Bible, forcing readers to wrestle with the mystery of God’s justice.
“The righteousA righteous person is one who is ethical and faithful to God's covenant. Righteousness in the Old Testament is an attitude of God; in the New Testament it is a gift of God through grace. In the New Testament righteousness is a relationship with God... More shall live by faith.” – Habakkuk 2:4
This single Bible verse becomes foundational in the New Testament, where it is quoted in Romans (1:7), Galatians (3:11), and Hebrews (10:38). Though the New Testament verses are slightly different, they all emphasize that righteousness and life come through faith. This verse also impacted Martin Luther in his study of Romans during the Reformation. He came to see “the righteousness of God” not as something God demands, but as something God gives to those who trust God. Righteousness, Luther reminds us, is received by faith not earned through works, rituals, or moral effort.
A “Wait, what?” ending
The Book of Habakkuk ends in a surprising way. In chapter 3, the tone suddenly shifts from dialogue and debate to poetry, becoming a hymn or psalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More complete with musical notations such as, “For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.” That liturgical style is unusual for a prophetic book and feels more at home in the Psalms. The book closes with one of the most beautiful declarations of faith in Scripture: “Though the fig tree does not bud … yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” It is a radical statement of trust, which affirms faith even if crops fail, the economy collapses, and livestock disappear. The entire book traces a deeply human emotional journey from confusion to complaint, from wrestling to worship, making its conclusion all the more powerful.
Now, wait, what?
For such a short prophetic book, its theological influence has been enormous, and it feels surprisingly modern, especially with Habakkuk’s curiosity and questioning of God. For many of us, we are still seeking the answers to these questions:
- Why does injustice win?
- Why do corrupt people prosper?
- Why does God seem silent?
God doesn’t offer tidy answers to Habakkuk nor to us; instead, we are called simply to trust. In the book, God pronounces five woes against greed, injustice, violence, exploitation, and idolatry, warning that these sins deserve judgment. Even today, we witness these same forces at work, often making evil feel unstoppable. That is exactly where trust becomes essential. When we encounter moments that leave us stunned, asking, “Wait, what just happened?” we are called to believe that God sees everything and will ultimately bring justice. In the meantime, we live in that tension by loving one another because wherever love is present, God is there as well.
