The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Habakkuk 1:1
The small scroll of Habakkuk begins with a simple introduction. We learn Habakkuk is a prophet, and he saw an oracle. Let’s unpack that.
What is a Prophet?
What is a prophet? There are a number of men and women throughout the Bible who are called prophets. We often first think of prophets like fortune-tellers, telling what is to come. While that is part of it, it is more common for them to tell what is currently happening (forthtelling rather than foretelling). Their role is to pass along a message from God. They remind the people where they came from, show them what is currently happening, and warn where their current trajectory is taking them.
The Hebrew word here for prophet is נָבִיא (navi). The first of many to be called a prophet is Abraham (Genesis 20:7). There are “writing prophets” (those who wrote books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Habakkuk) and those who didn’t write (like Elijah and Elisha). While predominantly men, several women are called a “prophetess” (like Miriam in Exodus 15:20 and Deborah in Judges 4:4).
The verb form of navi is nava, which means to speak as a prophet (communicate a message from a deity). This can be an ecstatic experience or a more straightforward declaration. The first to “prophesy” are seventy elders which the Spirit of the Lord rested upon (Numbers 11:25-27). This word is used often to describe prophets’ actions. For instance, Ezekiel is often commanded to “prophesy against” something (cf. Ezekiel 4:7, 6:2, 11:4, etc).
There are two other words synonymous with “prophet”, which are typically translated “seer”: חֹזֶה (ḥōzeh, see Amos 7:12) and רֹאֶה (ro’eh, see 1 Samuel 9:9). Both words have roots which mean “to see”, which renders well in English as “see-er”. By divine inspiration, they see something that others cannot.
Do You See What I See?
The roots of these two “to see” words are חזה (ḥāzâ) and ראה (ra’ah). The word translated “saw” in our verse comes is ḥāzâ. Ra’ah, the the more common of the two, is used over 1300 times. Hāzâ, on the other hand, is only used 55 times. While they are synonyms and are sometimes used in parallel with each other (like in Isaiah 33:17), ḥāzâ carries a connotation of perception, which doesn’t have to be done with the eyes.
Other nouns from ḥāzâ can be translated as vision or revelation (something revealed) (first used in 1 Samuel 3:1). For instance, Isaiah open with: “The vision (ḥāzon) of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw (ḥāzâ) concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (Isaiah 1:1). Habakkuk later describes the “vision” (ḥāzon used twice) the Lord gives him (Habakkuk 2:2-3).
The unfortunate thing is that there are those who claim to be prophets who are not. Jeremiah had to deal with false prophets (for instance, Jeremiah 23:9ff). Moses warned that false prophets would arise (Deuteronomy 13). One was to judge a prophet by 2 criteria. First, they must teach in accordance with God’s law (God will not contradict himself). Second, what they say must come true. If they foretell something, and it doesn’t happen, then they are not a prophet. Jesus likewise warned about false prophets: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
What did Habakkuk see? He saw an oracle, which is the Hebrew word מַשָּׂא (masa). it comes from the verb “to lift/carry”. It is something carried, i.e. a burden. Habakkuk received a weighty message. Other prophets use it to describe the message they received from the Lord (like Isaiah 13:1). When the people ask Jeremiah for the “burden of the Lord”, he responds, “You are the burden,” playing on the double meaning of the word (Jeremiah 23:33; see my comments on Jeremiah 23 and my sermon on this word).
There you have it! Habakkuk is a prophet. As he looked around, he saw the injustices of the world and cried out to God, who answered him. God gave him weighty insight into what was happening and the impending consequences.
To Ponder…
We talk about visionaries today. What do they see that others cannot? What would it look like to see below the surface of this world and see what could be? How could this world be transformed?
May the Lord enable you to see life through his eyes. May he enable to you to comprehend what is actually happening in this world. May he give you the wisdom to filter the voices speaking truth versus those speaking lies. May you heed his voice and transform the world for kingdom.