A Study of the Books of Jonah & Habakkuk
The Book of Jonah
The book of Jonah is one of the "minor prophets," twelve shorter prophetic books in the Old Testament. Its author is unknown, as is the date when it was written, though due to language and theological themes, some scholars feel it probably was written between 500-400 B.C.E., following the Babylonian exile. This was a time of great tension between Jews and Gentiles in Judah, which is a major theme in the book.
The Book of Habakkuk
We don’t know much about the prophet Habakkuk from any other book in the Bible. Since he prophesied the coming Babylonian army and its destruction of Judah, he prophesied some time before that invasion. Many think that Habakkuk ministered sometime during the reign of King Johoiakim, perhaps around the year 607 B.C.
What if you cried out to God about the injustices in our world, the terrorism and trouble in various places, and God responded: "I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe. I'm raising up the nation you most distrust to sweep across the whole earth and seize dwelling places not their own."
In this book of the Bible, Habakkuk received that type of message from God. Habakkuk had viewed Babylonia (modern-day Iraq) as the incarnation of evil. He was not prepared, therefore, when God announced he would use the Babylonians to judge his nation.
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