Introduction

In Habakkuk, God responds to the complaints of His prophet and reveals His plan to use the Babylonians to judge His people. Even amidst divine silence and perceived injustice, God's people can trust His sovereign purposes. In his ministry over 40+ years, Jeremiah confronts Judah's sin and cautions the people of God's coming judgment (1-10). With idolatry, injustice, and reliance on religious rituals, Judah had broken God's covenant (11-20). Captivity was coming, and God would not relent without repentance. Yet, He promises a new Davidic king to rule with justice and righteousness (21-29).

Readings

The Bible: Habakkuk and Jeremiah 1-29 and 32:6-35.

Hays, The Message of the Prophets, pp. 146-170.

Fuhr and Yates, The Message of the Twelve, pp. 223-236.

Course Notes, pp. 10-11.

Optional Readings

House, Paul. "Investing in the Ruins: Jeremiah and Theological Vocation." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 56 (2013): 5-15.

Yates, Gary E. "The 'Weeping Prophet' and 'Pouting Prophet' in Dialogue: Intertextual Connections Between Jeremiah and Jonah." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59, no. 2 (2016): 223-239.

Guiding Questions

As you read, consider the following questions:

How does Habakkuk's literary form, historical circumstance, and personal perspective change over the course of his book?
What are God's promises to Jeremiah (Jer. 1) and how are they challenged over the course of his ministry?
How do the events and message of Jeremiah (1-10) illustrate the common elements of a biblical prophet?
What is God's modus operandi with His people (Jeremiah 18) and how is this message relevant to Jeremiah's audience?
How does Jeremiah contrast the actions of Judah's royal house with the coming Davidic king (Jeremiah 21-23)?

Lectures

Habakkuk

The Habakkuk lecture/PPT won't be available until the due date passes for Assignment 4b: Prayer in Habakkuk Paper.

Jeremiah

Lecture 16 | PPT 16 | Audio 16
Lecture 17 | PPT 17 | Audio 17

Suggested Work Sequence

Below is a step-by-step guide for what to do when during this unit. Note that while the lectures and readings are described in detail above, assignments have their own pages.

#	Task	Due Date
1.	Read Habakkuk.	Wednesday
2.	Read MT pp. 223-236 (Ch. 12).	Wednesday
3.	Read Jeremiah 1-29 & Course Notes pp. 10-11.	Wednesday
4.	Read MP pp. 146-70 (Ch. 10-11).	Wednesday
5.	View Lectures 16-17: Jeremiah 1-29.	Wednesday
6.	Complete Assignment 4a: Jeremiah and God Discussion.	Thursday/ Saturday
7.	Complete Assignment 4b: Prayer in Habakkuk Paper.	Friday
8.	Complete Assignment 4c: Reading Quiz.	Saturday
9.	View Lecture 15: Habakkuk (once your faculty member makes it available).	Saturday

Key:

MP = Message of the Prophets (Hays)
MT = Message of the Twelve (Fuhr and Yates)