Second  cut Hab. 1:1-4, 2:1-4
1) Habakkuk is a shorter version of Job in its way, or if you prefer a longer version of Ps. 13. If one is feeling bold, this is a good place to work on some theodicy. I resist material that seeks to excuse or defend God for the weight of evil in the world, so I like material such as Douglas John Hall, God and Human Suffering, or Wendy Farley Tragic Vision and Divine compassion.. A good textbook is Tyron Inbody, The Transforming God. N.T. Wright works with the issue in  an accessible way in Evil and the god of justice. On lament see Migliore and Billman or the compendium on prayer, Patrick Miller's They Cried ot the Lord.

2) We are back to the issue of Lk. 18:1-8 two weeks ago and the issue of persistence in prayer and unanswered prayer. The messenger is to be bold, to write it in large letters.

3) Calvin saw God as constantly acting in discrete ways. So, he was uncomfortable in talking of god's permissive activity. We see it here in the lament. Why would God tolerate evil? At 1:3 destruction and violence (hamas) can be literal but also metaphors for perverted justice and the power of Mammon Strife (rib) and contention (madon0 are often legal hearing words, trial words. See MacLeish's JB.

4) The lectionary breaks make the readings a bit unclear. The end of chapter one has another complaint/question from the prophet about the propriety of god punishing the Nation with an evil idolatrous nation. Chapter 2 is god's response to that second complaint. In other words, God announces punishment at the hands of the Chaldeans and the prophet responds with how could that be a proper instrument?

5) 1:4 aqal=twisting/bending of justice at 1:4. 2;2 is a tough translation. Think perhaps of running with it as a metaphor for working the mesage to its ocnclusion.2:3 is an attempt to give assurance that God really will act, even with a delay.

6) 2:4 looks t the arrogant, the puffed up/ swollen apal) My old teacher JJM roberts reads it as two words and the fainthearted will not walk in the way. righteous or just is saddiq.2:4 is quoted by Paul,  if you want to get picky about the Hebrew word, faithfulness/steadfast trust/faithfulness/fidelity/loyal commitment  may work better, and it would read his faithfulness..We also don't know if it refers in its antecedent to that faithfulness or the faitfulness of the message. In others word, hold on, keep on, trust in the promise. In the LXX it would be my faith. I suppose one could then use this to force the words into a Pauline mode to create the old Protestant fear of works righteousness 500 years after Luther. One could also work with the best translation one could muster and work on it, even though its meaning seems different than Paul's use of it..

7) Hiebert in NIB quotes Wendell Berry at 643, 'be joyful, even though you have considered all of the facts." Faithfulness to God's loyalty will not permit the tyranny of mere facts.