Decades ago, as I attended a Bible study (and dessert!) our teacher once commented, “Happiness is knowing where Habakkuk is in the Bible.” And, when I finally found out where it was, I devoured this dramatic prophecy that proclaimed the terrifying end of wicked Judah and Jerusalem – by an even more evil empire, Babylon. I was so gripped by this short book that, in 1985, I set the opening and closing verses to music in the song cycle Five Biblical Songs. The lyrics to these songs come from a Gospel, a minor prophet, a major prophet, a letter by Paul, and (in a nod to Antonín Dvořák) a Psalm.
In the Bible Project’s (Learn the Bible for Free Online | BibleProject™) “The Bible” study that takes its readers through the Bible in one year, we have just read and studied the minor prophets Habakkuk and Zephaniah, and I thought this would be an opportune time to share my setting of Habakkuk 1:1-5 and 3:17-19. It begins with heavy dissonant quintal chords (chords built on fifths rather than thirds) that erupt at both ends of the piano keyboard. The soprano (or tenor) makes a stirring entrance with a jagged melody that captures the prophet’s utter despair at yelling at a God Who seems not to respond. And yet God eventually does, as the music softens into B Major, the key I traditionally use to display God’s presence. Yet His message is anything but comforting, as He begins to tells Habakkuk of the coming destruction at the hands of Babylon. The ominous piano soliloquy is a contrast of the Lord’s complete holiness and the stark reality of judgment against His rebellious people.
The dissonance of Habakkuk’s opening cry returns as he catalogues all the desolation of destruction, which is then culminated in an explosive outburst of the piano’s final chaotic solo. But this time the music melts into E Major. It is as though B Major has found its root with the descent of a perfect fifth – and it is as though the presence of God has rooted Himself in the midst of this worldly desolation. Habakkuk calmly states his resolution to rejoice in God, His strength and salvation, despite the bad news all around him. The song gradually ascends heavenward as Habakkuk describes his new “hinds’ feet” in “high places,” certainly the most memorable image in this short book, and one of the most memorable images of the entire Bible, a true message of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable evils we all face on earth.
My wife, Daphne Saul, dramatically interprets these powerful words, and I accompany her in this six-minute recording of “O Lord, How Long Shall I Cry?” We offer this to the world as a magnification of the inspired words of this minor prophet, at a time when many of us have just read these words. Enjoy this recording at www.waltersaul.com (click the play link in the upper right corner of the screen.)