The period in which Habakkuk lived had a lot of international tension. Judah was caught between two treacherous world powers. The king of Egypt had murdered the king of Judah and set up a puppet government in Judah. The Babylonians were also a world power known for their treachery. They were enemies of the Egyptians. The Babylonians were soon to overthrow the Egyptians, but for Judah this was like going from the frying pan into the fire. Habakkuk wondered what God was going to do in this morass.