BIG IDEA:
THE PERSEVERING PERSPECTIVE COMBINES THE SHORT TERM PAIN OF DISCIPLINE WITH THE TRIUMPHANT RESOLVE TO REJOICE IN GOD’S LONG TERM DELIVERANCE
REVIEW:
- We have seen the prophet wrestle honestly with the perplexing paradox of How could a righteous God let wickedness go unpunished for a season and then use a wicked nation as His instrument of discipline against His own people? (Chapter 1)
- We have seen God answer by reinforcing the permanent principle that God is a righteous Judge and the wicked will by no means escape Judgment. (Chapter 2)
- Now we see the prophet resting triumphantly in the persevering perspective that the joy and strength of the Lord can sustain the prophet through the short term pain of discipline in anticipation of God’s long term deliverance. (Chapter 3)
INTRODUCTION:
Steven Duby: Habakkuk’s prayer is the prophecy’s resolution. It conveys God’s response to the prophet’s queries and expresses the prophet’s own rest in God’s holy providence. The prayer might be subdivided in a few different ways, but there is a certain flow of thought in which, after the superscription (3.1), the prayer goes from Habakkuk’s initial address and request of YHWH (3.2), to Habakkuk’s announcement of God’s deeds (3.3-7), to Habakkuk’s response to God (3.8-15), and to Habakkuk’s resolution (3.16-19).
Cyril Barber: The prayer of Habakkuk is one of the finest Hebrew poems in the entire Old Testament. It was written in the form of a psalm and was probably designed to be sung by Levites in the Temple services (1 Chron. 25:1-8). . .
Viewed in light of the context, it becomes the capstone of the book and reveals the triumph of faith in the face of adversity. It is a fitting conclusion to the theme of the book. As such, it records a touching and heartwarming example of the manner in which the just can triumph over the adversities of life. Habakkuk looked beyond the vicissitudes of daily life and the threat of invasion to a time when God would right the wrongs of mankind and reward His servants for their faithfulness.
Kenneth Barker: The prayer recorded in 3:1-19 celebrates the satisfactory answers the Lord offers to Habakkuk’s complaints. “Habakkuk 1-2 appears to emphasize the human agents in the outworking of this pattern; chapter 3 reveals its inward dynamics in the sovereign agency of God, who implements the covenant through whatever earthly means he chooses. Together they form a compelling and tightly meshed testimony to the ways of God in judgment and in grace.” The Lord’s righteousness and power are no longer challenged, and the prophet has learned the lesson of 2:4, as is evident in 3:19. At all points God has proved faithful. Regardless of how bleak the national situation becomes, Habakkuk promises to watch, wait, and hope for the Lord to act (3:16-18). As 1:5 promises, the prophet is amazed at God’s answer (3:16), but this dismay is preferable “to a growing distrust in the sovereign God.” In this hymn of praise the prophet “extols the virtues of the Lord. God’s power (3:2), glory (3:3), splendor (3:4), wrath (3:8), mercy (3:13), and grace (3:19) are celebrated.”
Eric Redmond: The prophet Habakkuk offers a prayer wherein he resolves to trust in the sovereignty of God’s mysterious ways of dealing with the human predicament.
- The Priestly Convocation (3:1-2)
- The Psalm of Exaltation (3:3-15)
- The Prophetic Consolation (3:16-19)
Waiting on the Lord is often not easy for us because only the Lord knows exactly how long He will take to fulfill His promise. Since God is not confined to time and space as we are, it can be challenging for us to wait, not knowing how long. This is where our faith in God is tested the most. Do we trust God no matter how long it takes? Are we willing to persevere in faith to the end? Do we still trust God, even if the fulfillment of His promise doesn’t happen in our lifetime? Habakkuk has resolved in his heart that he will trust the Lord whatever happens.
Walter Kaiser Jr.:
God’s Past Actions Proclaim His Coming 3:3–7
- The Theophany at Sinai 3:3a
- The Theophany in All Creation 3:3b–4
- The Theophany in the Plagues of Egypt 3:5
- The Theophany Before the Nations 3:6
- The Theophany in the Days of Othniel and Gideon 3:7
God’s Future Actions Foretell His Coming 3:8–15
Habakkuk contains the best declaration of what it means for justified men and women to live by faith. That faith is an active trust in a Lord who is now working in the historic process as Lord of history. But it also includes God’s working in the future eschaton; the two works are joined by a now-and-not-yet type of inaugurated eschatology.
Habakkuk’s faith was not just salvific, redemptive and personal; it was practical and mundane in its implications. It could stand the test of total crop failure and the destruction of everything one held dear. It did not depend on God’s promise that He would always supply health, wealth and prosperity in order to earn Habakkuk’s trust, belief, and respect. He could still be loved and worshipped in the midst of tragedy. When the lid blew off everything, He was still the sole object of praise and adoration. The reason was simple: He was Lord; He was in charge; He would remain true to His word even at the end of the historic process when all else had come and gone. Thus in the face of all the extremities of life, we can go on because He goes on. Justified people really live! And they live by faith!
Stephen Miller: What is worship? The English word worship is a combination of two Old English terms meaning “worthy” (or “worth”) and “ship.” Thus, worship is respect and service that we offer to God because we believe he is worthy of it. Although the specific word worship is not mentioned in this chapter, Habakkuk sets forth a general framework that is instructive for public and private religious worship today.
I. (:1-2) PRAYER FOR MERCIFUL REVIVAL – IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY — CHANGED PERSPECTIVE OF THE PROPHET –
COMBINES ACCEPTANCE OF DISCIPLINE WITH HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
A. (:1) Posture of Prayer
“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.”
No longer arguing and complaining because of his perplexities
John MacArthur: The precise meaning is unknown (its singular form occurs in the heading to Ps 7). In light of the musical notation at the end of chap. 3, it is thought that it has a musical-liturgical significance, and that this chapter was sung.
Stephen Miller: Music is not a peripheral enterprise but an integral part of worship. Songs should lift our spirits and proclaim a message that is biblically sound. Too often this is not the case. We should remember that the purpose of our music is not merely to make us “feel” good, but to glorify God. C. S. Lewis warns, “Nothing should be done or sung or said in church which does not aim directly or indirectly either at glorifying God or edifying the people or both” (Water, 1140). Congregational singing is an opportunity for all to participate in public worship. Everyone cannot preach the sermon or sing the solos, but all can join in praising God through song. God does not care if we have a beautiful singing voice. He only wants to hear us praise him. Francis Schaeffer declares: “One day all Christians will join in a doxology and sing God’s praises with perfection. But even today, individually and corporately, we are not only to sing the doxology, but to be the doxology” (Water, 739).
B. (:2) Plea for Revival and Mercy
- Foundational Attitude of Fear of the Lord = The Beginning of Wisdom
“Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear.”
- Plea for Revival
“O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;”
- Plea for Mercy – While Accepting Discipline [Key Phrase in book]
“In wrath remember mercy.”
II. (:3-15) PORTRAIT OF GOD’S POWER AND GLORY — HISTORICAL REMEMBRANCES OF GOD IN HIS MAJESTIC GLORY AND SOVEREIGN POWER
(Primarily looking at God’s Deliverance of His People From Egypt and the giving of the Law)
A. (:3-5) Vision of the Glory and Power of the God of Wrath
- His Coming
“God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.”
John MacArthur: Teman, named after a grandson of Esau, was an Edomite city (Am 1:12; Ob 9). Mount Paran was located in the Sinai peninsula. Both allude to the theater in which God displayed great power when He brought Israel into the land of Canaan (cf. Dt 33:2; Jdg 5:4).
Cyril Barber: In his prayer Habakkuk portrayed God as coming “from Teman,” a district of Edom, and from Mt. Paran, a region south of Seir. Habakkuk amplified the word he used for God, ’Eloah, by the descriptive term “Holy One,” emphasizing a specific aspect of God’s deity in keeping with the judgment He was about to execute. The historic backdrop of the events described by Habakkuk were portrayed by Isaiah as having a future fulfillment. Isaiah described the Lord as advancing in judgment upon his enemies and coming “from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah” (Isa. 63:1-6). The context of Isaiah’s prophecy definitely has application to the second advent of Christ and the events bringing to a close the Battle of Armaggedon. That which Habakkuk saw, therefore, apparently had more than one fulfillment. It had an immediate context that foreshadowed a final, ultimate victory.
Kenneth Barker: Teman designated a district of Edom, located to the southeast of Judah. Teman dominated the fertile, well-watered area and served as a crossroads for important trade routes. In this context, Teman probably stands for the area of Edom as a whole. Paran was a mountainous area southwest of Judah in the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Gulf of Aqaba. Together, the two areas refer to God’s coming in the past when he gave the law and led the people of Israel through the wilderness. Both areas are to the south of Judah. When the people of Israel left Egypt, God led them through these areas. Thus, the passage reminded the hearers and readers of the work of God in the past and his majestic power in making a nation of the Hebrews.
- His Manifest Glory
“His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise.
His radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,”
Cyril Barber: Having introduced the thought of the effulgence of God’s glory (cf. Heb. 1:1-3), Habakkuk then described the moral perfection of His Person and the power (symbolized in the King James by the word “horns”) He wields. In poetic imagery, Habakkuk spoke of rays of light “flashing from His hands” (3:4, NASB), symbolizing the moral perfection of His character and the authority with which He metes out justice. Yet even in the revelation God gave of His Person, there was the “hiding of His power,” for no human being can look upon the unveiled, infinite glory of God and live (3:4, NASB; cf. Ex. 33:20).
- His Hidden Power Demonstrated in Wrath
“And there is the hiding of His power.
Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes after Him.”
B. (:6-11) The Outpouring of God’s Wrath
- (:6A) His Piercing Gaze
“He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.”
- (:6B) His Eternality Contrasted with Mortal Fragility
“Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.”
3. (:7) His Terrified Witnesses – En Route to the Promised Land
“I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.”
4. (:8-11) His Power Demonstrated in Nature – But His Wrath Not Directed Against Nature
a. (:8) Waters of Turmoil – But Goal of Bringing Deliverance
“Did the Lord rage against the rivers,
Or was your anger against the rivers,
Or was your wrath against the sea,
That you rode on your horses, on your chariots of salvation?”
b. (:9) Weapons of Wrath
“Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.”
c. (:10-11) Witnesses of Destruction
“The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the light of your arrows,
At the radiance of your gleaming spear.”
c. (:12-15) God’s Wrath Set in the Context of God’s Mercy and Deliverance
- (:12) Mission of Wrath Against the Nations
“In indignation You marched through the earth;
In anger You trampled the nations.”
Kenneth Barker: From the description of the natural world, the prophet moved to the description of the inhabitants of the world. In synonymous parallelism, the prophet described God as moving across the earth in anger. The verb translated “strode through” can mean to “march,” as in Job 18:14 where the wicked is “marched off to the king of terrors.” But when God is the subject, “he marches in indignation (Hab 3:12), to save his people (Isa 63:1) and to lead them through enemy territory toward the Land of Promise (Judg 5:4; Ps 68:7[8]).” According to the latter two passages, “God’s marching is to be celebrated.” “If the presence of God that spread across the sky sent the earth into cataclysmic upheaval, so much the more will God’s power moving through the area bring down the ungodly nations.”
- (:13A) Goal of Deliverance for God’s People
“You went forth for the salvation of Your people;
For the salvation of Your anointed.”
Kenneth Barker: Why did Habakkuk see the vision of the Lord’s majesty? It foreshadowed the redemption of God’s people. The purpose of the theophany is to provide assurance that God would crush the head of the wicked and deliver his people. . .
The theophany continues to communicate the providence of God. Habakkuk looked to the past to see the deliverance of God in the present. Using the analogy of Habakkuk, people in modern times can see the coming deliverance of God. The same God who led the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage and worked on behalf of the people of Judah will lead believers from the bondage of sin. Though times appear to be the worst imaginable, God will lead his people.
- (:13B-15) Execution of the Wicked Who Had Oppressed God’s People
“You struck the head of the house of the evil
o lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah.
You pierced with his own spears the head of his throngs.
They stormed in to scatter us;
Their exultation was like those who devour the oppressed in secret.
You trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the surge of many waters.”
Cyril Barber: Habakkuk continued his description of the destruction of God’s enemies in 3:14-15. The description brought to a fitting conclusion the theophany that God had given His prophet. Habakkuk portrayed the nations as mighty princes dressed in armor and prepared for combat (cf. Ps. 2). No opportunity would be given them to enter into a battle, however, for their weapons of destruction would be turned back upon themselves. Habakkuk pictured the Lord’s adversaries as rushing in upon His people to destroy them. They had anticipated an easy victory, but would be utterly defeated. The tables would be turned against them, and their defeat would demonstrate that their confidence had been misplaced.
III. (:16-19) PROFESSION OF JOYFUL CONFIDENCE OF FAITH — CHOOSE ABIDING JOY REGARDLESS OF PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES – TRIUMPHANT RESOLVE OF THE PROPHET — COMBINES THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD WITH THE UPLIFTING RESOURCES OF THE JOY AND STRENGTH OF THE LORD
Stephen Miller: True worship deepens our faith in God and gives joy and strength even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
A. (:16A) Foundational Attitude of Fear of the Lord = the Beginning of Wisdom
“I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.”
Cyril Barber: Habakkuk’s faith and trust in the Lord illustrate the way Christians today should face adversity. He did not give way to fatalism, nor did he adopt a stoic attitude. He avoided the pitfall of passive resignation as well. Though his inward parts trembled, his attitude was one of submission to the will of God, and he exercised active dependence upon Him. The vision he had seen had filled him with reverential awe and had lifted him beyond the adverse circumstances that prevailed around him. As Abraham had seen the Lord before leaving Chaldea (Acts 7:24), so Habakkuk was given a vision of God’s greatness and glory before being taken to Chaldea.
B. (:16B-17) Persevering Acceptance of the Discipline of the Lord
- (:16B) Expectation of the Inevitability of the Discipline of the Lord
“Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us.”
Steven Duby: Habakkuk is anticipating both the attack of the Babylonians against Judah and the distress that will come in due course to the Babylonians themselves and lead to the deliverance of Judah. Presumably, waiting for the dreaded judgment and waiting for the eventual deliverance are both spiritually formative, but in different ways. On the one hand, Habakkuk and his fellow believers knew that their nation would deservedly face the wrath of God. Being in such a position would become an occasion for meditating on the justice and holiness of God and on the truly wicked and abominable state of sinful human beings. It would become an occasion for self-examination and for humbling oneself before the holy and sovereign God. On the other hand, Habakkuk and his fellow believers could be confident that God would have mercy on them and remain true to his covenant promises by avenging his people and circumcising their hearts (Deut. 30.1-10; 32.39-43). Alongside sober-mindedness, then, there is always cause for cheerful hope in God. And the fact that Habakkuk’s predominant response is not one of solving something himself but one of waiting upon God reminds us that we are dependent upon God to complete his work and to deliver us. Indeed, the waiting itself is not merely incidental but is an important part of the ascesis in which one learns that God is good, reliable, and sovereign. The people of God in exile would have time to assimilate their hearts to this truth as they went about the ordinary duties and tasks set before them, building houses and planting gardens in Babylon (Jer. 29.4-7).
- (:17) Anticipation of the Bleakest of Times
a. No Food From the Fields
“Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,”
b. No Food From the Flocks
“Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls”
Kenneth Barker: Of all the wonderful passages in the Old Testament, the climax to Habakkuk’s psalm fits as one of the great affirmations of faith. His circumstances have not changed. The outer world with its evil conduct and rapacious warfare remains the same. God’s people remain in time of lamentation. The prophet, however, turns to praise. Why? He has heard God’s voice and seen God’s vision. He knows the ultimate outcome of history. Thus vv. 17 and 18 serve as fitting climaxes to the psalm of Habakkuk and to the book as a whole. Here the prophet accepts God’s program, thus resolving his contention with God expressed so strongly in chaps. 1-2. “Even with all the punishment imagery …, the fact that the book concludes with the prophet rejoicing in the saving power and strength of God indicates that Habakkuk felt Yahweh’s impulse to judge in no way dismisses the Lord’s loving nature.”
C. (:18-19) Abiding Confidence in the Sufficiency of the Joy and Strength of the Lord
- (:18) The Joy of the Lord
“Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
Biblehub.com: This phrase reflects a profound declaration of faith and joy in God despite adverse circumstances. The prophet Habakkuk, after expressing his concerns and witnessing the impending judgment on Judah, chooses to find joy in the LORD. This decision to exult is significant, as it demonstrates a deep trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness, even when the situation seems dire. The term “exult” implies a triumphant and exuberant joy, suggesting that Habakkuk’s faith transcends his immediate circumstances. This mirrors the attitude of other biblical figures, such as Job, who maintained faith despite suffering.
- (:19A) The Strength of the Lord
“The Lord God is my strength,”
Cyril Barber: Habakkuk’s rejoicing was indicative of the attitude of his heart (3:19). It was one of worship. God was his strength. The demonstration of the power of the Almighty had filled Habakkuk’s heart with confidence. The Lord had not explained everything to Habakkuk, nor had He answered all his questions, but He had shown Habakkuk something of His greatness, and that was sufficient. Habakkuk was content. He no longer questioned God’s sovereign will. Instead, he willingly submitted himself to the will of God.
- (:19B) Victory in the Lord
“And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.”
Patterson: God’s prophet had walked a precarious path. But lest we condemn Habakkuk too readily, we need to remember that the Lord did not do so; He merely corrected him. Ultimately Habakkuk’s implanted faith bore spiritual fruit. … When times of doubt and discouragement come, as they inevitably do, the believer needs to come to God … and share his concerns with Him. Like Habakkuk, he needs to come to God’s Word and get a fresh glimpse of who and what God is and so come to a place of renewed trust in the one who alone is truly God and therefore sufficient for all of life. May Habakkuk’s test of faith and triumphant joy in his saving Lord be an inspiration and example to all who must travel life’s road!