Habakkuk Chapter 3/Commentary

Habakkuk Chapter 3

Outline I. Prayer for Compassion in the Midst of Judgment: 3:1-2 II. God is Praised for His Mighty Works in the Past: 3:3-15 III. Joyful Trust while Waiting for Judgment: 3: 16-19 ''The prophet concludes his book with what is considered by many writers to be one of the most beautiful psalms in the Bible. The Lord has answered his complaints. He now understands that Judah and Jerusalem must be punished for their sins, that God is going to use the Chaldeans for His work of judgment, and that God will then punish the wicked Chaldean nation who deified its power, going beyond the bounds of all restraint. Realizing what he may expect in the near future, the prophet prays to Jehovah" (Hailey p. 289).

3:1 "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth."

"According to Shigionoth": Pronounced (shih gay ah NOHTH), which seems to be related to a verb meaning "to reel to and fro". "A word meaning to reel, to stagger like a drunken man. Deane explains its use here to mean, 'in an impassioned or triumphal strain, with rapid change of emotion..' The word describes the poem as having been composed under strong emotional pressure" (Hailey p. 289). Side ref., NASV, "a highly emotional poetic form". We some times forget that prayer is to be the desire of the heart (Romans 10: 1) and that our heart, feelings and emotions are to be stirred and moved by what God has said (Acts 2:37). Habakkuk could not emotionally detach himself from what was revealed through him. He could not approach divine revelation from a purely academic standpoint. We need more people who truly live by every word which

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proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). And instead of approaching the Scriptures as a code of laws that are to be manipulated, we need more people who hunger and thirst for God's truth (Psalm 19:7ff; Acts 17:11).

3:2 "Lord, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear. 0 Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy."

"I have heard the report about Thee and I fear": "O Lord, do I fear" (RSV); "fills me with fear" (Ber). "Habakkuk had heard God's purposes to discipline Judah and destroy Babylon. The report filled him with awe. God's plans were beyond human understanding and God's preeminence beyond comprehension" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1517). The same could be true of reading about the acts in God in the Old Testament. Any review of Old Testament history should cause us to stand in awe of God. In addition, the person who reads the Bible and then concludes that God doesn't mean what He says, never condemns anyone and so on---has not learned the first thing about the nature of God. "I fear": We often complain about what is wrong in the world and why doesn't God do something. Brethren, do we really want to know what God is going to do in the near future? Are we prepared for the answer? The answer we want to hear is-"I'm going to punish all the bad people". What we are not ready to hear is that when God brings a judgment upon any nation, the righteous might have to suffer as well. Are we really that concerned about sin and injustice that we are willing to lose our homes, possessions, every comfort and even our loved ones or our own lives?

"Revive Thy work in the midst of the years": "Repeat it in our own time" (Jerus); "Reveal that power in these latter days" (Knox); "In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by" (Tay). "'In the midst of the years' would be at the present time, the time between the announcement of judgment and its execution" (Hailey p. 289). The prophet might be praying that even though God's judgment upon Judah will mean suffering, even for the righteous, the sooner that such comes the sooner that the enemies of God (the Chaldeans) will be punished and the sooner that God will be glorified. Habakkuk believed in the power of God and that God was able to do what He had promised to perform. God remains the same, the God who created the universe out of nothing, is the same God who presently rules. Do we pray that God would manifest His powerful providential workings in our time? Do we pray that He would be glorified? Or, are we more concerned about glory for ourselves or some little group to which we are attached?

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"In wrath remember mercy": "In trouble wilt thou remember compassion" (Rhm); "For all your wrath, remember to be merciful" (Jerus). Habakkuk is well aware of the cruelty of the Babylonians and of the intense suffering that they will bring about Israel. "The Babylonians are bearing down on them, tragedy is inevitable. Confronted with the whole situation, the prophet prays and pleads for divine mercy" (Briscoe p. 127).

Habakkuk knows that even in the midst of intense trials and hardship that God can bring about merciful dealings for the righteous. History has demonstrated that God did remember mercy in the midst of wrath. Mercy was shown to such men as Daniel and his friends by the Chaldeans. Mercy was demonstrated in the fact that the Jewish nation was not completely exterminated and that the Jews were able to return to their land, rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. We find many examples of mercy in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Malachi and Esther. Consider how Habakkuk realizes that God is completely justified in exercising His wrath.

He doesn't say, "Forget about your wrath, or "God, I command you to exercise mercy exclusively". I think Habakkuk has learned a valuable lesson that many of us need to remember or learn. That is, it is easily to complain about injustices in and out of the church, it is another thing to be willing to see such people feel the full force of God's indignation.

Glorious History In this section the prophet looks back over the history of Israel's experiences from Egypt to Sinai to when the prophet lived. God had always been the Deliverer and Protector of His people. In addition, He had continually played the role of exercising His wrath against the enemies of the faithful. What we need to realize is that nothing has really changed. God is still the Helper of the faithful (Hebrews 13:5-6).

3:3 "God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise."

"Comes from Teman": Pronounced (TEE muhn). "Teman was a desert oasis in Edom but it might also represent the entire region south of the Dead Sea. 'Seir', used by Moses, was a poetic name for the mountainous region referred to as Teman. Paran lies west of Edom across the valley Ghor, between the Sinai Peninsula to the south and Kadesh Barnea to the north, another mountainous area" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1518). "As God came in the past, so He comes now. Teman was located in Edom, east of the Arabah about midway between the south end of the Dead Sea and the north end of the Gulf of Aqabah.

Paran was the mountain or plateau area west of Edom and northwest of 3

Aqabah" (Hailey p. 290). Compare with Deut. 33:2. These words are similar to Moses' description of the Lord's appearance on Sinai. "As He then came in glory to make a covenant with His people, so will He appear again in majesty to deliver them from the power of evil and to execute judgment" (P.P. Comm. p. 51). Such verses should only remind us that the same God who created the universe out of nothing, the same God who parted the Red Sea and brought the flood, etc...., is the same God who is looking out for us and is the same God who is wanting the gospel to reach good and honest hearts! "If God is for us, who is against us?"

(Romans 8:31). "At Sinai God had come like an awesome thunderstorm sweeping down from the mountainous region in the south" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1518).

"The Holy One": "A name of God, implying that he will not let iniquity pass unpunished" (P.P. Comm. p. 51). In addition, such should also remind us that God is never unjust or unfair in His dealings with mankind (1 John 1:5; James 1:13).

"Selah": Pronounced(SEE luh). "This word occurs 71 times in the Book of Psalms...Scholars agree that the term is a musical direction of some sort, but they are not agreed on what the direction is. It may mean: (1) an interlude-a pause-in-the-singing...(2) the equivalent of today's' Amen'...(3) an acrostic which means 'a change of voices' or 'repeat'" (Nelsons p. 735). "The Hebrew verb from which the term comes means 'to exalt, to lift up'. It may mean a pause (a) to elevate to a higher key or increase the volume, (b) to reflect on what has been sung and exalt the Lord in praise, or (c) to lift up certain instruments for some thing like a trumpet fanfare. Whatever it’s meaning, an obvious break was intended in the middle of Habakkuk 3:3" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1518).

"His splendor covers the heavens": "'Praise' probably refers not to the response of mankind but to the reality of God's fame. God's revelation of Himself encompassed the heavens and penetrated to the uttermost parts of the earth" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p.

1518).

3:4 "His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, and there is the hiding of His power."

"Rays": "People often illustrate a sunrise by drawing a circle surrounded by lines, cones, or horns, a rather crude by nevertheless effective way of depicting radiance" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1518). The glory of God is often likened to extreme brightness and light (1 Timothy 6:16 "dwells in unapproachable light"; Psalm 104:2; Exodus 24:17).

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“There is the hiding of His power": The glory of God also conceals. "It is easy to forget that the light and warmth which showers the earth with blessing comes from a ball of fire that could consume the globe in a moment. So God's power is hidden in His glory.

His revelation is restrained lest it consume its beholders" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p.

1519). This answers the question, "Why doesn't God reveal Himself visibly to mankind?" Because such a revelation of His glory would completely consume the entire physical creation.

3:5 "Before Him goes pestilence, and plague comes after Him." God has often used physical disease and other calamities as weapons through which to punish the wicked. This was the case in Egypt, in Canaan (1 Samuel 5:9,11); and even among His own people (Numbers 11:33; 14:37; Lev. 26:25).

The word rendered "plague" in the above verse is translated "burning coals" in the KJV, and it may refer to a disease that is accompanied by a burning fever. "God is not a little old man upstairs who dotes on people with sweetness and light. He is all-powerful as He is all-loving. His grace and glory are coupled with might and majesty" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519).

3:6 "He stood and surveyed the earth; He looked and startled nations. Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered, the ancient hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting."

"Stood and surveyed": "Having reached the place from which He would execute judgment, God stopped...His very presence caused the earth to shake" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519). "Startled nations": A mere glimpse by God is said to startle or cause the nations to leap in terror. And even the physical creation, "the firmest constituents of the globe crumbled into dust" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519).

The previous graphic picture reminds us: 1. We cannot stand against God and win, for even the mountain ranges, still the very imagine of physical stability, crumble in the presence of God. 2. The ways and decrees of God are of greater stability than anything on this earth (Matthew 24:35; 1Peter 1:2325).

"His ways are everlasting": "What the faithful have known and seen of Jehovah in the past, they can expect in the future" (Hailey p. 291). "Here is a stark warning to those who honor the creation over the Creator!" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519). There is also a great warning here to those who argue that God and His word are irrelevant. The ways of God are far more relevant than anything found in this world.

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3:7 "I saw the tents of Cushan under distress, the tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling."

"Witnesses to God's appearance at the Exodus and in the wilderness wanderings were Cushan and Midian nations that lay on either side of the Red Sea...God's wondrous acts at the Red Sea...threw neighboring nations into terror and they experienced distress and anguish. Other nations too heard of God's mighty acts and were in fear (Ex. 15:14-16; Deut. 2:25; Josh. 2:9; 5:1). The reference to the people's tents...seems to emphasize their precarious state. If the mountains melted away, what hope was there for those who huddled under canvas?" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519). "As God moves in his majesty the various nations were struck with fear" (P.P. Comm. p. 52).

3:8 "Did the Lord rage against the rivers, or was Thine anger against the rivers, or was Thy wrath against the sea, that Thou didst ride on Thy horses, on Thy chariots of salvation?"

"Rage against the rivers": "'Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers or the sea (the Nile, Red Sea, Jordan, Kishon or others), when He demonstrated His power by using them?

The implied answer is No; they were instruments of His wrath against the wicked" (Hailey p. 291). "God is not displeased with nature. He was using nature as a tool to demonstrate His power... God had exhibited His power by smiting the Nile River (Ex. 7:20-21), the Red Sea (Ex. 14:15-28) and the Jordan River (Josh. 3:14-17)" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1519).

"Didst ride on Thy horses": God is pictured at the leader of a mighty host. Observe the phrase, "chariots of salvation". Such judgments in the past, as the plagues upon Egypt were for the salvation of the faithful. When God must decree a physical judgment, we need to remember that God is also attempting to bring about the deliverance and salvation of those who chose to love and obey Him. Here we are again reminded of the value of the soul. God is willing to cause great upheavals in the environment to bring about repentance and deliverance (Matthew 16:26). Remember the flood! God doesn't place the physical creation as being more important than spiritual values.

3:9 "Thy bow was made bare, the rods of chastisement were sworn. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers."

"Bow was made bare": that is, God had pulled His bow from its sheath and was ready to engage in battle. "Rods of chastisement were sworn": A difficult verse to translate, compare with the KJV "according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word". One

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commentator noted one hundred different interpretations of this phrase. Hailey takes this statement as referring to God's oath to the twelve tribes that He would render vengeance to His adversaries (Deut. 32:40-42). "Selah": Once again the reader is to pause and seriously reflect upon what has been said. "Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers": This is another demonstration of God's power is seen in the way He creases the earth's surface with rivers.

3:10 "The mountains saw Thee and quaked; the downpour of waters swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice, it lifted high its hands."

Mount Sinai had quaked when God appeared to Moses (Ex. 19: 18; Psalm 114:4, 6-7).

"God's power can cause tremendous upheaval in nature! The Red Sea and the Jordan River had both responded to God's command (cf. Psalm 77:16,19; 114:3,5)" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1520). The 'hands' of the deep are the waves of the oceans. And even powerful floods or swollen rivers recognize and obey the power of God. 3:11 "Sun and moon stood in their places; They went away at the light of Thine arrows, at the radiance of Thy gleaming spear."

The "arrows" of God may refer to lightning (Psalm 18:14). "All obey Him: sun, moon, stars, mountains, storms, and rivers...'The sun and the moon stood still' looks back to the valley of Aijalon and Joshua's battle of the long day when God responded to his cry for additional time" (Hailey p. 292). "In His wrath God often used and controlled the forces of nature" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1520).

Even planets and heavenly bodies beyond this earth as subject to God's will and power.

3:12 "In indignation Thou didst march through the earth; in anger Thou didst trample the nations."

"Habakkuk envisioned God as being like a thundering giant who strode through the earth. God was hardly 'tip-toeing through the tulips'...He had threshed the nations. As an ox treads the grain to beat out and crush the chaff, so God marched across the earth to crush sinful people and bring salvation to Israel" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1520). God had done this in the past and God would do it again.

3:13 "Thou didst go forth for the salvation of Thy people, For the salvation of Thine anointed. Thou didst strike the head of the house of the evil to lay him open from thigh to neck."

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"For the salvation of Thy people": "In all of God's actions there is purpose; never does He act out of caprice or whim...Judgment against one may be salvation for another" (Hailey p. 293). "Salvation of Thine anointed": Possibly a reference to the Messiah. "God is working out His purpose in history. Through the remnant protected and saved He would bring the Anointed One of His eternal plan. The prophets never lose sight of this central theme of prophecy" (Hailey p. 293). By punishing Judah God is ensuring that the nation doesn't go into all out apostasy and become so intermingled with the other nations that the Messiah cannot be born of Jewish lineage. "From thigh to neck": "You crushed the head of the wicked and laid bare his bones from head to toe" (Tay).

That is, God completely destroys the whole house of the wicked, from top to bottom.

"The figure in the Hebrew is that of a building from which the gable is ripped off and then the entire structure demolished, so that the foundations are laid bare" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p.

1520). "Selah": "Stop and calmly think of that!" (Amp) 3:14 "Thou didst pierce 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."

"Pierce with his own spears the head of his throngs": "This had been exemplified many times in history when nations had fallen out and fought among themselves‌The Medes had combined forces with the Chaldeans to attack and destroy Nineveh.

Jehovah would turn the Medes against the Chaldeans to destroy them (Jeremiah 51 : 11 ,28), thus piecing the heads of his warriors with his own staves" (Hailey pp. 293-294).

"They stormed in to scatter us": Like a whirlwind, the Chaldeans were coming against Habakkuk and his people. "Oppressed in secret": "To devour their wretched victims in secret" (NEB). "They exult in acting the part of robbers and murderers, who lurk for the defenseless and afflict the poor" (P.P. Comm. p. 55).

3:15 "Thou didst tread on the sea with Thy horses, on the surge of many waters."

The rejoicing of the Chaldeans was premature. God is pictured as splashing through the sea, coming to the rescue (3:8).

The Faith of a Righteous Man "Obviously anyone who witnessed this amazing display of God's power would be left in awe. Habakkuk was no exception. He had asked for a show of God's might (3:2). Little did he realize what a display it would be" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1521).

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3:16 "I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us."

"I tremble when I hear all this; my lips quiver with fear" (Tay). The first thing we note---is that Habakkuk was a human being just like the rest of us. He was extremely afraid of the message that God had revealed through him. He didn't like pain or suffering any more than any other person. Like anyone who is afraid, his stomach was probably doing cartwheels, he could hardly speak, he could hardly stand and he was shaking. Note that it is okay to be afraid, when such fear is also combined with faith. In spite of his trembling, he will "wait quietly" for the Chaldeans to come and invade the land. Faith does not mean that you act like a person with no feelings, rather living by faith means that you never let fear move you to abandon God or act like an unbeliever.

3:17 "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, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls," "Habakkuk outlined the worst possible consequences: complete failure of crops (figs, grapes, olives and grain-on which the nation depended for food) and total loss of sheep and cattle. Even in the midst of absolute ruin and abject famine (which came when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem)...the prophet was prepared to trust God. He realized that inner peace did not depend on outward prosperity" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1521). Like the Assyrians and Egyptians, the Chaldeans cut down and burnt the fruit bearing trees of the countries which they invaded.

Imagine seeing everything that you have worked for going completely up in smoke! Imagine the despair that could easily set in. Imagine the feeling of hopelessness. How much meaning would your life have if you lost everything?

This is what Habakkuk is facing. Briscoe writes, "In modern language he would be saying: 'Though my job goes and my health fails, and the forces of evil seem to have things their own way; and even though the economy doesn't work the way I want it to, and the election doesn't work out the way I hope, and I'm not appreciated among my friends, and everything goes wrong, I won't pull the plug on you Lord. I won't resent you...1won't stop rejoicing in you'"(p.128). I believe that Paul echoed a similar sentiment in Romans 8:35-39. And here is

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how one writer summed up those words:Habakkuk is describing a situation far beyond losing your job, being unable to afford the latest fashions or having to cut down on eating out. He is describing how bad life can really get. Total and complete devastation.

3:18 "Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation," Far from enduring and merely tolerating such circumstances, this man will continue to rejoice in his relationship with God. "Far too many people keep trying to buy joy, but happiness is not found in circumstances" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1521). And such is true of many Christians. Too many of us need something external to make us happy or give meaning to our lives. How many of us could find happiness in a circumstance in which we have lost all our possessions, all our social standing, and that there is nothing physically productive for us to presently do? This man simply rejoiced in the relationship he had with God. Which is more important to us, God---or possessions, status, earthly accomplishments, hobbies, social gatherings, entertainment, leisure time, etc..? The sad fact is that some of us have all of the above---and still aren't happy.

3:19 "The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hind's feet, and makes me walk on my high places."

Such confidence is no secret. Habakkuk had put his eggs in one basket, and that basket was a relationship with God. If everything else failed (and it did) he still had the most important thing in life, he was still a blessed man. With such faith, Habakkuk was like a surefooted deer, "swift and sure as the deer of the forests and mountains" (Hailey p.

295). "Much as a deer can quickly bound through a dark forest, so the prophet said he could move joyfully through difficult circumstances....Not only would he bound through trials; he would also climb to the mountaintops of victory and triumph (Deut.

32: 13; 2 Samuel 22:34; Psalm 18:33)" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1522). Do you want to walk on high places? While the world is in turmoil, do you want to live on another level? Do you earnestly long for a happiness which isn't tied to outward circumstances? (1 John 5:4).

"For the choir director, on my stringed instruments."

These closing comments refer to the use of this section in worship. "The prophet appointed his psalm for use in public worship accompanied by players with stringed instruments" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1522).

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