(the exodus) and to the future (deliverance from not allow ourselves to "fall apart." "Rest in the Lord,
Habakkuk 3 son when he married Hagar and fathered Ishmael (Gen. 16), and so did Moses when he tried to deliver the Jews by his own hand (Ex. 2). "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isa. 3:15).
prophet is referring to the various times God had to deliver His people, as recorded in the book of Judges, and the "anointed one" would then be the judges He raised up and used to bring deliverance (Judg. 2:10–19). However, perhaps Habakkuk was looking ahead and describing the deliverance of God's people from the Babylonian captivity. God brought the Medes and Persians to crush Babylon and then to permit the Jews to return to their land (Ezra 1:1–4). The image of God stripping Babylon "from head to foot" (Hab. 3:13 niv) parallels what Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 50— 51. Perhaps Habakkuk was looking both to the past (the exodus) and to the future (deliverance from Babylon) and using the ancient victory to encourage the people to expect a new victory.6
Habakkuk could wait quietly because he knew that God was at work in the world (Hab. 1:5), and he had prayed that God's work would be kept alive and strong (3:2). When you know that God is working in your life, you can afford to wait quietly and let Him have His way. Furthermore, God had commanded him to wait (2:3), and "God's commandments are God's enablements." No matter what we see and no matter how we feel, we must depend on God's promises and not allow ourselves to "fall apart." "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7).
Over the years, I've often leaned on three verses that have helped me wait patiently on the Lord. "Stand still" (Ex. 14:13), "Sit still" (Ruth 3:18), and "Be still" (Ps. 46:10). Whenever we find ourselves getting "churned up" within, we can be sure that we need to stop, pray, and wait on the Lord before we do some stupid thing.
In this hymm, Habakkuk describes his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God of glory who reveals His glory in creation and in history. He is the living God who makes the dead idols of the nations look ridiculous. He is the God of power who can command land and sea, heaven, and earth, and therefore, He is the God of victory who leads His people in triumph.
C.He praises God—3:16–19
"I will rejoice in the Lord" (vv. 17–18). By the time Babylon was through with the land of Judah, there wouldn't be much of value left (2:17). Buildings would be destroyed, treasures would be plundered, and farms and orchards would be devastated. The economy would fall apart and there would be little to sing about. But God would still be on His throne, working out His divine purposes for His people (Rom. 8:28). Habakkuk couldn't rejoice in his circumstances, but he could rejoice in his God!
There is no substitute for good theology, whether in our sermons or in our songs. The shallowness of some contemporary sermons, books, and songs may be the major contributing factor to the weakness of the church and the increase in "religious entertainment" in meetings where we ought to be praising God. The thing that lifted Habakkuk to the mountaintop was his understanding of the greatness of God. We need a return to the kind of worship that focuses on the glory of God and seeks to honor Him alone.7
The prophet's testimony here reminds us of Paul's admonitions to Christians today: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:16–18 nkjv). Habakkuk discovered that God was his strength (Hab. 3:19) and song as well as his salvation (see Isa. 12:1–2; Ex. 15:2; Ps. 118:14); and therefore he had nothing to fear.
Faith: Affirm the Will of God (3:16–19) This is one of the greatest confessions of faith found anywhere in Scripture. Habakkuk has faced the frightening fact that his nation will be invaded by a merciless enemy. The prophet knows that many of the people will go into exile and many will be slain. The land will be ruined, and Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed. Yet he tells God that he will trust Him no matter what happens! Listen to his confession of faith.
It's one thing to "whistle in the dark" and try to bolster our courage, and quite something else to sing about the eternal God who never fails. Though his lips were trembling and his legs were shaking (Hab. 3:16 niv), the prophet burst into song and worshipped his God. What an example for us to follow! It reminds us of our Lord before He went to the cross (Mark 14:26), and Paul and Silas in the Philippian dungeon (Acts 16:19–34). God can give us "songs in the night" (Ps. 42:8; 77:6; Job 35:10) if we'll trust Him and see His greatness.
"I will wait patiently on the Lord" (v. 16). If Habakkuk had depended on his feelings, he would never have made this great confession of faith. If Habakkuk looked ahead, he saw a nation heading for destruction, and that frightened him. When he looked within, he saw himself trembling with fear, and when he looked around, he saw everything in the economy about to fall apart. But when he looked up by faith, he saw God, and all his fears vanished. To walk by faith means to focus on the greatness and glory of God.
"I will rely on the Lord" (Hab. 3:19). If my legs were shaking and my heart pounding, I'd find a safe place to sit down and relax, but Habakkuk began to bound up the mountain like a deer! Because of his faith in the Lord, he was able to stand and be as sure-footed as a deer; he was able to run swiftly and go higher than he'd ever gone before. This is one reason why the Lord permits us to go through trials: they can draw us nearer
One of the marks of faith is a willingness to wait patiently for the Lord to work. "Whoever believes will not act hastily" (Isa. 28:16 nkjv). When we run ahead of God, we get into trouble. Abraham learned that les-
Habakkuk 3 to Him and lift us above the circumstances so that we walk on the heights with Him.
how the psalm was to be sung. Three times in the psalm you find "Selah" (vv. 3, 9, 13), another Hebrew word whose meaning and significance are still a mystery. Some say it marks a pause in the psalm for the reader (or singer and listeners) to ponder what was said. 2 The phrase "in the midst of the years" probably refers to the period between Habakkuk's time and "the appointed time" when the vision would be fulfilled (2:3). Throughout the centuries, God's people have prayed for quickening power so that God's great work will prosper. While the word revival as we think of it wasn't in Habakkuk's mind, the concept is there. See Psalms 44 and 85. 3 Writing about his experience at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:15–21), the apostle Peter points out that the written Word is superior to glorious experiences. Only a few people can have rapturous experiences, but any believer can ponder them in the Word with the Spirit's help. The people who had these great experiences have died, but the Word lives on. The memories of experiences will fade, but the Word remains the same. We now have a completed Bible, so the New Testament sheds light on the experiences of people like Moses, David, and the prophets; and we can see things that perhaps they didn't see. So, instead of saying, "I wish I could have that kind of experience," we should be asking, "Lord, what do You want to teach me from this experience?" 4 These mighty revelations of God in history are called "theophanies," from two Greek words meaning "an appearance of a god." For other examples, see Psalms 18; 68; and 77; and Exodus 15 and 19; and Deuteronomy 33. 5 The KJV has "measured" while the NIV has "shook." It all depends on what root you select, the Hebrew or the Arabic. Perhaps both ideas are included. 6 For other poetic descriptions of Israel's history, see Psalms 44; 68; 74; 78; 80; 83; 89; 105–106; 135; and 136. 7 William Cowper's hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" is based partly on this hymn in Habakkuk 3. 8 G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit (London: Pickering and Inglis, 1970), vol. 6, 153.
God made us for the heights. If He allows us to go into the valley, it's so we might wait on Him and mount up with eagles' wings (Isa. 40:30–31). "He made him to ride on the high places of the earth" (Deut. 32:13). This is what David experienced when he was being chased by his enemies and by Saul: "It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places" (Ps. 18:32–33 nkjv). The great British expositor G. Campbell Morgan said, "Our joy is in proportion to our trust. Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God."8 As the hymn paraphrase of this passage puts it,
Though vine nor fig-tree neither Their wonted fruit shall bear; Though all the fields should wither, Nor flocks nor herds be there; Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice; For while in Him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.
Habakkuk teaches us to face our doubts and questions honestly, take them humbly to the Lord, wait for His Word to teach us, and then worship Him no matter how we feel or what we see.
God doesn't always change the circumstances, but He can change us to meet the circumstances. That's what it means to live by faith.
Notes
1 We don't know what the Hebrew word Shigionoth means. Some scholars trace it to a root that means "to reel to and fro," so perhaps Shigionoth was a musical term that told the people