Habakkuk 3 - Access to Hope

“Time flies when you’re having fun” and “A watched pot never boils.” You’ve heard these sayings. They remind us that time doesn’t always feel the same.

Scientists have studied the relationship in the human mind between time and emotional factors. So, when we’re under emotional distress, time seems to go by much slower, but when we’re stress-free emotionally, time passes at a fast rate.

Troubles seem to consume your attention, don’t they? To an extent, it’s how we survive. We focus on a problem, and sometimes, we can get it resolved. But many times, we do everything we can, yet very little appears to change. And while trouble remains, time seems to drag on, doesn’t it?

It’s understandable for you to be focused on the difficulty of the moment, but what does that focus produce in your heart and mind? Worry, fear, doubt, anger, resentment, hopelessness, or some kind of idolatry of the heart? Perhaps the sin you confessed earlier. Sooner or later, our focus on our troubles leads us to sin.

It’s a trap, and we’re all subject to it.

But Christ came into the world to free us from that trap. You face trials at this very moment that may consume your focus. But Christ was born. He is our access to the hope that lifts us above our troubles. He’s our access to the hope of Habakkuk described here in chapter 3.

What was Habakkuk’s hope? Well, Habakkuk had hope that Yahweh would remember His great mercy toward His people, demonstrate His great power for them, and bestow His great joy upon them. And in Christ, we have that hope as well. Christ was born so that God’s mercy, power, and joy could be our hope. And like Habakkuk and the OT people of God, we must remind ourselves and each other of this. Habakkuk created a song to do that. And we’re going to look closely at his song.

Notice verse [1] again. “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.” “Shigionoth” and “Selah” are thought to be musical terms. Various features of this prayer are comparable to the OT Psalms, which were the songbook of God’s people. So, chapter 3 was used in worship. They most likely sang it. I reformatted it to fit in the WG, but it’s formatted as a psalm. That’s how it was written. And look down verse 19, “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” More evidence that this was an ancient hymn.

Now see verse [2], Habakkuk begins, “O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear.” This is the invocation, like our prayer of invocation before our first song in worship. Habakkuk expresses that he’s heard about Yahweh’s character and ways. He’s heard about how God dealt with Moses and the Israelites long ago. But now, in light of all God has shown him in this oracle – in this vision – he calls out to God to please, please act on behalf of His people again.

Habakkuk writes, “In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk had stood before the LORD and received the vision in chapters 1 and 2. We read his complaints to God on behalf of himself and God’s faithful ones, and then we saw God’s shocking replies concerning both Judah and Babylon.

So now he asks God to sustain them “in the midst of the years” – in the time of their tribulation, the time the Babylonians conquer Judah until the time the Babylonians are conquered with reciprocal justice. He says “revive” Your great and gracious power again, oh God. “Show us mercy even as wrath comes.” Show us grace, help us, carry us. Strengthen us to endure and even rejoice as we walk through this trial.

Hasn’t this always been the cry and the song of the people of God? Yes, it has. Because of God’s covenant promise, Habakkuk had hope that Yahweh would again remember His great mercy. And if you have Christ, then you have the covenant promises of God, and therefore Habakkuk’s hope is your hope, and His song is your song.

When we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we celebrate God’s mercy in the midst of lives affected by God’s judgment against sin. What is the source of all this trouble in the world? It’s the corruption of sin. Not only are the wicked touched by the corruption. The redeemed are touched by it, too. But even in the midst of it, God is merciful to us. He lifts us up. Christmas is a celebration of that, but we must celebrate it all year long.

Now, verses 3-15 are the song. They look back on Yahweh’s works in the past. Habakkuk recalls different times that God appeared through supernatural deeds. Verse [3], “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.” This pictures Yahweh coming to Mt. Sinai to lead the Israelites to the promised land. “Teman and Mt. Paran” are specific locations that refer to the wilderness journey. God’s people wandered for a time in the wilderness, led by God. And during that time, God acted like a divine warrior on a march into battle.

Elsewhere in the OT, God is described as a warrior coming to His people’s aid, leading His people to the land. “His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” [4] His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.” God’s holy presence was often manifested by light – light so bright that it had to be veiled. It was the glorious presence of the one true God.

Verse [5] Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels. These refer to the curses for disobedience outlined by Moses in Deuteronomy 21. The Israelites were warned of these curses for covenant breaking. They had been warned for ages, in fact. So, they knew who God was, so to speak. Habakkuk learns that now these covenant curses will be fulfilled. God will show His wrathful side to His chosen people.

Verse [6] “He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.” Mt. Sinai was a theophany; in other words, His presence was made visible. Exodus 20 says that at Sinai, “when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” They feared God.

Verse [7] “I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.” This refers to the enemies of Israel during those former times. There were groups who invaded Israel and sought to oppress God’s people. Those groups were eventually subject to God’s judgment. What would play out for the southern kingdom of Judah would be like that.

Verse [8] “Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea.” Yahweh struck the Nile and the Jordan River. He struck the Red Sea. “when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?” Like a powerful warrior with horse and chariot – with His great power. This is poetic language that mirrors many of the psalms.

Verse [9] “You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers.” When God did powerful works of the past, He acted with full force. He meant business. The bow was taken all the way out. The sword was drawn completely, ready to wield.

Verse [10] “The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. [11] The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear.” This is a reference to Joshua 10. God controls the whole cosmos. With poetic language, Habakkuk exalts God’s sovereignty over nature. Yahweh is the Power of all powers! He is Him! Truly, one of one. And He exercised His power not only over nature, but over history.

Verse [12], “You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. [13] You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. [14] You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. [15] You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.” God delivered justice again and again for His people. Habakkuk – and all who would sing this song – would look for God to do so once again.

Notice in verse 13 he writes, “You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked.” “Your anointed” calls to mind King David and his royal line that ultimately, according to God’s covenant in 2 Samuel 7, produced an everlasting King. This is King Jesus, descendant of David who sits on the throne forever. Genesis 3:15 was the first glimpse of the Anointed who would crush Satan.

You see, because of the covenant promises and past demonstrations of power, Habakkuk had hope that Yahweh would again demonstrate His great power. And if you have Christ, then you have the covenant promises of God, and therefore Habakkuk’s hope is your hope, and His song is your song.

God soothes us with His mercy and sustains us with His power. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we celebrate God’s power in the midst of a life affected by God’s judgment against sin. Life’s troubles are the result of sin’s corruption, but our God is powerful. He carries us. Christmas is a celebration that Christ conquers all of His and our enemies.

Now verse 16 is the other bookend, along with verse 2, for Habakkuk’s song. He writes, “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.” Habakkuk was told that Judah would fall to a wicked nation. It was devastating news.

Understandably, he was terrified and saddened. It was hardly what he wanted to hear. It wasn’t the future he longed for. But he proclaimed – and song is evidence that as God’s prophet he led the people in proclaiming – “Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.”

This is real trust in the goodness and wisdom of the one true God.

This is a picture of real Christianity.

This is trusting that God will judge wickedness at the proper time.

This is reflecting on who Yahweh is and all He’s done and then relying on His character and His ways when the path is terribly, terribly difficult.

What difficult road has the Lord called you to travel down? Do troubles indicate that you aren’t faithful or that God is not real? Look again at verse 17.

Keep in mind as we read this verse again that wicked people caused these things. A wicked army would invade Judah. Verse [17], “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls.” The agricultural economy of Judah would be devastated. These natural resources would be lost, and therefore, all the luxuries they produced. Palmer Robertson writes, “Habakkuk openly recognizes the coming loss of…luxuries as well as life’s necessities, but believes nonetheless.”

It’s important to note that the whole nation would suffer this – even those like Habakkuk who had remained faithful to Yahweh. But still, the people of God must trust Him, look at verse [18], “yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Yet I will “triumph.” I will triumph in Yahweh. I will celebrate and show great delight in the God of my salvation.

For He has delivered me from sin and death. As bad as the circumstances may be, it would be far worse to be His enemy. It would be far worse to not know God and to not have peace with Him.

Verse [19] “GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk has a very important choice of words here. We normally see “LORD” in all capital letters. When you see that, you know that in Hebrew, the tetragrammaton is used. The Hebrew letters Yod-He-Vav-He, which we transliterate as Y-H-W-H, and with vowels added later, we pronounce “Yahweh.” This is the personal, covenant name of God.

But here, GOD is in all caps, Lord is in small caps. Actually the Hebrew here reads, “Yahweh Adonai is my strength.” “Adonai” is the Hebrew word that means “lord” or “master.” What does this mean? It means that it’s not wealth, success, or prosperity that causes God’s people to triumph. Habakkuk says we will triumph – we will rejoice and take joy – because we are assured that Yahweh is our Master and our Warrior forever.

He is our great wealth, even in poverty.

He is our great health, even in sickness.

Times of trouble do not mean He does not love us. Times of pain do not mean He is not with us and guiding us. Times of sorrow or uncertainty do not mean He is not transforming us. In fact, the opposite is true. That was the hope of Habakkuk.

Yahweh causes us to endure, even though, at times, we may fall apart. He will see us through it all. He will bless us and keep us to the end. Yes, we should depend entirely on Him. We should trust in His ways and plans. But even when we fall short of that – when, under emotional distress, time seems to drag on, and sin is appealing, our gracious God does not turn His back on us. This is the comfort and hope of all who know Jesus Christ.

Christ Himself lifts us above our greatest trouble, which is hostility with God. Romans 5 says, “[6] For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. [10] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. [11] More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Yahweh did remember His mercy, demonstrate His power, and bestow His joy – when He sent Jesus Christ into the world to save His people. And Yahweh will once more remember His mercy, demonstrate His power, and bestow His joy when Christ returns on the Last Day.

Will you trust God with whatever troubles you face today? Will you rely on Him with whatever causes time to seem to move so slowly? You can, but you must have Christ. Or perhaps, to be more theologically accurate, Christ must have you.

Call out to Him today. Reject your sinful ways and cling to Him.

Let’s bow in prayer.