Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk has questioned God’s use of the Chaldeans to judge Judah (Hab. 1); God has answered (Hab. 2); now Habakkuk falls in worship with a psalmic-prayer.  This is the form of the Psalms, including the instructions for the type of music to accompany it (Shigionoth, probably lively music according to Feinberg) and the accompanying Selah (v3,9,13) that is used 70 times in the Psalms, probably to call worshipers to special attention.

The prophet begins by recalling his fear, expressed in chapter 1, and then makes his basic request, that God would be merciful in His wrath (v2).  He knows as we should know that based on pure justice, the soul that sins should die, and the nation that rejects her God should be cast out.  But Habakkuk also has basis in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3) and the Song of Moses (Deut. 32) that God will not completely destroy His people.

Hab. 3:3-15 we believe speaks of a future deliverance of Israel that involves the coming of God Himself and is based in previous deliverances such as in the time of the Exodus and crossing of the Red Sea.  Again, Feinberg (p217) makes a case that v3 should read, God comes from Teman rather than God came.  We would maintain this is equivalent to Isa. 63:1-6, a Messianic passage that speaks of His coming from Edom when He comes to the take His stand on the Mount of Olives.  In Hab. 3:3 Teman is the capital city of Edom and Paran is that part of the Negev that is opposite Edom.  

The rest of v3 through v5 speaks of the manner of His coming, with glory and great power in judgment.  Verses 6-7 describe the effect of His coming as the nations tremble.  A further effect in v8-11 is that creation itself trembles.  His coming is accompanied by plagues in creation, a scenario that is given more detail in the plagues of Revelation 6, 8-9 and 15-16.  

In all this the question is raised, why does the LORD come with such power?   The answer is in v12-13.  It is not simply His wrath against the nations; it is the salvation of His people.  It is a deliverance like that when the people entered the land under Joshua (v13-15).  

What is the point of all this as far as Habakkuk is concerned?  Remember that God has said that the prophet must trust in God (2:4).  The predicted deliverance and the reminder of past deliverances are all encouragements to his faith.  He again calls to mind His fear at what is coming (v16) but affirms that no matter what happens and how difficult it is that he will rejoice in the LORD (v17-18).  It will be the LORD who enables him to have such a response.  The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.  This is the place for Habakkuk.  And it is the place for God’s people in all times.  True to His word, He has wrought salvation by His Anointed (3:13).  The just shall live by his faith!

Habakkuk 2

Habakkuk questions the LORD’s use of evil Babylon in judging evil Judah.  He is concerned that there will be nothing left; even more he is concerned God is blessing a nation greater in evil than His own people.  Here is God’s answer.

First the LORD says, it’s going to happen just as I said; I will use Babylon for My purposes.  The one thing that Habakkuk must do is trust the LORD: the just shall live by his faith.  These words are quotes twice in the New Testament.

·        Rom. 1:16-17: Having spoken of the gospel, Paul then says that the righteousness of Christ revealed in the gospel is only accessible by faith because the just shall live by faith.

·        Heb. 10:37-38: The writer here, speaking of the return of Christ, speaks like God does to Habakkuk.  The revelation of Christ will happen; count on it. The just shall live by faith.

It is clear that the life of the righteous is a life of faith; and faith is believing what God said.  We must believe the gospel, trust Jesus’ promise to return, and Judah needed to trust God that judgment by Babylon was coming soon.

Does God have any more to say in answer to Habakkuk’s concerns?  Yes He does!  It comes in a series of five woes pronounced on Babylon.  The fact that God is speaking of evil Babylon and not evil Judah is seen in v5.  Babylon is the one who seeks to enlarge his desires and heap up nations for himself.  But he is a proud man.  Thus …

·        2:6-8: woe to the thief who increases by taking what is not his.  How long?

·        2:9-11: woe to him who covets evil gain for his own house.  This may refer to one’s home or to the idolatrous temple; in Scripture the term is used of both.

·        2:12-14: woe to the bloody or violent man.  The Babylonians will consider what they are doing as their work; but in fact it is God’s work.  Someday all the world will understand what God was doing in His punishment of Israel (Ezek. 39:21-24); at that time all the earth will glorify Him.

·        2:15-17: woe to the immoral man.  This is a description of a phenomenon in our day in the USA.  Finally society is waking up to this kind of immoral behavior that has gone on in corridors of power: Hollywood, Washington DC and many other places.  What we call sexual abuse of women is shameful.

·        2:18-20: woe to the idolatrous man.  This is the bottom line.  Habakkuk had noted this in 1:15-17.  God knows it too.  Men worship their idols but this changes nothing about the LORD.  The LORD is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth keep silence before Him.  

No evil can stand against God.  Certainly not the evil of Judah; and God will judge them by the Babylonians.  Not the evil of Babylon; God will remember them as well.  What evil concerns you today?  It also will not stand!  God is not unaware; He is not remiss; He is patient, however giving time to repent.

Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk has prayed a valid prayer.  How long Lord until you judge the extreme wickedness of Your people?  God is gracious to give an answer.

·        1:5-11: God’s answer to Habakkuk.

o   1:5: God’s answer involves another nation.  And it will be an event that Habakkuk nor any of the people could have imagined.

o   1:6-10: The nation is the Chaldeans, the ancient name for the Babylonians.  What cannot be imagined is how efficient they will be in carrying out God’s judgment.  They are faster, bigger, more ruthless than any before them.  Their military techniques (they heap up earthen mounds) cannot be defended against.  And note, they possess places that are not theirs. 

o   1:11: This is important, but perhaps Habakkuk does not realize its import.  The Babylonians, after they do some conquering as the Lord’s sword will then commit a fatal sin; they will ascribe their successes to their own god!

·        1:12-2:1: Habakkuk contends with God.

o   1:12: There are some things that bother Habakkuk.  He is, in fact, arguing with the Lord.  First he says, we shall not die.  It sounds to Habakkuk like God is sending a sword/nation that will destroy what’s left of the nation.  So note the way the prophet, whose name means embrace, speaks of God.  It is O LORD my God, my Holy One.  He holds tightly to his God.  And then he reminds God that Hs is Rock, a name of God that has its origins in the great Song of Moses (Deut. 32:4,15,18,30,31).  That is the Song God gave to Israel to remind them that He would be faithful to judge their sin, and also that He would be faithful not to destroy them completely. 

o   1:13-14: Another problem Habakkuk has with God is that in using the Babylonians He is really using people more wicked than Judah.  You are of purer eyes than to behold evil; and yet God is saying He will actually bless the Babylonians as they carry out His will.

o   1:15-17: And then there is the issue that God Himself raised.  The Babylonians will worship their god because of their military successes.  The net and dragnet are the means by which they capture the people of Judah; and they sacrifice and burn incense to these.

What we see is that Habakkuk pleads with God based on things he knows about God.  It is true God promised to spare Israel from complete destruction.  It is true God will never allow evil to be triumphant.  Yet see that Habakkuk also trusts God.  The prophet knows God never does wrong; He is, after all, my Holy One.  Thus we see the proper attitude in 2:1: I am waiting to see how God corrects me.  Let us remember this when we contend with God.  Like Job, and like Habakkuk, when we argue with God it is only because we are missing something.  He is ALWAYS righteous; ALL things work together for good to those who trust Him.