A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
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.
5 Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.
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.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation?
9 You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows. Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
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.
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. Selah
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.
16 I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord
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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3 ESV
Habakkuk 3
According to the Shigionoth - Given the ending that says, "to the choirmaster: with stringed instruments", this most likely indicates that it is a song, and that Shigionoth is either a type of music, melody, or an instrument, but we are not sure.
I have heard the report of you - He has been able to taste and see that the Lord is good, God has made known His judgments, His righteousness, that He is sovereignly, intimately involved with His creation. He knows that Israel will be punished for their sin, yet God will not overlook the sins of Babylon or any other nation.
…26But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, 27because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD. 28‘Now I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.’ ” So they brought her answer back to the king.… 2 Chronicles 34: 26-28
In the midst of the years revive it - The prophet prays for a revival, and he has probably seen or read of such in the past, but has come to clearly know that this is a work of the Holy Spirit. Men may push for reforms, may develop cultures that honor aspects of morality, especially playing to your audience, learning what to say in certain company, how to dress, etc..., but true revival starts in the heart. When men are truly growing in the faith they are fighting the battle at the level of thought, going at the root, begging for a new heart.
…9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.… Psalm 51: 9-11
…23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23-24
In wrath remember mercy - We know what is coming, and we know that it is deserved and just, yet we know You to be a merciful God as well, and we ask, we plead for mercy. Please, Jehovah, provide us with mercy, sustain us through the trials. You never punish just for the sake of it, Yours is always to a greater purpose.
…31For the Lord will not cast us off forever. 32Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. 33For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.… Lamentations 3: 31-33
His brightness was like the light - The prophet looks back upon the times of God's Shekinah, the manifestations of His glory to the people coming up from Egypt, and also at the dedication of Solomon's temple. God is the true light, bringing everything out of darkness, giving the real illumination that men try so desperately to avoid and exchange for artificial light.
…22But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.… Revelation 21: 22-24
You went out for the salvation of Your people - This reminds us of the rustling of the branches, the cloud by day and fire by night, the angel that removed the Assyrians from Jerusalem. The prophet has moved from questioning to praising the Lord for His goodness and many mercies in the past.
1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. 2The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.… Exodus 15: 1-3
I hear, and my body trembles - There is only One true sovereign to fear, men are so limited in what they can do to us, for this time is but a little while, what is even a thousand years compared to eternity, and so few live to see a hundred.
…119All the wicked on earth You discard like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies. 120My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments. 121I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.… Psalm 119: 119-121
At the sound my lips quivered - The Pulpit Commentary says that "The word rendered “quivered” (tsalal) is applied to the tingling of the ears (1Sa 3:11; 2Ki 21:12), and implies that the prophet’s lips so trembled that he was scarcely able to utter speech.
Decay enters my bones (NET = "My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying") - A figurative description denoting that the strongest part of his body (his bony framework) was weakened by the awesome nature of the overwhelming vision he had just received and recorded. This description suggests that his skeletal frame could not even stabilize him, making him unsteady on his feet. - Precept Austin
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble - He knows God is just, God has said what He will do, and the prophet trusts in God.
Though the fig tree shall not blossom - The prophet describes famine and drought conditions, yet he will praise the Lord. The Lord Jehovah is not his God dependent upon circumstances, but He is the unchanging, everlasting, Holy, Creator of all the universe, regardless of hunger or the moth that corrupts, God is still just and good.
…14Why do I put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands? 15Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face. 16Moreover, this will be my salvation, for no godless man can appear before Him.… Job 13: 14-16
He makes me tread on my high places - He quotes the Psalmist here, and it is still his own thought because it is with understanding and belief.
…32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear. 33He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights. 34He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.… Psalm 18: 32-34
Like hinds' feet - This is simile (term of comparison), which helps us visualize Habakkuk's confidence in God even in the face of overwhelming odds. As an aside, terms of comparison can add wonderful "color" to a passage, but one must be careful to not see these terms as "license" for fanciful imaginative interpretations, because such language while figurative is always meant to convey literal truth! The hind (doe, female dear) was a surefooted animal, able to make its way on high, dangerous terrain. In context, Habakkuk is alluding to the security God gives to those who place their trust in Him (cp Hab 2:4-note). Below are similar descriptions in Dt. 32:13; 33:29. David rejoiced that God had made his feet like a doe's feet in preparation for battle (Ps 18:33 - see Ps 18:34, ). - Precept Austin
Spurgeon comments - Note, that the Lord also gave him sure-footedness. The hinds leap over rock and crag, never missing their foothold. Our Lord will give us grace to follow the most difficult paths of duty without a stumble. He can fit our foot for the crags, so that we shall be at home where apart from God we should perish. One of these days we shall be called to higher places still. Up yonder we shall climb, even to the mount of God, the high places where the shining ones are gathered. Oh, what feet are the feet of faith, by which, following the Hind of the Morning, we shall ascend into the hill of the Lord!
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