Habakkuk 3

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. Habakkuk 3:1

When we come to this final chapter, we come to a prayer and to a fine piece of Hebrew poetry. The scholar S. R. Driver says, “For sublimity of poetic conception and splendor of diction, this chapter ranks with the finest which Hebrew poetry has produced.” [1] J. E. McFayden adds: “This writer has entered into the innermost secret of spiritual religion and has bequeathed to us one of the most precious words in the Old Testament.” [2] This last chapter is indeed a prayer (t’pilla), a poem, and also a theophany. Wiersbe notes that Habakkuk is now praying to the Lord rather than arguing with the Lord. He ends by offering praise to the Lord. [3]

In this verse, we encounter the Hebrew word shigionoth. The Baptist scholar Bob Utley says, “It is a musical term; the exact meaning is uncertain.” [4] We see a number of these different musical terms in the Psalms. There is sheminith (Psa. 6:1), shiggaion (Psa. 7:1), gittith (Psa. 8:1), and sheminith again in Psa. 12:1. These words were obviously musical notations of some sort. Today, we can but guess at their exact meanings.

“LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (3:2). Wiersbe gives a quick summary of this last chapter. He says, “When Habakkuk started his book, he was ‘down in the valley’ wrestling with the will of God. Then he climbed higher and stood on the watchtower, waiting for God to reply. After hearing God’s Word and seeing God’s glory, he became like a deer bounding confidently on the mountain heights (3:19)! His circumstances hadn’t changed, but he had changed, and now he was walking by faith instead of sight.” [5]

Obviously, something has really changed for the prophet. He now has a grip on the greatness of God. He now has a vision of the Lord’s majestic work in all the world and in all of holy history. His request now is that God “do it again” in his own day. At that time, Judah certainly deserved wrath, but the prophet asks for mercy. Wiersbe comments again: “What took Habakkuk from the valley to the summit? The same spiritual disciplines that can take us there: prayer, vision, and faith. Habakkuk interceded for God’s work (vv. 1-2), pondered God’s ways (vv. 3:15), and affirmed God’s will (vv. 16-19).” [6]

A Picture Of The Past And That Which Is To Come

God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. Habakkuk 3:3

Somehow, the Lord had revealed to the prophet his great acts in history. God apparently reminded the prophet of his mighty deeds in the Exodus from Egypt. Mount Paran is the desert area south of the Promised Land. Paran may be associated with Sinai. Pett feels that Mount Paran may even be another name for Sinai. [7] Wiersbe agrees, saying, “According to some scholars, Mount Paran is another name for the entire Sinai Peninsula or for Mount Sinai itself (Deut. 33:2).” [8] Anyway, this is the picture of the Mighty God coming from the southlands and leading his people to freedom. That journey was full of signs, wonders, glory, and praise of God.

Teman was the southernmost large city of the country of Edom. Of course, Edom was the heritage of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. God led his people to their door seeking passage, but Edom would not receive them. God could have ended Edom’s history with a large puff of smoke, but he turned away in peace. Through the ages, the Edomites hated Israel. Even when Jerusalem was destroyed, the Edomites came over to cheer and help in the conquest (Obad. 1:11-14).

We must tie this picture in Habakkuk with the book of Obadiah and with the last-day judgment. There is a strange passage in the Bible that regards the Second Coming of Jesus. The passage almost defies explanation.

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.” Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. It was for me the day of vengeance; the year for me to redeem had come. I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm achieved salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me. I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground” (Isa. 63:1-6).

In Revelation 19:11-13, we see this same picture in our New Testament: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.”

Quite simply, the picture in Habakkuk must reflect the end of times and the coming of Jesus. He is coming from Edom, and he is coming after working a terrible and bloody judgment upon that land, and apparently upon all the antisemites of the Middle East who have hated him and his people for centuries. Verse three ends with the Hebrew word Selah. This is another musical notation. Clarke says, “This word is not well known; probably it means a pause or alteration in the music.” [9]

“His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps” (3:4-5). Again, this seems to be a picture of the Mighty God leading his people out of Egypt. We see that rays flashed from his hands. The Hebrew word is “horns” ( karnayim ) that were coming from his hands. In the Bible, the horn is usually a picture of power, so we get the picture of powerful light coming from him. Utley explains that the horns are translated “rays” because of the context. [10] We see this whole scene of majesty and power repeated for us in Deuteronomy 33:1ff. Coffman says, “Throughout this whole passage, there is the recollection of God’s wonders manifested in the delivery of Israel from Egypt.” [11]

Habakkuk even remembers the plagues that fell upon disobedient Israel during the time of Exodus. Some of these are listed in Numbers 11:1, 33; 14:37; and 16:35, 46. Of course, great plagues fell upon Israel’s enemies. The mighty nation of Egypt was almost plagued out of existence until it let the people of Israel go.

“He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed – but he marches on forever” (3:6). Coffman says, “God’s standing and measuring the earth appears to be a reference to the deliberate purpose and full intention before the event to remove the Canaanites and settle Israel in their place.” [12] We know from Deuteronomy 7:1 that there were seven major Canaanite nations to be conquered. Many other nations along the route were terrified of Israel. We see this particularly with the Midianites who allied with the Moabites against Israel (Num. 21:1ff.).

“I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish” (3:7). Guthrie explains that “Cushan was a Midianite or Arabian tribe.” [13] Pfeiffer and Harrison state: “It is commonly assumed that Cushan is Ethiopia. It is, however, more logical to suppose that Cushan was a part of the territory over which the Midianites roamed, and that it was from here that Zipporah, Moses’ wife, who is called a Cushite, came.” [14] These desert tribes were very much distressed at the sight of Israel coming close to their areas. Coffman adds: The entire Exodus history of Israel continues to appear in these fervent references by Habakkuk; and this no doubt accounts for the chapter’s being incorporated into the public worship going on in Israel.” [15]

“Were you angry with the rivers, LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory?” (3:8). The Egyptians came towards Israel with the mightiest army in the ancient world. They came with many horses and chariots, but “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary” (Psa. 68:17). Israel passed through the Red Sea (Reed Sea), while Pharaoh’s great army was destroyed by the waves. Later, the Jordan River was opened even at flood stage, and God’s people walked through on dry land.

“You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers” ( 3:9). Utley comments: “This describes how bows were stored in leather cases and had to be removed for use (see the same imagery with the sword at Isa. 22:6).” [16] Splitting the earth with rivers could be yet another description of the Israelites crossing of the Jordan River on dry land.

“The mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high” (3:10). The disruption of mountains could well be speaking of Mount Sinai itself. “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently” (Exod. 19:18). Judges 5:5 also speaks of the mountains in turmoil: “The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” God will shake the high places in the last days. Hebrews 12:26 says, “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’” It is clear in Revelation that mountains and seas will be greatly affected by the Lord’s coming.

“Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear” (3:11). This is obviously a reference to what may have been the greatest galactic display in the history of humankind. At Joshua’s request, the sun and moon stood still in the heavens while he and his army finished off Israel’s enemies (Josh. 10:9-14). God’s flying arrows are probably the lightning as we see in Psalm 18:14: “He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.” Habakkuk saw all creation convulse with birth pangs as a new millennial age was born.” [17]

“In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations” (3:12). While this is a picture of the nations of Canaan being trampled, it is also a picture of the end days when God’s armies shall annihilate millions of his enemies. [18]

“You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding” (3:13-14). While this could refer to Pharaoh’s defeat, it seems to peer into the future to the final battles of Earth. Phillips sees this as the great end-time battle with the Antichrist. [19] This is spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.” Phillips continues…“By adding ‘Selah’ (for the third and last time), Habakkuk was saying, There! What do you think of that?” [20]

“You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters” (3:15). This could be a reference to the splitting of the Red Sea. Such an event had not been seen in all of history. That splitting is only a dim picture of the oceanic turbulence when the Lord Jesus appears. We are told that some of the seas will turn to blood (Rev. 16:3). Some seas will cease to exist (Rev. 21:1).

The Prophet At Peace

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Habakkuk. 3:16

Though his heart was pounding and his legs were trembling, he now had peace regarding the day of calamity that would come. Our hearts may pound a bit as we consider the Day of the Lord that is coming upon the earth. God is in charge. The wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be rewarded.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:17-18). “Though the enemy come in and destroy the fig tree, the vines, the olive trees, mar the fields, and carry off the flock from the fold and herd from the stalls, yet Habakkuk will rejoice in the Lord and joy in the god of his salvation…This is one of the most forceful manifestations of faith’s power recorded in the Bible…” [21] Of course, the invading troops would live off the land, and on many occasions they would destroy the trees and crops. Frederick Brotherton Meyer, beloved English Bible scholar, says, “Indeed, the divine Savior and Friend is often more apparent when the fields and the farmsteads are bare.” [22] When we look at Revelation chapter 6 and other end-time passages, we have to realize that there will be many famines and plagues in that time. We must still rejoice just as Habakkuk did because our Lord will provide even in bad times.

Boice thinks that these words are some of the most moving ones in the Bible. [23] I remember that back in the Charismatic years we used to sing verses 17-18 and rejoice together in its truth. It is too bad that the church has mostly quit singing Scripture songs. After a half century, the truth of those songs still brings comfort to the soul.

“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments” (3:19). Faussett says, “Habakkuk has here before his mind Psalms 18:33; Psalms 18:34; Deuteronomy 32:13. ‘Hinds’ (gazelles) feet’ imply the swiftness with which God enables him (the prophet and his people) to escape from his enemies, and return to his native land.” [24]

The Book of Habakkuk closes with a musical inscription indicating that these words were evidently intended for the great Temple choirs. May we keep singing them.

Footnotes

1. Quoted in Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 771.

2. Quoted in Coffman, Commentary on Habakkuk, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Int.

3. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1476.

4. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Habakkuk, v. 3:1.

5. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1476.

6. Ibid.

7. Pett, Commentary on the Prophecy of Habakkuk, vs. 3:3-4.

8. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1 477.

9. Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Habakkuk, v. 3:3.

10. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Habakkuk, v. 3:4.

11. Coffman, Commentary on Habakkuk, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 3:5.

12. Ibid., v. 3:6.

13. Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 221.

14. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 880.

15. Coffman, Commentary on Habakkuk, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 3:7.

16. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Habakkuk, v. 3:9.

17. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 219.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 220.

22. Frederick Brotherton Meyer, Through the Bible Commentary, Commentary on Habakkuk 3, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/habakkuk-3.html. 1914. vs. 3:1-19.

23. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 432.

24. Fausset, et. al. Commentary Critical, v. 3:19.