Remembering the Works of the Lord.

Pastor Jonathan Hansen

Habakkuk • Sermon • Submitted a month ago • Presented a month ago

Habakkuk 3:1–16

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Handout

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Passage:

This morning we are continuing on in our study of the book of Habakkuk. This morning we are covering the first section of chapter three. We will be in Habakkuk 3:1-16. This passage is a song penned by Habakkuk in response to God’s answers. And it is a very similar song to several of the Psalms and especially to the song of Moses from Exodus 15, which we read together earlier in the service. Habakkuk is recounting the redemptive history of Israel. He is remembering the works of the Lord. Once you have located the text, I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Passage:

Habakkuk 3:1-16

3 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.

Behold, the Word of the Lord, Thanks be to God. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Lord, we commit this time to you. We ask Your blessing upon us. Teach us from your Word, we ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Text Idea:

This is a really complex passage. However, the central theme is clear, but the way Habakkuk expresses it seems at first to be a bit muddled. See, Habakkuk has heard from the Lord that Judah will be judged soon by the God, through the Babylonians. Habakkuk has heard from God that someday in the future, God will judge the Babylonians for their sin. So Habakkuk is now writing a song singing about what God has done in the past and how God will do it again.

That is Habakkuk’s central idea here. He recounts the history of how God has saved and sustained Israel. And his cry is for God to do it once again. In essence, Habakkuk is saying “The Lord delivered us from Egypt and brought us into the promise land, He will do it again.” Habakkuk is resting on God’s covenant promises, even in the midst of coming suffering.

What makes this passage complex is that Habakkuk’s song seems to jump all over Old Testament redemptive history. And some of the lines include multiple ideas. So we are going to be jumping around a bit. But keep that main idea in mind. Habakkuk is resting in God’s covenant promises, and he knows that just as God saved and sustained Israel in the past, God will do it again.

Sermon Idea:

So this morning we are going to break down Habakkuk’s song. We are going to see how Habakkuk is remembering the works of the Lord, and the hope that brings even in times of fear. Here is the central idea this morning:

Remembering the Works of the Lord Gives Us Courage in Terrifying Times.

Transition:

So let’s begin. This passage opens and ends in a very similar way. Habakkuk opens and closes with paired thoughts. So let’s look at Habakkuk’s opening.

Habakkuk’s Opening: I Am Afraid, But I Remember What God Has Done.

Habakkuk 3:1–2“1 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.”

Explanation:

An opening note, we really aren’t sure what that phrase “on Shigionoth” means. It seems to be a form of musical lament or musical form. It is only used twice in the Bible and the other usage is a Psalm. And since this is a song, it seems to pair well with that usage. This is a song composed by Habakkuk under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And it is likely a song so that Israel can sing it and pray it as a constant reminder of God’s promised judgement on their captors while they are in captivity.

But Habakkuk opens by saying he has heard the report of God. What does he mean? He means that he has heard the history of God’s salvation. He remembers hearing how Israel was delivered from Egypt. He remembers how many times God saved them. He remembers hearing how God brought them into the promised land. Habakkuk is saying that he remembers what God has done. He remember’s God’s covenant with Israel. And this is the setting.

This is why Habakkuk asks God to revive it. In short, Habakkuk says “do it again, Lord. Do it in our days. Save us. Crush Babylon as you did our other oppressors.” Habakkuk is afraid. He says here that he fears. Some render this as “I stand in awe.” I think this is possible, but likely not how it should be read. Habakkuk stands in fear of Babylon. He stands in fear of God’s judgement. But a common theme of Scripture is that fearing God more than anything else is the path to wisdom and true hope. Habakkuk is wise. He fears the Lord. So here, He is expressing his fear, not just awe. And this is evidenced by Habakkuk asking God to in the midst of wrath, remember mercy.

So in fear, Habakkuk asks God to show mercy. He knows they deserve wrath. This is a terrifying concept. God has promised to pour out His divine wrath on Judah. But in that, He remembers how God has promised Israel will not be utterly destroyed. So he humbly begs God to in the midst of pouring out His wrath, remember mercy upon the righteous.

Transition:

This is the opening of Habakkuk’s song. I Am Afraid, But I Remember What God Has Done. In fear, He remembers all that God has done to save and sustain Israel. And now, Habakkuk sings of what God has done. So what has God done? First we see Habakkuk speak of God coming on mount Sinai.

God Coming on Mount Sinai.

Habakkuk 3:3–4 “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.”

Explanation:

Due to the poetic language used this may not be completely clear to us. But once we do a little Old Testament digging, Habakkuk’s reference is clearly speaking of Sinai. Listen to Deuteronomy 33:1–2“1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said, “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.”

Mount Paran is a reference to Sinai. And the language used to describe God is similar to the language of God’s coming on Sinai.

Exodus 19:18–20“18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”

He is seen to be bright. His splendor covered the heavens. He veiled His power. How? He covered it with the cloud on the mountain. Habakkuk is clearly referencing God coming to the People on mount Sinai.

Argumentation:

What is significant about this? Why is it that in fear and distress Habakkuk is bringing this memory to mind? Why is this the opening to the song the people are to sing to remind them of God’s works in the past while they are in exile?

Sinai is where God came down and gave the people the Law. But more than this, Sinai is where God established the covenant with the people. He saved them from Egypt. But here is where God declared them to be His people. This is where the people declared God was their God. This was the forging of the covenant bond. God came down to the people, God met there with Moses. God there established the Covenant and the Covenant promises and curses with the whole people. It was the moment the people covenantally became as a whole, the people of God.

They are to remember this. Remember who God is. Remember you belong to Him. In exile remember the covenant. This is what is being said here.

Transition:

But we must keep going. And here is where we get into some of the more challenging parts of this passage. Habakkuk seems to jump around a bit in what he is referencing, and some verses and even words or phrases have overlap. But we can divide this into basically two themes. Habakkuk is remembering what God has done. And from here on out, he is remembering two categories. He is recalling how God delivered Israel from Egypt and the red sea, and he is recalling how God brought them into the promise land.

So let’s look at that first one:

Deliverance From Egypt and the Red Sea.

Habakkuk 3:5, 8, 10, 11-14, 15.

Explanation:

Habakkuk covers God’s deliverance from Egypt and the red sea in verses 5, 8, 10, 11-14, and 15. So lets begin.

He says in Habakkuk 3:5 “5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.”

One instantly thinks of the plagues in Egypt found in Exodus 7-12. God sent plagues on Egypt in order to crush Egypt. Before God went pestilence and plague. Habakkuk is calling the people to remember how God demonstrated His power over the demonic gods of Egypt and even the nation itself to secure freedom for His people and glory for His name.

Next we see verse 8. Habakkuk 3:8“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?” Habakkuk is here speaking about the judgement on the Nile by turning it to blood and the parting of the Red Sea. See, the Egyptians practically worshipped the Nile as a god. God judged this false god by turning it to blood. Spilling the blood of this false God. He also set His wind against the Red Sea and parted it.

But what of the language of God riding on horses and God’s chariots. This is what is commonly called apocalyptic language. Think of language throughout the prophets about the Sun and moon falling. The stars crashing to earth. This is language used to express judgement from God. Same thing with this. The Lord coming is often used in passages of judgement. So God did not literally ride a horse and chariot across the sky to judge Egypt and free Israel. But that is language to say, “God came down and judged these people.” Some examples of this would be Deut 33:26-27. Ps 18:10; 104:3. Is 19:1; 66:15.

But we have to keep moving.

In the end of verse 10 Habakkuk is speaking again of God’s judgement on the water. Habakkuk 3:10 “the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high.” Specifically saying the waters lifting their hands on high is a reference to God splitting the red sea in Exodus 14:21-22.

In verse 15 Habakkuk does this again. Habakkuk 3:15 “15 You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.” Here Habakkuk is remembering How God drown the horses and chariots of Egypt in the sea.

There is more here. Verses 11-14 is speaking of God fighting for Israel. In Exodus 14:14 while Israel is trapped, Moses says this, “14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”” This is in part what Habakkuk is speaking of, but we will cover that more in our next section as this is not the only time God is said to have fought for Israel.

Argumentation:

We can see that Habakkuk is sprinkling in many references to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. God rescued them from bondage. God saved them from Egypt. And we must remember the opening of this song. Habakkuk is remembering what He has heard about God and asking God to do it again. The purpose here is for the people to remember this. Remember God bringing your fathers out of Egypt. Why?

Central Point:

The God who brought us out of Egypt will bring us out of Babylon.

This is the hope. God established His covenant. He keeps His promises. Judah was going to be destroyed and taken into captivity. But they are to remember the promise of God. Judgement would fall on Babylon someday. God would preserve the faithful. God would then bring them back into the promise land. The God who brought us out of Egypt will bring us out of Babylon.

Transition:

But let’s examine that second section we can divide this passage into.

God Bringing Israel Into the Promised Land.

Habakkuk 3:6-7, 9-10, 11, 11-14.

Explanation:

Verses 6-7, 9-10, 11, 11-14 are speaking of God sustaining Israel and bringing them into the promised land. And as you can see, there is overlap here. In prophetic poetry, things can be referencing several things at once.

In Habakkuk 3:6 Habakkuk says this, “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.” What does this mean?

Well, The everlasting hills and eternal mountains is language used in the patriarchal blessings. What are those? Those are the prophetic blessings given by the Patriarchs. Specifically, Jacob, on his deathbed, says this in Genesis 49:26“26 The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.”

Moses also essentially quotes this on his deathbed Deuteronomy 33:15–16“15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills...” pronouncing blessing on the tribe of Joseph. What does it mean?

This is language used in regards to the promised land. God scattered the eternal mountains and brought low the everlasting hills. This is language of bringing even the earth into judgement and submission. God did this and handed it over to Israel as they took the promised land. God crushed the evil who dwelled there and gave it to Israel, specifically the tribe of Joseph, as their inheritance. Habakkuk is calling them to remember this. Remember God crushing those formerly in the promise land and handing over to Israel.

At the very end of verse 9 Habakkuk says “You split the earth with rivers.” Habakkuk is here referencing God miraculously bringing water from the rock to sustain Israel in Exodus 17:1-7. He is reminding the people how God sustained them in the wilderness. You can feel Habakkuk’s meaning. The God who sustained your fathers in their exile, will sustain you.

In verse 11 Habakkuk says “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.” Habbakuk is referencing God’s victory over the Amorites through Joshua in Joshua 10:12–13“12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.”

God fought for Israel and the Sun stood still in the sky. Habakkuk is calling the people to remember this.

In verse 12 Habakkuk uses common prophetic language of God threshing Israel’s enemies like wheat. Listen to Micah 4:12–13“12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.” God judged Israel’s enemies and they were like stalks of wheat before Him. Our enemies are nothing to God. Babylon was nothing to God. Habakkuk is reminding the people that God can thresh Babylon easily, whenever His time is right.

In verse 13 Habakkuk uses more familiar prophetic language of God judging His enemies. He says God will crush their head and lay them bare. This is very similar to another song, Psalm 68:21“21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.”

Argumentation:

Again we see this idea of God fighting for His people. This history is one of God fighting. It is not some history of how amazing the Israelites are. Every one of these references is given to show that God has the victory. God fights for them. God wins, not the people.

The people of God are not to trust in their own strength. Remember, the wicked do that. They are to live by faith. As Psalm 20:7 says “7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” This is the lesson. Israel was not brought into the promise land by their own military prowess or strength. It was all God. So why is Habakkuk reminding them of this? Here is the central point of this section.

Central Point:

The God who brought us into the promise land the first time, will bring us back into the promise land again.

Habakkuk is calling them to remember who sustained them. He is calling the people to remember who brought them into the land in the first place. Trust in the Lord. Live by faith.

Transition:

Bu now lets move into Habakkuk’s closing.

Habakkuk’s Closing: I Am Afraid, I Will Wait for What the Lord Will Do.

Habakkuk 3:16 “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.”

Explanation:

If you recall, Habakkuk opened by saying in essence I Am Afraid, But I Remember What God Has Done. Now Habakkuk is closing with essentially the same thought, except looking ahead not behind. He started by remembering what God had done. He ends by waiting for what the Lord will do.

Habakkuk is still afraid. He is trembling. He says his bones are rotten. Trusting the Lord does not always remove temporal fears. We have no indication from Scripture what happened to Habakkuk. Perhaps he was taken captive. But just as likely he may have been killed. He could have fallen from the sword of the Babylonians. We don’t know. And neither did Habakkuk. He has no guarantee from God that he will live. So he is afraid. But he ends this section by saying he will wait for God to do what God has said. God said He would judge Babylon. So Habakkuk waits. He waits on the Lord.

And we must remember how Habakkuk began the book. Habakkuk began by waiting on God to answer. Now God has answered, and Habakkuk ends by waiting on God’s answer to come.

Transition:

But let us remember Habakkuk’s central point in these verses.

The Lord Who Delivered Us and Brought Us Into the Promise Land Will Do It Again.

Explanation:

This passage is one of hope in the midst of promised pain. Judgement was coming. Babylon is on the way. Death and destruction are knocking on the door. Judah is going to be judged. They will be killed, enslaved, hauled into exile. And in the midst of this promise, God has promised that someday His judgement would fall on Babylon. Judah would come home.

So under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Habakkuk pens this song of hope for the people to sing. Remember what God has done. God delivered them. God crushed the enemies. God brought them into the promised land. God will do it again. God will not break the covenant promises. Judah will be crushed and purified. Judah will be forced to repent. Judah will repent. Judah will be restored. And the Messiah will come from Judah.

Argumentation:

And we know that all this did happen. We know God did exactly as He promised. God kept His covenant. And we can rest in this same hope. God keeps His promises. We live in a wicked and rebellious age. Now we have no promise in Scripture that says our nation will endure. God could crush it and never revive it. But what we do have is the promise that He will preserve His people. The church will never fail. The church will be judged, but it will never die. And we have the promise that if we repent, God will forgive us and restore us.

So thinking of the church, if the church repents He will forgive us. He will restore us. As I look at the church in America, it is easy to lose hope. But we must never lose hope. God is judging the church in America. We are plagued by false teachers. We are ruled by women and children, what Isaiah says is a sign of judgement. (Is 3:12) The church celebrates sin and condemns faithfulness. We are being judged. But if the church repents, we will be forgiven and brought back. And God promises that His church will endure to the end. This is hope. We must remember this song.

Transition:

But there is a question I want to answer. And maybe this question has not crossed your mind yet. But let me ask this. Can we sing this song?

Can we echo this song? What do I mean? Well think of what this song is. This is a war song. This is a song with lyrics of God drowning, crushing, impaling, and utterly destroying His enemies. And the undergirding principle of this song is that it is to be sung asking God to do it again. “God crush our enemies again. Lay waste to them. Make their mountains fall with your rage.” Soon as I say that, you probably see the issue. Can we sing this song? Can we sing the violent songs of Scripture?

Can We Sing the Violent Songs of Scripture?

As the people of God, are we able to sing songs like this? There is an entire genre of Bible songs like this. They are referred to as Imprecatory Psalms. The Bible is full of them. Psalm 3, 5, 7, 17, 28, 35, 40, 55, 59, 70, 71, and more are Psalms of asking God to judge the wicked. And our passage is another one. Habakkuk is asking God to do what He did to the Egyptians to the Babylonians.

When was the last time you heard a modern worship song ask God to crush the enemies of the church like He did the Egyptians or the Babylonians? It’s unheard of. So can we sing these?

Well, here is the short answer. Yes. We not only can, we are commanded to. Let me explain. These are divinely inspired. Our passage today is the divinely inspired song Israel was to sing in their captivity. God did not give a sinful song to His people. Some will say that these songs are only for the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we no longer are allowed to sing these. This is the ancient heresy of Marcionism. Saying God changed in the New Testament. That the Old Testament is incompatible with the New. We are not Marcionite heretics. These songs are good and given by God to His people. This has not changed.

Beyond this, in the New Testament we are commanded to sing the Psalms. And notice there is no place where any of the Psalms are left out. We are to sing even Psalm 3. Psalm 3, where we ask God to break the teeth of our oppressors.

And if you join us for our coming night of prayer, we will be learning Psalm 3. We must recognize that the judgement of God is good. It was good that God judged Judah. It was good that God judged Babylon. It is good that God is judging our nation. The judgement of God is never pleasant. But it is good. If we object to the imprecatory songs in the Bible, we are denying that God’s judgement of sin and wickedness is good. We are actively saying God is wrong to judge. We are actively saying that God’s justice is wrong.

We must recognize that all of Scripture is for us. And that even songs like our passage today is for our good. When the people of God are oppressed, it is right for them to cry out and ask God to judge. It is right for them to cry out to God and beg for justice. The fact this is a radical concept and likely unheard by any of us shows how anemic and unhealthy the church has become. But we must reform. We must learn to righteously ask God to come to our aid and to crush evil. We must sing these Psalms in our day. We must recapture the love for even the Psalms asking God to break the teeth of our oppressors. We must learn again the masculine art of singing divine war songs in the church today. And we as a church will do this.

Transition:

But beyond this, I want us to walk away from this with two other things. First:

Remember What God has Done.

Yes this is a song begging God to judge the Babylonians. But it does this in a certain way. It is a song calling the Israelites to remember what God has done. So we too are to remember what God has done. Remember the mighty works of God. In dark days, in days of pain, remember the God who saved our fathers from Egypt. Remember the God who brought our fathers into the promised land. Remember the God who came and saved us from our sins. Remember the God who has preserved the church through all time. Remember what God has done.

Transition:

Finally:

Wait in Faith For God To Do What He Wills.

May we be like Habakkuk. May we pray. May we remember. May we call for God’s justice on evil. But may we end in patience, waiting on the Lord. He is sovereign He is just. He is righteous. He will act as He sees fit. Wait on the Lord and be of good courage, and again I say wait. Amen. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

Psalm 20:7 “7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Let us now leave trusting in the Lord our God. Let us live in faith. Glory Hallelujah.