Major Messages from the Minor Prophets: A Singing Faith — Habakkuk

Habakkuk started out wrestling with God and ended up worshiping Him. The prophet is clearly distressed in chapter one. He has looked at the nation of Judah and complains to God over the unchecked sin of his country. Why doesn’t God do something? As we read through chapter one, Habakkuk is amazed at God’s disclosure that He had already prepared an instrument to judge Judah, namely, Babylon. Habakkuk was shocked. In a second complaint, he expresses his dismay that God is going to use a nation much more wicked than Judah to judge His people. God’s second response comes in chapter two in the form of a dirge, or taunt-song, that Habakkuk was instructed to record. Learning of God’s just plan to destroy Babylon, Habakkuk bows in humble adoration. A majestic prayer and hymn of praise follows in chapter three.

This prayer in chapter 3, is one of the finest in the Bible. It is a pinnacle of praise. It is a prophet’s mountain top destination that follows a journey that began in the valley of distress and doubt of chapter one. Let’s look this evening at the Habakkuk’s Prayer of Praise to God for His power and involvement in the world.

His song of faith is characterized by three responses: Reverence, Review, and Rejoicing

I. THE PROPHET’S FIRST RESPONSE WAS TO REVERE GOD AND HIS WAYS

“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.” (Habakkuk 3:1–2, ESV)

1. Habakkuk has really struggled with the problem of evil in the land

a. he has accused God of not caring, and not hearing his prayer of lament

b. when God does answer, the Prophet is flabbergasted at how God plans on dealing with sin among His people

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.” (Habakkuk 1:5–6, ESV)

c. it’s not necessarily what he wants to hear, but he recognizes God’s sovereignty and submits to it

2. once the Prophet has acknowledged God’s sovereignty over His people the prophet begins to sing a hymn of faith

a. he revere’s God in a psalm

1) the word Shigionoth is a bit of a mystery to Hebrew scholars — they are fairly sure it’s a musical term

2) it might refer to a musical instrument or perhaps a name of a tune or even the author of the tune

b. in vs. 19 we’re told that Habakkuk’s psalm is to be accompanied by stringed instruments

3. as he breaks forth in song, what does the prophet revere?

A. HABAKKUK REVERES A GOD AT WORK

“ ... O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD ... ”

1. the prophet approaches God in a spirit of reverential awe

a. the report Habakkuk refers is that of God’s greatness exhibited by his past mighty deeds

1) Yahweh is a God who’s fame constantly precedes Him

ILLUS. In the Book of Joshua, we read the story of Joshua sending spies into the Promised Land to spy out Jericho’s defenses. They end up in Rahab’s place of business, and she hides them, telling them that they’ve “heard the stories” of how Yahweh has fought for them. “and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9–11, ESV)

2. Habakkuk is praising God for His wonderful deeds, particularly those associated with Israel’s preservation and deliverance during the Exodus period

a. the prophet did not experience these events first-hand, but he’s heard the report

ILLUS. if George Beverly Shea had been around 2,500 years ago, I’m sure Habakkuk would have broken out in a rendition of How Great Thou Art.

3. he then asks God to do it again

" ... In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”

a. the Prophet implores God to once more deliver Israel

1) he has heard of God’s great deeds among His people in the past, now he longs to see with his own eyes God do great things again, even if it means the discipline that comes with a Babylonian invasion

B. HABAKKUK REVERES A GOD OF MERCY

1. the Prophet knows that God is going to judge Judah for the nation’s sins and evil, but he asks God to temper that judgement with mercy — in wrath remember mercy

2. Habakkuk understands that God is going to judge His people, but he also knows that God is merciful

“ ... “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” (Exodus 34:6, ESV)

3. The Prophet’s First Response Was to Revere God and His Ways

II. THE PROPHET’S SECOND RESPONSE WAS TO REVIEW GOD’S WAYS

“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 3:3–16, ESV)

1. this part of Habakkuk’s song is a brief review of Israel’s history

a. if his song has a refrain, it’s Remember

1) whenever you get discouraged, remember what God has done

2) whenever the circumstances of life change, remember that God does not

2. in these verses the Prophet sings about God’s glory and God’s deliverance

A. GOD’S GLORY

1. in vs. 3 the prophet reviews God’s glory that has been manifested on earth in the experience of His people

a. Teman was a desert oasis in southern Palestine and is here used as a poetic parallel for the entire land of Edom

b. Mt. Paran refers to the area just east of Mt. Sinai and is often called the Wilderness of Paran

1) Moses called it a “great and terrible wilderness” (Dt 1:19)

c. taken together this swath of geography that Habakkuk refers to is the area the Israelites spent 38 of their 40 years of “wandering

2. it is in this area that God did many miracles on behalf of his people, and began to form them into a nation of people

a. Habakkuk is essentially saying that from our Exodus from Egypt until our entrance into the Promised Land, the God of glory came down and was with His people

b. during this time His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise

c. then there is a musical break or rest ... it is the word Selah

3. vs. 4-9 begin the second stanza in Habakkuk’s psalm, and refers to the effects of God’s precedence among His people

a. he begins by telling us that all of creation reflects God’s splendor and His radiance

1) the Prophet perceives God as illuminating the world

2) just as rays of light streak across the morning sky, and can blind us to what lies ahead, so rays flash from God’s hands and, by their brilliance, actually blinds us to His power and person

b. the Prophet is, in a poetic way, reminding himself that the same sun that gives us warmth and light, is the same sun that can scorch us is we come to close

1) the revelation of God is always restrained lest it consume His beholders

c. in vs. 5 God is also uses His power on behalf of His people to lead them out of Egypt — Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.

1) God strikes down His enemies with plagues like He did with the 10 Plagues of Egypt, and like He will do again in the End Times according to Revelation

d. in vs. 6 God uses His power on behalf of His people to lead them into the Promised Land — He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the

e. in vs. 7-9 begin the God is about to express His wrath and pour out judgment

4. vs. 10-13 begin the third stanza of Habakkuk’s psalm

a. it continues the theme them of God’s wrath and judgement

B. GOD’S DELIVERANCE

1. God’s power, and God’s wrath against the nations was all about delivering His people from their bondage, vs. 13 “You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one ... “

2. as the Prophet sings in this passage we hear allusions to the plagues and the Israel’s deliverance from Egypt ... the parting of the Red Sea ... the Shekinah Glory at Sinai ... Joshua’s battle with the Amorites

3. how does Habakkuk respond to a review of God’s power and God’s ways?

a. I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me

4. God is going to answer Habakkuk’s prayer for deliverance even though it will come in a way that horrifies him — “ ... Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us."

III. THE PROPHET'S THIRD RESPONSE WAS TO RISE UP

“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 hinds’ feet; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17–19, ESV)

1. no matter how bleak things look — and they look pretty bleak to Habakkuk vs. 17 — the Prophet chooses to rejoice in the God who is above it all

2. Habakkuk will rejoice in the Lord, and he will take joy in the God of my salvation, because God, the Lord, is his strength

3. this faith will take him to spiritual high places

IV. APPLICATION

1. So…how do we apply this prophetic writing of Habakkuk?

A. Wait on God Even When You Don’t Understand Him

1. life doesn’t always turn out as we had hoped and imagined

a. it often turns out much different and much sadder

2. when those times come, it is time to wait on God

B. Have Confidence in God, for in His Sovereign Judgment, He Is Merciful

1. Paul writes in Romans: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

2. God wants us to be looking, listening and understanding what He is doing

a. He wants us having the confidence that He is ultimately working for our good, even though that for a time, we may be hurting

ILLUS. Many of us know the story of Joni Eareckson Tada who was paralyzed in a swimming accident and became a quadriplegic. She writes: Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, "Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!" Several women around her nodded. "How do you do it?" she asked as she capped her lipstick. "I don’t do it," I said. "In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?" "This is an average day, After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up. "While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ’Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’" "So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?" one of them asked. "I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so," I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, "whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning." I have learned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be.

3. this is what God has for us…joy…even joy that is hard to obtain

C. Rejoice in the God Who Calls Us His Possession

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (I Peter 2:9-10)

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