Habakkuk 3:2a-Habakkuk Heard of God’s Fame and Stood in Awe of His Deeds
Habakkuk Chapter Three • Sermon • Submitted • 57:08
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Habakkuk 3:2 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. (NIV)
Habakkuk 3:1 The prophet Habakkuk’s prayer in accordance with Shigionoth. 2 Lord, I have heard of your fame. Lord, I stand in awe of your accomplishments. Please would you cause them to be experienced during our lifetime. Please would you cause them to be known during our lifetime. Please would you remember to exercise compassion during our lifetime while exercising righteous indignation. (My translation)
As we noted in our study of Habakkuk 3:1, this verse contains the superscription of the prophet Habakkuk’s prayer he offered up to the Lord God of Israel on behalf of himself and the faithful remnant of Judah, which he directed to be sung in the temple as part of the worship of the Lord God of Israel.
This verse also marks a transition to the fifth major section of the book of Habakkuk, which appears in chapter three, which can be divided into five sections.
The first contains the superscription here in Habakkuk 3:1 while the second is in Habakkuk 3:2, which contains the prophet’s petition to the Lord.
The third appears in Habakkuk 3:3-7, which presents a theophany, while the fourth is found in Habakkuk 3:8-15, which records the Lord’s exploits as a warrior.
Lastly, the fifth is found in Habakkuk 3:16-19, which records Habakkuk’s response of faith to the revelation He received from the Lord which is recorded in this book that bears his name.
We also noted in our study of Habakkuk 3:1 that the noun šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן), “shiggaion” is a type of musical notation indicating the arrangement or the style of the music to be performed accompanying or Habakkuk’s prayer recorded in Habakkuk 3:2-19.
The style of music is unknown and lost to history.
However, the contents of Habakkuk 3:2-19 indicate that Habakkuk’s prayer contains intercession for the faithful remnant of Judah (3:2), worship of the Lord in the form of a vision of the Lord being victorious in battle with His enemies (3:3-15) and an expression of Habakkuk’s faith in the Lord (3:16-19).
We also noted in our study of Habakkuk 3:1 that the noun šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן) is the object of the preposition ʿal (עַל), which means “according to, in accordance with” since the word functions here as a marker of norm indicating the standard or norm to which something is compared and with which it is judged to be in accordance with.
Therefore, this preposition indicates that this noun šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן) is the musical standard or norm to which Habakkuk’s prayer to the Lord is compared and with which this prayer is judged to be in accordance with.
Consequently, this prepositional phrase indicates that Habakkuk’s prayer to the Lord requesting that He would be merciful to the faithful remnant of Judah while He disciplines the apostate citizens in the nation was to be in accordance with the stye or arrangement of music called, “shigionoth.”
In other words, “shigionoth” was to be the musical standard or norm to which Habakkuk’s offered this prayer to the Lord.
Therefore, Habakkuk 3:2-19 appears to be a prayer offered up to the Lord God of Israel by Habakkuk on behalf of himself and the faithful remnant of Judah at the end of the seventh century B.C. which was set to music.
Thus, this prayer was a psalm or lyrics for music and which music has been lost to history.
In other words, Habakkuk 3:1 marks the contents of Habakkuk 3:2-19 as a psalm-prayer.
The latter is a prayer of Habakkuk which the prophet directed to be set to a particular musical arrangement, which has since been lost to history.
In fact, Habakkuk 3:2 serves as the refrain to this psalm or song and would have been sung after Habakkuk 3:8 and 15.
Now, Habakkuk 3:2 contains two declarative statements which are followed by three requests which the prophet Habakkuk presents to the Lord on behalf of himself and the faithful remnant of Judah in his day.
The first of these statements solemnly asserts that Habakkuk had heard of the Lord’s fame.
How, he heard of the Lord’s fame is not explicitly mentioned here in Habakkuk chapter 3.
However, it would appear that he heard it from the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures.
The second declarative statement asserts that Habakkuk stood in awe of the Lord’s accomplishments in history.
This speaks of the manifestation of the Lord’s omnipotence in history on behalf of the nation of Israel.
This second statement is expressing the idea of the prophet Habakkuk possessing profound reverence and respect for the Lord’s deeds in the past on behalf of Israel even bordering on fear as the result hearing and reading about these accomplishments or manifestations’ of His omnipotence in the Old Testament Scriptures.
Warren Wiersbe writes “Many people have the idea that it’s always an enjoyable experience getting to know God in a deeper way, but that’s not what the saints of God in the Bible would say. Moses trembled at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law (Heb. 12:18–21). Joshua fell on his face before the Lord (Josh. 5:13–15), as did David (1 Chron. 21:16). Daniel became exhausted and ill after seeing the visions God gave him (Dan. 8:27; 10:11). The vision of Christ’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration left Peter, James, and John facedown on the ground and filled with terror (Matt. 17:6). When John saw the glorified Christ, he fell at His feet as though dead (Rev. 1:17).”[1]
Notice that in both statements the Habakkuk addresses God with the masculine singular form of the proper noun yhwh (יהוה), “Lord.”
This is the tenth and eleventh time in the book of Habakkuk that the word has been employed by the prophet (cf. 1:2, 12 twice; 2:2, 13, 14, 16, 20).
This we have noted many times in our study of Habakkuk is the covenant-keeping personal name of God and is used here in connection with His covenant relationship with the nation of Israel and in particular the remnant of Judah.
Specifically, it is used in connection with Habakkuk’s covenant relationship to God.
Thus, it also expresses God’s sovereignty over not only the nation of Israel, or the northern kingdom of Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah but also it expresses His sovereignty over each and every nation on the earth, which He will exercise bodily in Jerusalem during His millennial reign on planet earth.
This word is emphasizing the “immanency” of the Lord meaning that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the affairs of the citizens of the kingdom of Judah.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be amazed (pp. 128–129). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.