Habakkuk 3:19-Habakkuk’s Faith Appropriated the Omnipotence of God Enabling Him to be Victorious Over His Adversities
Bill Wenstrom
Habakkuk Chapter Three • Sermon • Submitted • 1:11:23
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· 293 viewsHabakkuk 3:19-Habakkuk’s Faith Appropriated the Omnipotence of God Enabling Him to be Victorious Over His Adversities
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Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord, my Sovereign is my strength so that He will cause my feet to be like the deer. Consequently, He will cause me to trample upon the high places. For the conductor by means of my stringed instruments. (My translation)
Habakkuk 3:19 brings to a close this book and contains four statements.
The first asserts that the Lord, Habakkuk’s Sovereign is the prophet’s strength.
The word for “strength,” which is the noun ḥǎ·yil (חַיִל) pertains to the property of being spiritually strong.
It speaks of the omnipotence the prophet appropriated by means of his faith in the Word of God and specifically, by means of his faith in the revelation he received from the Lord God of Israel which is recorded in the book that bears the prophet’s name.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that this word is used in relation to the Lord God of Israel who is sovereign over Judah and every nation on earth and whose strength is omnipotence.
The second statement in Habakkuk 3:19 asserts that the Lord, Habakkuk’s Sovereign will cause his feet to be like the deer.
It also presents the result of the first statement in this verse.
Therefore, a comparison of these two assertions indicates that the Lord causing the prophet’s feet to be like the deer is the direct result of the Lord being his strength.
The reference to having feet like the deer is an idiom which expresses the idea that a person has the ability to deal with any type of adversity just as a deer can negotiate rugged terrain.
Therefore, the prophet is saying with this second statement that as a direct result of the Lord God of Israel, who is sovereign over his nation and all nations of the earth, he has the ability or capacity to handle any adversity in life.
The third statement in Habakkuk 3:19 asserts that the Lord will cause the prophet Habakkuk to trample upon the high places.
This statement is also a result clause like the second in that it presents the result of the second statement in this verse.
This treading on the high places is an idiom for being in firm control of one’s circumstances in the sense that one is not intimidated or frightened by them because one knows God is in control of the circumstances.
Therefore, a comparison of these two assertions indicates that Habakkuk trampling on the high places or being in firm control of his adverse circumstances because he knows the Lord is in control of them is a direct result of the Lord causing his feet to be like deer.
So therefore, this third statement in Habakkuk 3:19 is speaking of the sovereignty of the God of Israel.
Now, these three statements by the prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:19 are directly related Habakkuk 2:4.
Habakkuk 2:4 Look! He is characterized as being proud and arrogant. His soul within him is by no means characterized as being upright. However, in contrast to him, a righteous person will live by means of their faith. (My translation)
The third assertion in Habakkuk 2:4 presents an emphatic contrast with the first two statements in the verse.
The third statement asserts that the righteous person will live by means of their faith.
This is a description of the faithful remnant in Judah in Habakkuk’s day who possessed a covenant relationship through faith in the Lord and were thus declared justified by the Lord (cf. Gen. 15:6).
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between unrighteous Babylonians who live unrighteous lives and the righteous faithful remnant in Judah in Habakkuk’s day who live by means of their faith which produces righteousness in their lives.
So therefore, if we compare the first three statements in Habakkuk 3:19 with this statement in Habakkuk 2:4, we can see that the Lord was Habakkuk’s strength because he appropriated by faith the omnipotence of God.
This in turn would enable him to endure such tremendous adversity as the three Babylonian invasions of his country in 605, 597 and 586 B.C.
Also, the Lord caused the prophet’s feet to be like the deer which we noted means that he possessed the capacity to handle any adversity, because he would appropriate by faith the omnipotence of the Word of God.
Lastly, the Lord would cause Habakkuk to trample upon the high places, which we noted speaks of him being in firm control of his adverse circumstances because he knows the Lord is in control, by appropriating by faith the omnipotence of God’s Word.
The fourth statement asserts that this prayer-psalm-prophecy recorded in Habakkuk 3:2-19 is for the benefit of the conductor of music in Solomon’s temple and was to be played on Habakkuk’s stringed instruments.
It serves as an addendum to this prayer-psalm-prophecy and is related to Habakkuk 3:1.
Habakkuk 3:1 The prophet Habakkuk’s prayer in accordance with Shigionoth. (Author’s translation)
Habakkuk 3:1 is 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.
The noun šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן) means “shiggaion” which occurs only twice in the Old Testament.
In Psalm 7:1, the word was used in a superscription as it is here in Habakkuk 3:1 and describes the Psalm in a way that indicates that it is a psalm of supplication.
Here in Habakkuk 3:1 it is also used in a superscription of Habakkuk’s intercessory prayer request for the faithful remnant of Judah.
In both instances, the word probably describes the type of Psalm or it is a musical notation of some kind.
We noted in our study of Habakkuk 3:1 that the word šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן) is in the plural šigyōnôt (שִׁגְיֹנֽוֹת), “shigionoth” referring possibly to a designation of certain musical instruments.
Habakkuk 3:1 resembles several psalms in which the contents, the author and the poetical character of the song are indicated (cf. Ps. 16; 30; 45; 88; 102; 142).
There is great conjecture among biblical scholars as to the meaning of this word here in Habakkuk 3:1.
I believe that the noun šig·gāy·wōn (שִׁגָּיוֹן), “shiggaion” here in Habakkuk 3:1 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 or prophecy 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).
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.
Habakkuk chapter 3 was an expression of faith in the Lord God of Israel by not only the prophet Habakkuk but also the faithful remnant in Judah.
It expressed their faith that the Lord would protect and preserve them while He disciplined the apostate citizens in Judah by means of the Babylonian army.
It is also an expression of this remnant’s faith that the Lord will administer justice to not only these apostate citizens of Judah for their unrepentant sinful behavior, but also would administer justice to the Babylonians for their unrepentant sinful behavior.
Thus, Habakkuk chapter three is an expression of the prophet Habakkuk and this faithful remnant’s submission to the Lord’s justice and sovereignty over them.