Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

At the start of Habakkuk we found the prophet in what we might call “down in the valley” perplexed in his faith with questions while wrestling with the will of God.

Last week Habakkuk went to get alone in a quiet place with a quiet heart waiting and expecting to hear from God - while living by faith.

After hearing God’s word and seeing God’s glory Habakkuk will finish his book bounding like a deer through mountain tops of faith.

His circumstances never changed though - he changed, his perspective changed.

He was walking by faith and living by God’s word and not depending upon understanding or explanation.

The climb to higher heights in our walk of faith is not an easy task, but much better than living in the valley of doubt and fear.

Like Habakkuk we must continue in faith despite the perplexing questions we face.

We must be honest with God about them but continue to hold on to God in order to see what God has.

We must be willing to experience the fear and trembling as the LORD takes us through things and reveals Himself to us.

We must look and see what it is that takes Habakkuk from the valley to the mountaintop summit.

It is having a persevering perspective for God’s work, God’s ways, and God’s will.

Pray For His Work

A prayer from Habakkuk is recorded here for us.

According to Shigionoth - most likely a musical term referring to the type of psalm - most likely a passionate psalm with rapid rhythmic changes.

Habakkuk prayed and his prayer became a psalm to be sung.

It starts with LORD I have heard the report about you.

I have heard the account of you, a short account of the news about You.

Second line is LORD I stand in awe of Your deeds.

Habakkuk has heard the awesome of the news of God’s purposes for disciplining Judah and the destruction of Babylon and it filled him with awe.

God’s plans and purposes were beyond human understanding and God’s place is beyond human comprehension.

Habakkuk’s response to hearing from God is to fear God and stand in awe of God.

“To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.”

A.W. Tozer.

God has the ability to reveal Himself to us, but its difficult for God to find someone who is ready to receive Him. God doesnt reveal Himself to superficial saints who only seek an experience or those who desire only to sample deeper fellowship but only if its not too great a price.

In all honesty we are the ones who make it difficult to get to know God.

Habakkuk prayed because He heard God speak.

Knowing the will of God should motivate us to pray thy will be done.

Habakkuk prayer has two requests, the first is for revival.

Revive Your work in these years.

Habakkuk’s prayer shows us that revival is a work of God not something to be achieved by man.

The only thing man can do for revival is cry out and plead for it from God.

The second petition was for mercy, in your wrath remember mercy.

The idea is knowing that though the wrath of God is deserved, remember mercy God and send revival.

Mercy and revival are works of God and Habakkuk prayed because he wanted God’s work to succeed.

It may not have originally been the work Habakkuk would choose, but he has accepted God’s plan and now prays “thy will be done.”

Habakkuk acknowledges that as God once came down to His people at Sinai to establish covenant with them, so He would come to liberate and reaffirm His covenant with them.

The earlier visit in Sinai is referred by Habakkuk as God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.

SELAH

When you are discouraged with the condition of the church, the state of the world around you or even your own spiritual life take time to pray for God’s work of mercy and revival.

For it to not only succeed but that He might use us.

“Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom.”

The greatest need today is intercessors.

Reflect On God and His Ways

Habakkuk now goes on to reflect of the ways of God in which God used sovereign power to deliver His people.

Primarily looking at the deliverance of His people from Egypt.

Going back to Teman and Paran - Mount Paran is another name for the entire Sinai peninsula or Mount Sinai itself.

Teman is identified with Edom.

They both allude to the theater where God displayed great power while bringing Israel into the promised land.

Everything about this stanza reveals the glory of God.

His splendor (magnificent quality of being splendid) covers the heavens and the earth is full of His praise.

His brilliance large amounts of brilliant light that emanates from Him with rays flashing from His hands.

Gods brilliance like the sun only brighter.

His hands concealed His power.

His power revealed in Egypt described by verse 5. God is fully capable of exercising His might.

He is terrifying God to those who would oppose Him.

The ten plagues not only punishment for Pharoah’s hard heart, but they revealed the inability and the utter vanity of Egypt’s gods.

God is not a little feeble weak old man upstairs, He is all-powerful, all-loving.

Grace and glory fused with might and majesty.

Exodus 12:12 (CSB)

12 I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.

This verse may include also the judgments sent to Israel when they disobeyed during their wilderness march.

God’s glory was revealed in such a way in the OT but now His glory is revealed through Jesus Christ.

Habakkuk’s vision of God coming from a distance and marching across the land.

Having reached a place from where He would execute judgment God stopped and stood and shook the earth.

The very presence of God shakes the earth.

Through a mere glance the nations are startled and the framework of nature, mountains and ancient hills are shattered and crumble to dust.

His pathways - His manner or behaviors are ancient (not new).

God’s everlasting ways go on - even while all else is shattered and destroyed in His presence.

The tents of Cushan are in distress and the tent curtains in the land of Midian tremble.

God’s appearance at the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings were witnessed by the nations of Cushan and Midian.

They lay on either side of the Red Sea.

God’s wondrous acts at the Red Sea caused neighboring nations to tremble in terror and distress.

Habakkuk now turns his focus from God’s appearance and glory to God’s acts on earth in verse 8. Verse 8 is a transition in this ode in order to provoke the reader to think on the implications.

Three questions to consider God’s motive for His appearance.

Was God showing His wrath at the rivers, streams or sea?

Is God angry with nature with an implied no - answer.

God is not displeased with nature, but He was using nature as a tool to show forth His power.

God struck the Nile River, Red Sea and the Jordan River.

Similarly God would strike the nations with the motive to destroy His enemies in order to deliver His people.

God is then described as uncovering His bow and readying it for action.

You called for many arrows is an enigma in Hebrew with one scholar claiming over 100 different translations of this phrase.

cutting through all that a literal translation is sebuot mattot omer — staves/Arrows are sworn by a word.

By solemn oath.

Whatever the translation of this minor phrase we find the word SELAH.

Stop and meditate on this.

God’s motive, majesty and power were seen within His actions in nature, among nations and against His enemies.

Habakkuk personifies the mountains in verse 10 and added that they see God and shudder.

A writhing twisting and turning seized with pangs like seen in a woman who is in labor.

The mountains shook before and they writhe now.

Flooding waters move in recognition of God’s voice.

God’s power creates great power and upheaval within nature.

Sun and moon stand still in their home in the expanse of sky.

The sun and moon stood still in one victory God gave the Israelites.

The lightning and hail then rained down near Gilgal.

Verse 12 Habakkuk envisions God a giant who marched across the earth.

He trampled the nations underfoot.

Crushing them to save and bring salvation to Israel.

God has done this before and like the prophet we must be confident that God would do it again God was not vented toward nature or against “everybody” God desires to crush wickedness and to deliver His own people.

Deliverance was behind the destruction.