CHAPTER 3 HABAKKUK'S PRAYER. ‘A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet set to Shigionith.' This third chapter consists of ‘a prayer of Habakkuk' in the light of his visions. It includes an initial prayer, followed by a meditation on the glory of God as revealed in His powerful movement towards, and entry... [ Continue Reading ]
‘O YHWH, I have heard your report, And I fear, O YHWH, your work, In the midst of the years, renew it, In the midst of the years make it known, In wrath remember mercy. As Habakkuk considers what he has heard from YHWH about what He is going to do, he is filled with awe and trepidation. But nev... [ Continue Reading ]
‘God came from Teman, And the Holy One from Mount Paran, (selah - consider that!), His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was as the light, Rays proceeded from his hand. And there was a veiling of his power. The picture has in mind the song of Moses... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Before him went the pestilence, And fiery bolts (burning coals, thunderbolts, fearsome heat, plague) went forth at his feet, He stood and measured the land (or ‘earth'), He beheld and drove asunder the nations, And the eternal mountains were scattered, The everlasting hills did bow, His going... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.' Midian combined with Moab in seeking to prevent the passage of Israel into the promised land (Numbers 22:4; Numbers 22:7). They were a feared nomadic people, and vexed Israel with their wiles (Numbers 25:18), wh... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Was YHWH displeased against the rivers? Was your anger against the rivers, Or your wrath against the sea? That you rode upon your horses, On your chariots of salvation? The opening up of the River Jordan and of the Reed Sea (Yam Suph) may be in mind here, but with wider reference to the rivers... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The bow was made quite bare, The oaths to the tribes were a spoken word. Selah. (Consider that!)' This probably denotes the moment of entry into Canaan. God prepared His bow for action and confirmed His oaths personally to the tribes in readiness to march through the land in His wrath (Habakkuk 3... [ Continue Reading ]
‘You divided the earth with rivers, The mountains saw you and were afraid, The tempest of waters passed by, The deep uttered his voice, And lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, At the light of your arrows as they went, At the shining of your glitterin... [ Continue Reading ]
‘You wounded the head from the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation, even to the neck. Selah (consider that!) You pierced with his own staves the head of his warriors, They came as a whirlwind to scatter me. Their rejoicing was to devour the poor in secret. You trod the sea with your... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I heard and my belly trembled, My lips quivered at the sound (‘voice'), Rottenness entered into my bones, And I trembled in my place, I will rest in the day of trouble, When he comes up against the people, He will overcome (or ‘press on, invade') them.' Habakkuk now hears, probably in vision... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For though the fig tree will not blossom, Nor will fruit be in the vines, The produce of the olive will fail, And the fields will yield no food, The flock will be cut off from the fold, And there will be no herd in the stalls, Yet will I rejoice in YHWH, I will joy in the God of my salvation... [ Continue Reading ]
‘YHWH the Lord is my strength, And he makes my feet like hind's feet, And will make me to walk on my high places.' From now on no disaster will be able to touch him. For YHWH, the Lord of creation and deliverance as revealed in the poem, is his strength. And He gives him feet that can clamber wit... [ Continue Reading ]