Habakkuk 3:1-19

The Problem of Assyria

Habakkuk

Gordon Churchyard

Chapter 3

v1 (These are) the words that the *prophet Habakkuk prayed. (He used music called) Shigionoth.

v2 *LORD, I have heard (what people) say about you. I see the things that you have done, *LORD. Then I am afraid. (But) do them again now. Make people know (what you can do) in our *lifetime. You are angry, (but still) remember *mercy!

v3 God came from Teman. The *Holy One came from the mountain (called) Paran.

*SELAH

His *glory covered the skies and his *praise filled the earth.

v4 He was as bright as the sunrise. Light fell from his hands, where he hid his great power.

v5 *Plague went in front of him and *pestilence followed his feet.

v6 (God) stood and he made the earth *shake. He looked and countries were afraid. Old mountains broke into rocks and very old hills fell down. This always happens everywhere that he goes!

v7 I saw the places where Cushan lived. They were not happy. The houses of Midian were afraid.

v8 Surely you were not angry with the streams and rivers, *LORD! Surely you were not angry with the sea when you rode (through it) with horses and *chariots! You did this to win the fight.

v9 You showed (people) your bow and you got many *arrows.

*SELAH

You cut the earth into pieces with rivers.

v10 The mountains saw you and they *shook. Deep waters moved very fast. The sea made a loud noise and it lifted its waters high.

v11 The sun and the moon stopped moving in the skies. The light from your *arrows that were flying past (stopped them). So (also) did the light from your shining *spear.

v12 You marched through the country because you were angry. Because you were so angry, you hit (many) countries with your stick.

v13 You went out to make your people safe. You went out to save your *messiah. You beat the leader of the *wicked country. You took away his clothes from head to foot.

*SELAH

v14 You pushed your own *spear into his head. (You did this) when his soldiers came out to fight us. They were laughing when they came out to kill the poor people. The poor people were hiding from them.

v15 You marched through the sea with your horses. You *shook the waters.

v16 I listened and my heart was afraid. My lips *shook at the sound. My bones began to fall into pieces. My legs would not stop moving. But I will be patient. And I will wait for the very bad days that will come. They will come to the people that are attacking us.

v17 There may be:

• no flowers on the *fig tree

• no fruit on the *vines

• nothing on the trees that have fruits called olives

• no food in the fields

• no sheep in the hills

• no cows on the farms

v18 But I will still sing *praises to the *LORD! I will be happy with the God that makes me safe.

v19 The *LORD, who is my master, will make me safe. He makes my feet as the feet of a *deer so that I can climb mountains.

The music leader must use stringed instruments (things that make music).

Notes on Habakkuk Chapter 3

The book ends with a psalm (a song with music)! Habakkuk may have worked with one of the music groups in the *temple in Jerusalem. He tells them what music to use, and what *musical instruments, (verses 1 and 19). The psalm remembers what God did. He led his people out of Egypt. That was 800 years before Habakkuk. If God did great things then, he can do great things now! (That is still true for us.) The *plagues and *pestilences in verse 5 are what happened to the *Egyptians. This was when they did not obey God. The sea in verses 8 and 10 was the Red Sea. God led his people through it, and they did not even get their feet wet! Verses 6-12 describe a great storm. The ‘leader of the *wicked country’ in verse 13 was Pharaoh, King of Egypt.

All this makes Habakkuk afraid, verse 16. But he says this: Whatever happens he will still *praise the *LORD (verse 17).

He knows that God is still in authority! That is why he can still *praise God. Even when times are bad, he will be like an animal. This animal can climb mountains with no difficulty! The animal is called the deer.

Something to do

1. If you have a Bible, read Psalms 73. (It is the first Psalm in Book 3 of The Psalms.)

2. When there is war, pray to God about it. Tell him that you still have *faith in him. And look for what God is doing.

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words)

prophet ~ he or she says what God is saying; or he says what God will do.
LORD ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use.
Lord ~ someone with authority; also a name for God. (It is not the same Hebrew word as LORD.)
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
lifetime ~ as long as someone lives.
mercy ~ to be kind to people when you do not have to be kind.
holy ~ very, very good; only God is really holy.
SELAH ~ a place to pray, or think; or a place to make music.
glory ~ it shines very much and it makes you important.
praise ~ tell someone how great they are (or words that do it).
plague ~ when many people become ill.
pestilence ~ bad things that are happening (bad weather or when insects attack).
shake ~ move something fast from one side to another and back again many times.
chariot ~ soldiers rode in chariots when they went to war; horses pulled the chariots.
arrows ~ sharp sticks that people shoot with bows.
shook ~ past of shake.
shake ~ move something fast from one side to another and back again many times.
spear ~ a long stick with a sharp end.
messiah ~ in the New Testament, Jesus; in the Old Testament, the king. They caused someone to become king by putting oil on his head. The word messiah is Hebrew for ‘oil put on’.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after Christ’s birth.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
wicked ~ very, very bad.
fig ~ a fruit.
vine ~ a plant that grows a fruit called the grape.
deer ~ an animal that looks like a small cow.
temple ~ God’s house in Jerusalem; or the house of any god.
plague ~ when many people become ill.
Egyptians ~ these people came from the country called Egypt.