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Habakkuk 3 - Fleming Don Bridgeway Bible - Commentary

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Habakkuk 3

His Prayer

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.

2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make known; In wrath remember mercy.

3 God came from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise. Selah.

4 And his brightness was as the light; He had horns coming out of his hand: And there was the hiding of his power.

5 Before him went the pestilence, And burning coals went forth at his feet.

6 He stood, and measured the earth: He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills did bow: His ways are everlasting.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: And the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy wrath against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thine horses And thy chariots of salvation?

9 Thy bow was made quite naked, According to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. Selah.

10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: The overflowing of the water passed by: The deep uttered his voice, And lifted up his hands on high.

11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: At the light of thine arrows they went, And at the shining of thy glittering spear.

12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, Even for salvation with thine anointed; Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, By discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, Through the heap of great waters.

16 When I heard, my belly trembled; My lips quivered at the voice: Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble: When he cometh up unto the people, He will invade them with his troops.

17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength, And he will make my feet like hinds' feet, And he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

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Habakkuk 3

3:1-19 HABAKKUK TRUSTS IN GOD’S JUDGMENT

The psalm of Chapter 3 has no direct connection with Judah and the Babylonians. Nevertheless, it is relevant to what Habakkuk has just written, for it describes the appearance of God in his work of judging the nations and saving his people. The psalm is introduced by what appears to be the name of the tune to which it was sung (3:1).

Habakkuk recalls the mighty works that God has done for his people in the past, and he prays that God will act on their behalf again. However, he knows that when God’s anger is stirred against sinners, Israel’s enemies may not be the only ones to suffer. God’s people also are sinners, and therefore the prophet prays for God’s mercy when he deals with them (2).

God’s judgment is pictured in a number of illustrations, some of which appear to be taken from the story of Israel’s escape from Egypt and journey to Canaan under Moses. The judgment is like a thunderstorm that is seen approaching over the tops of the southern mountains (3-4); like a plague from which no one escapes (5); like an earthquake that terrorizes the nations and shakes the mountains (6); like a desert wind that blows down the Arab’s tents (7); like the overthrow of enemies in battle, whether by armies or by the spectacular intervention of the forces of nature (8-9); like a flood that sweeps everything away (10); like an eclipse of the sun that leaves the earth in darkness (11); like the triumph of a warrior who kills his enemies and saves his people (12-15).

The prophet trembles as he thinks of such a judgment. His only hope is to trust in the controlling justice and mercy of God (16). Fields and flocks may be destroyed, but he will remain faithful to God. He will rest contented in the knowledge that a God of infinite wisdom and power knows what he is doing, and his will is perfect. Such deep trust is the answer to the questions, doubts and complaints that he had earlier expressed (17-19).




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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Cambridge Univ. Press & BFBS
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