For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Habakkuk 3:1-2

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

2 Lord, I have heard of your fame;
    I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.

A. Find Out:

1. What are we now looking at? v.1
2. What does Habakkuk say he has heard? v.2a
3. What is his response to what he’s heard? v.2b
4. What does he ask? v.2
5. What further does he request? v.2d

B. Think:

1. Why is his response good to what he’s heard?
2. Why is his request good?

C. Comment:

     There is a sense whereby this prayer (for that is what we are told it is) is detached from what has gone before, although it may be a follow-on. It makes no reference to what has gone before but is in fact a possibly free-standing declaration of faith.

     He starts out, “I have heard”. Faith always starts out from what has been heard (Rom 10:17). From the moment God told Abraham to ensure all future males of his family be circumcised, relationship with the Lord relied upon it be conveyed from one generation to the next. The people of God were told to pass on what had happened (Ex 10:2, 13:8-10, Deut 6:20,21, Josh 4:21-23). Habakkuk knows what God has done.

     But more than this, Habakkuk responds well to what he has heard. He is in awe of the Lord. If we simply hear the Gospel and say, “Oh that’s nice” we show that we have not really ‘heard’ it, we have not taken in the truth. Habakkuk has done.

     But Habakkuk’s response goes further, as any real response will do! When he says, “Renew them in our day” he is saying, “Lord do these things I’ve heard of, NOW in our time. We so desperately need you to do these things NOW.” That is the cry of a righteous, godly heart. Yet he tempers what he asks for, because he realises they deserve judgement. Lord, please have mercy in the midst of your judgement. He knows the Lord is a God of mercy (Ex 33:19). Mercy is dealing lightly with those in your power. If they are to survive at all, they need that, he knows.

D. Application:

1. How do I respond to what I hear from the Lord?
2. Is my cry for the Lord to come today?

Passage: Habakkuk 3:3-11

3 God came from Teman,
    the Holy One from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens
    and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendour was like the sunrise;
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power was hidden.
5 Plague went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled
    and the age-old hills collapsed –
    but he marches on for ever.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian in anguish.

8 Were you angry with the rivers, Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?
9 You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.
You split the earth with rivers;
10     the mountains saw you and writhed.
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared
    and lifted its waves on high. 11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,
    at the lightning of your flashing spear.

A. Find Out:

1. Where had the Lord been seen? v.3a
2. What had been seen? v.3b,4a
3. What happened near Him? v.5
4. What happened to the earth? v.6,8-11
5. What result did it have? v.7

B. Think:

1. What was the purpose in God coming, seen here?
2. What effect did His presence have as He came on the earth?
3. What effect did it have on people?

C. Comment:

     Commentators vary in their interpretation of what, historically, this passage refers to. Some speak of God’s presence at Sinai, some simply at His activity bringing Israel into the land. What do we actually see in this passage?

     We see the prophet speaking of God coming from the south – v.3 (Paran was the desert area to the south of Israel). His glorious presence was seen – v.3,4. There were times when plague seemed to accompany Him – v.5 (judgement on peoples). Physically the earth was shaken by His presence (v.6) and the peoples of the south – v.7 – were fearful. Certainly these things do have their place in the history of the Lord’s dealings with Israel.

The Lord did bring His people up from the south, from Sinai. When He came down on Sinai the mountain trembled (Ex 19:18 ). As He led His people, the word went out to the surrounding peoples that God was with His people (see Deut 2:25) and fear spread through them. Yes, He did use plague to bring judgement on His own rebellious people (e.g. Num 11:33), and indeed on marauding people (e.g. 1 Sam 5). Remember this is written as poetry or as a song and therefore Habakkuk is not seeking historical, chronological, order. He’s simply picking out aspects of their history with the Lord. When he says, “I have heard of your fame”, he picks up on these elements of history that say, “This God is awesome. He is the Lord. Fear Him!”

D. Application:

1. Do we understand the history of God with His people? Read!
2. Do we sense the awesomeness of the Lord? Worship!

Passage: Habakkuk 3:12-16

12 In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed the nations.
13 You came out to deliver your people,
    to save your anointed one.
You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
    churning the great waters. 16 I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.

A. Find Out:

1. What does Habakkuk portray the Lord as doing? v.12
2. With what purpose? v.13a,b
3. What did the Lord do to whom? v.13c,d
4. How did the Lord bring this one down? v.14a
5. What effect did this all have on Habakkuk? v.16a-c
6. Yet what was he going to do? v.16d

B. Think:

1. Summarise the picture Habakkuk portrays of the Lord here?
2. How does this put the enemy invader in perspective?
3. How does it leave Habakkuk?

C. Comment:

     Scripture is frustrating sometimes. It leaves you asking questions. Habakkuk, is this the vision you’ve seen when you were asking the Lord questions about the coming invader? Is it what happened when the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt? Is this something you’ve seen in your spirit, but which is yet to come? We’re left sometimes with simply gleaning an overall sense. That will do!

     The picture in verse 12 is of the Lord striding through the world, to come to the rescue of His people. He comes to deliver His chosen people, the people who will bring forth the anointed one. He deals with the leader of a land described as wicked. Both Egypt before the Exodus and Babylon before the Exile could fit that description. The leader of this land is brought down by the Lord who turned his ‘weapon’ (spear) upon him. Was this a reference to Pharaoh’s downfall as his last charge against Israel brings his drowning, or does it refer to a palace coup against a Babylonian leader?

Whatever it is, Habakkuk has this real sense of the Lord coming to bring judgement on a wicked land and a wicked leader who had been against Israel. He catches the awfulness of what happened (or will happen) and trembles. He knows the Lord will guard Israel so he will wait patiently for the invader to be dealt with! This is the place of rest that he has come to.

D. Application:

1. Understand God’s greatness and His power to deal with the enemy.
2. Learn to rest in that knowledge and His sovereign will.

Passage: Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig-tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the sheepfold
    and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

A. Find Out:

1. What 6 things that could be absent does Habakkuk mention? v.17
2. Even if they are what will he do? v.18
3. How does he view the Lord? v.19a
4. What does the Lord enable him to do? v.19b

B. Think:

1. How would you put verse 17 in your own words?
2. What is Habakkuk saying in all this?
3. What does this tell us about him in the light of the whole book?

C. Comment:

     To get the full import of what must be some of the most amazing words of trust in the Bible, we have to remember where Habakkuk has come from. His starting point was complaint about the awful state of the nation and why God wasn’t doing anything. When the Lord told him that He was bringing an invader from Babylon to purge the land, Habakkuk’s astonishment was over how a holy God could use an unholy and godless people to do this to His people.

      Habakkuk has now come to an amazing place where he can say, I don’t care how bad things look, I’ll still trust in God. OK, he says, God may bring judgement on the land by removing fruitfulness so that we have no food, but nevertheless I will accept God’s will, I will accept God’s judgement on the land and I will praise and worship Him for who He is and what He does. He is the Lord. He is just, He is perfect. He never makes mistakes, He never acts unfairly. This is my God and I can rejoice in the wonder of who He is and what He does. I may feel naturally weak in the face of the awful things coming upon my people, but I will get my strength from my God.

More than that, it’s like He makes me have the capability of ascending the heights, to the places of encounter with God, to the places of clear vision and understanding. My God will not leave me in the dark. I know this because as I’ve call on Him and waited on Him, so He has spoken and so He has shown me the things on His heart, and I am satisfied. He is the Lord!

D. Application:

1. Can I trust God despite the circumstances?
2. Can I say these things that Habakkuk was implying?