Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk 3 is the final chapter of the Book of Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 2, the dialogue between the prophet and God concludes with five woes pronounced against the Chaldeans (Babylon) and the words "let all the earth keep silence before him." In this chapter Habakkuk offers his response as both a prayer and a song.

Outline

• Verse 1 The heading identifies the chapter as a prayer of Habakkuk "upon Shigionoth." Shigionoth appears to be a musical term, but its exact meaning is unknown.
• Verse 2 The prophet asks God to revive His work in the midst of the years and pleads that even in wrath He would remember mercy.
• Verses 3–7 God comes from Teman and Mount Paran. His glory covers the heavens, and pestilence and burning coals go before and after Him. The mountains are scattered, and the tents of Cushan and Midian tremble.
• Verses 8–15 God rides upon His horses and chariots and strikes the rivers and the sea with bow and spear, while the sun and moon stand still in their habitation. He strikes the house of the wicked to save His people and His anointed.
• Verse 16 Hearing this, Habakkuk trembles in body, yet he waits for the day of trouble when the invader comes up against the people.
• Verses 17–19 He declares that even if the fig tree, the vine, and the olive yield nothing, and the fold and the stalls are empty, he will rejoice in the LORD. The chapter closes with the note "To the chief singer on my stringed instruments."

Key Verses

• Habakkuk 3:2 "In wrath remember mercy" — the heart of this prayer, which accepts judgment while pleading for mercy.
• Habakkuk 3:17–18 "Although the fig tree shall not blossom … Yet I will rejoice in the LORD" — the best-known passage of the chapter, a confession of trust in God regardless of circumstances.
• Habakkuk 3:19 "He will make my feet like hinds' feet" — a confession that, by the strength God gives, one can walk even on rugged high places.

People and Places

• Habakkuk: The prophet who offered this prayer. Almost nothing is known of his life.
• Teman: A place in the region of Edom. Its mention portrays God coming from the south.
• Mount Paran: Thought to be a mountain in the area of the Wilderness of Paran.
• Cushan: A name that appears alongside Midian. Many interpreters regard it as a tribe or region near Midian.
• Midian: A nomadic people who lived in northwestern Arabia.

Points for Reflection

• The portrayal in verses 3–15 of God coming from the south resembles the language of Deuteronomy 33 and Judges 5. The scene of God striking the rivers and the sea recalls the Exodus, and the sun and moon standing still recall Joshua 10. For this reason, many interpreters read Habakkuk as looking back on past acts of salvation while looking ahead to the salvation to come.
• Some interpret "thine anointed" in verse 13 as referring to Israel's king or to the people. Christian tradition has also read it as anticipating the Messiah.
• The heading, the use of Selah, and the closing instruction to the chief singer follow the same form found in the Psalms. This has led to the suggestion that the prayer may have been sung in worship.
• The word rendered "revive" in verse 2 (buheung in the Korean Revised Version) is closer in the Hebrew to "give life" or "restore to life." Some note that it should be distinguished from the sense of "revival" as used of revival meetings in Korean churches.
• The chapter is not directly quoted in the New Testament. However, some see verse 18, "I will joy in the God of my salvation," as similar in expression to Mary's song in Luke 1:47.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 17–18 are frequently used in sermons for Thanksgiving Day and Firstfruits Thanksgiving to speak of a faith that "gives thanks even when there is nothing." Gospel songs that use these verses as lyrics are also sung.
• The plea of verse 2, "revive thy work," is often used as a motto for revival meetings and special prayer gatherings.