Habakkuk 3
COMMENTARY:
: 2 O LORD, Hi have heard your speech, and was afraid; O LORD, revive your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (2416 “revive” [chay] means to be alive, recover, return to life, to give new life or energy to, or to restore life.)
DEVOTION: How do we start our prayers to the LORD? Habakkuk starts with praise for the amazing works of the LORD. He looks around during a time of trial or trouble to find something to praise the LORD for in his life. He has seen many wonderful works of the LORD in his lifetime. He has experienced great joy and great sorrow. This is a time of sorrow.
He then informs the LORD of the deep need in his life. He needs to understand what the LORD is doing to HIS chosen people. He doesn’t understand but he is also honest with the LORD regarding his personal need to understand.
He wants the LORD to help HIS people again. He doesn’t want judgment even though he knows they deserve it because of their sin. He asks the LORD to remember mercy while HE manifests HIS anger.
When we are angry with someone do we manifest mercy? Sometimes when my grandchildren act up after being told to do something I have to stop to collect myself before dealing with their actions. I know that I have been disobedient to the LORD many times throughout my life and HE has disciplined me.
When we discipline we have to do it out of a righteous anger, so that, we can please the LORD. HE always disciplines in righteousness. HIS chastening is to drive us back to a state of fellowship with HIM. HE loves us enough to chasten or discipline us.
CHALLENGE: The only way we can have revival is through a properly chastened Christian life.
: 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. (1935 “glory” [howd] means splendor, majesty, vigor, freshness, beauty, strength, or authority.)
DEVOTION: The LORD has given me the privilege of traveling to Alaska many times over the last fifteen years. Each trip I try to see more of the beauty of God’s creation. On one of my trips during the winter I traveled to meet some missionaries. As I was traveling through the mountains I was amazed by the beauty of the sun shining through the mountains. It was a type of light that I had never seen through a mountain pass. I know that Alaska is the last frontier but it is always a time when I see the splendor of the LORD’S creation.
Here we find Habakkuk praying to the LORD. He sees the majesty of the LORD throughout creation. He witnesses to the fact that the earth is full of HIS praise. Too often people are just moving from one location to another without much thought given to what is surrounding them. They miss the scenery in their world.
There is a saying that goes something like this “stop and smell the coffee.” When was the last time you took the time to just stop for a while and enjoy looking at the plants, animals and other things that you would normally miss because you are in a hurry.
I admit that many times I just want to get from point A to point B with no interruptions. Habakkuk was living in a time when things were not going well for the nation of Israel yet he took time to pray and thank the LORD for the presence of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Honor the LORD by appreciating HIS creation. Honor the LORD with your words of thanksgiving.
: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (5937 “rejoice” [‘alaz] means to exult, triumph, or joyful.)
DEVOTION: Habakkuk had a problem with God using a heathen nation to judge Israel. He had a problem with what was happening in Israel. He questioned the way the LORD was doing things. He didn’t like the fact that the LORD was using heathen to do HIS work. He thought that because the children of Israel were more righteous than Babylon, they should be spared. However, the LORD didn’t want HIS people to be more righteous than the Babylonians, HE wanted them to be RIGHTEOUS.
Habakkuk knew that the children of Israel were warned and didn’t listen to the other prophets. He knew that the LORD was long-suffering. He knew the time was up for them to repent.
In this final chapter of his message he turns to the LORD in prayer. He mentioned in prayer how the LORD had worked in the past for Israel. How HE had conquered all the nations that came up against Israel. He gave illustration of how Joshua asked for the sun to stand still during a battle and it did. He knew of the power of God to change weather. He knew of the power of God to shake mountains.
One of the things that Habakkuk learned was to trust the LORD to do what is right all the time. His final conclusion is that no matter what is happening around him – he is going to trust the LORD.
He gives a list of things that could go wrong in his world and then gives this verse. This verse states that he is going to be joyful no matter the circumstances. Remember there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is external. Joy is internal. Habakkuk had joy internally as he save tribulation externally.
When things are going wrong in our lives, do we want to be joyful or complain? The Bible tells us to “rejoice in the LORD always.” Can we sing in a storm? Can we sing when we are sick? Can we sing when our finances are going in the wrong direction? Can we sing when there is fighting going on in the church? Can we sing when our family is fighting with each other? YES!!! (As long as we are not the cause of it.) That is trust in the LORD.
We can pray for revival but it always has to start with us. Revival means filling of the Spirit in our lives. The three signs of the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives are SINGING, THANKFULNESS, and SUBMISSION TO OTHERS. What is happening in our lives?
Things in our nation could progressively get worse for all those who are true followers of the LORD. Are we ready for this to happen internally? If not, we need to start preparing for what the LORD has in store for a nation who has not listened to the warnings of God.
We need to rejoice in the LORD for HIS daily deliverance. HE not only gives us salvation in the form of assurance of eternity with us but deliverance from all our times of trouble.
CHALLENGE: Habakkuk starts out grim and ends with praise. We need to remember to end all of our conversation with the LORD with praise. The joy of the LORD is our strength!!!
: 19 The LORD God is my strength, and HE will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and HE will make me to walk on mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (5329 “chief singer” [natsach] means Musician, overseers, to lead in music, be pre-eminent, enduring, director, or superintendent.)
DEVOTION: There have always been singers in the service of the LORD. Here we have someone leading the children of Israel in worship. We not only have individuals singing but musicians playing their instruments to the glory of God.
Singing is one of the main ingredients in a worship service. If the people are not praising the LORD in song this is not pleasing to the LORD. HE wants to hear the voices of his chosen people. HE wants all of us to make a joyful noise unto HIM.
HE wants those who have talent in the use of musical instruments to use that talent for HIM and the rest of those who are worshiping HIM.
Too often when the musical instruments are played in the local church there is very little singing. Sometimes it is the fault of the one leading the service. Sometimes it is the fault of the ones playing their musical instruments without joy.
Habakkuk was praying in a time of great trouble. Habakkuk talked of singing during this time period as well. No matter what is happening around us we need to sing with our whole heart to the LORD who loved us so much that HE sacrificed HIS Son for us.
CHALLENGE: Rejoice in the LORD ALWAYS!!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer of Habakkukverses 1-16
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Rejoice in the LORDverse 18
Joy in the LORDverse 18
Singerverse 19
Stringed instrumentsverse 19
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 2, 8, 18, 19
Holy Oneverse 3
Anger of the LORDverses 8, 12
LORD’S peopleverse 13
LORD Godverse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 3, 18, 19
Glory ISverse 3
Ways are everlastingverse 6
Control of nature on earthverse 8-15
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Temanverse 3
Mount Paranverse 3
Nationsverse 6
Tents of Cushanverse 7
Midianverse 7
Heathenverse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Afflictionverse 7
Heathenverse 12
Wickedverse 13
Devour the poor secretlyverse 14
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prayerverse 1
Prophetverse 1
Reviveverse 2
Mercyverse 2
Praiseverse 3
Salvationverses 8, 13, 18
Anointedverse 13
Restverse 16
Rejoiceverse 18
Joyverse 18
Strengthverse 19
Walkverse 19
Singerverse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Habakkukverse 1
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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