Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
HABAKKUK 3
Habakkuk’s Prayer
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.
3 God came from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens
and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendor 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 forever.
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.
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.
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 pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
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.
Application Notes
3:1-19 Habakkuk praised God for answering his questions. Evil will not triumph forever. Breathe a sigh of relief because God is on the throne. He can be completely trusted to vindicate those who are faithful to him, so we must patiently wait for him to act (3:16).
3:2 Habakkuk knew that God was going to discipline the people of Judah and that it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. But instead of resisting, Habakkuk accepted God's will and asked for help and mercy. Habakkuk did not try to escape the discipline, but he accepted the truth that Judah needed to learn a lesson God still disciplines in love to bring his children back to him (Hebrews 12:5-6). He strips away nonessentials and refocuses us on the primary goal of being faithful to him. Accept God's redirection gladly, and ask him for strength to change.
3:16 Habakkuk applied the teaching of living by faithfulness to God (2:4) each day. That was his secret to spiritual joy. Waiting patiently does not mean passively sitting. Our faith is renewed as God's plan is revealed daily and we faithfully follow him (Isaiah 40:31).
3:17-19 Crop failure and the death of animals would devastate Judah. But Habakkuk affirmed that even in the times of starvation and loss, he would still rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk's feelings were not dominated by the events around him but by faith in God's ability to give him strength. When nothing makes sense and when your troubles seem to be more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. Take your eyes off your difficulties and look to him.
3:19 God will give his followers strength and surefooted confidence through difficult times. They will run like deer across rough and dangerous terrain. Doing more than survive, they will reach new heights. At the proper time, God will bring about his justice and completely rid the world of evil. In the meantime, God's people need to live in the strength of his Spirit, confident in his ultimate victory over evil.
3:19 The note to the “director of music” was to be used when this passage was sung as a psalm in temple worship.
3:19 Habakkuk had asked God why evil people prosper while the righteous suffer. God's answer? They don’t—not in the long run. Habakkuk saw his own limitations in contrast to God's unlimited perspective and power over all the world's events. God sees what is happening and has the world under his authority. We cannot see all that God is doing, and we cannot see all that he will do. But we can be assured that he is God and will do what is right. We should declare that the sovereign Lord is our strength each day. Affirming his power gives us confidence and hope in a confusing world.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)