Prayer & Psalm of Habakkuk

 

Chapter 3 Prayer and Psalm of Habakkuk

Chapter 3 is a prayer, psalm, and outburst of praise. It begins, "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth" (v1) and ends (v19), “To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” I'm not sure what 'Shigionoth' means, but it appears the entire chapter was meant to be sung. See, nothing gets by me!

He begins (v2) with a powerful prayer, 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. Amen. Is this not a great prayer? As we pray for our church, our city, our country, can this not be our plea, “O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years”? I say, Yes!

Then, in 3-16, we find the heart of the song, which begins:

3:3 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.

3:4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

“The prayer of the prophet, in the strictest sense of the word, is contained in the words of verse 2. The rest is, in its form, praise and thanksgiving, chiefly for God’s past mercies in the deliverance from Egypt and the entering into the promised land. But thanksgiving is an essential part of prayer, and Hannah is said to have prayed, whereas the hymn that followed is throughout one of thanksgiving (1 Sam 2:1). In that also these former deliverances were images of things to come, of every deliverance afterward, and, especially, of that complete Divine deliverance which our Lord Jesus Christ wrought for us from the power of Satan, the whole is one prayer. ‘Do, O Lord, as thou hast done of old; forsake not Thine own works. Such were Thy deeds once; fulfill them now, all which they shadowed forth.’ It is then a prayer for the manifestation of God’s power, and with that the destruction of His enemies, from that day to the Day of Judgment.”
~Albert Barnes, Commentary On The Prophet Habakkuk

3:13 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.

with thine anointed - "anointed" is Messiah or Christ; "with thy Christ." Is it possible he is looking forward to Messiah? Yes!! This is a very old understanding of this verse.

The Catholic Church, which is pretty old, understands it this way:

“The Prayer of Habakkuk is a song that describes a grand vision of God, shining forth in glory upon a mountain. It refers back to the events of the Exodus – and points forward to the coming of the Messiah. The prayer, also known as the ‘Canticle of Habakkuk’, is now used as part of the Church’s worship.

In some ways, the Prayer of Habakkuk – which is found in chapter 3 of the book – stands on its own. The song draws upon images from the Exodus, when God revealed himself in glory on Mount Sinai and rescued his people from the Egyptians. Using poetic language, Habakkuk describes God going into action in his own day to save his people and destroy their enemies.

However, in Christian tradition, the song was also often interpreted as a mysterious reference to the Transfiguration of Christ. This was when Christ was glorified before his disciples on a mountain, his face shining as brightly as the sun (Matthew 17:1-8). A line in the Prayer of Habakkuk reads: “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ.” (3:12 Douay-Rheims). This was understood, along with Habakkuk 2:3, as an ancient hint to the coming of the Messiah. (cf Hebrews 10:37)”
The Prayer of Habakkuk

The Orthodox Church, which is just as old, also understands it this way:

Habakkuk 3:3 “God will come from Teman, The Holy One from the mount of shaded leafy trees.”

This verse is quoted in Orthodox hymnology. The Prophet Habakkuk prophesied that the Son and Word of God would be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, who he described as a “mount of shaded leafy trees,” from which “the God of all shined forth in fleshly form.”

“Rejoice, the shaded virgin mountain from which the holy one of Israel appeared, according to the God-proclaiming Habakkuk.”
Holy Prophet Habakkuk As A Model For Our Lives Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Amen and Hallelujah!

Habakkuk ends on one of the highest notes of praise, praise which flows from faith.

3:17 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:
3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
3:19 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.

Man, Habakkuk begins and ends with conviction! Am I as faithful, fervent, and expectant in prayer as Habakkuk (1:1-4)?? Do I have a faith which blossoms into such bouquets of praise?? 

We used to sing these verses - sometimes singing the Word helps us be doers of the Word.

Though the fig tree does not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vine
The produce of the olive fail
And the field yield no food
Though the flock be cut off from the fold
And there be no herd in the stalls

Yet will I rejoice in the Lord
Yet will I rejoice in the Lord
I will joy in the God of my salvation
God the Lord is my strength

God the Lord is my strength
(Tony Hopkins © 1972 Scripture in Song; Habakkuk 3:17-19 RSV)

Click here to give a listen. It starts slowly, then perks up!

NEXT: The just shall live by his faith

This final post is possibly the best one of all. And that's saying a lot because I have been blessed and challenged throughout Habakkuk!