Remember Mercy
Habakkuk 3:1-19
A
prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2O Lord, I have heard the report
of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in
the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.
3God came from Teman, and the
Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
4His brightness was like the
light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power.
5Before him went pestilence, and
plague followed at his heels.
6He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the
everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.
7I saw the tents of Cushan in
affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8Was your wrath against the
rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against
the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?
9You stripped the sheath from
your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10The mountains saw you and
writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted
its hands on high.
11The sun and moon stood still in
their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering
spear.
12You marched through the earth
in fury; you threshed the nations in anger.
13You went out for the salvation
of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the
house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah
14You pierced with his own arrows
the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing
as if to devour the poor in secret.
15You trampled the sea with your
horses, the surging of mighty waters.
16I hear, and my body trembles; my
lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble
beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people
who invade us.
17Though the fig tree should not
blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the
fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd
in the stalls,
18yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19God, the Lord, is my strength; he
makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with
stringed instruments.
After a discourse with God, Habakkuk now records his prayer
of reaction to God’s instruction and prophecy. While Habakkuk lived through a
time of great distress for God’s people, taking that distress to God in prayer,
Habakkuk now repeats back to God what he was told and gives God the praise He
deserves for His faithfulness to the people and His ability to keep His
promises.
Habakkuk begins with “I
have heard the report of you, and your work”. From this we can assume that
Habakkuk probably received instruction in his home or local place of worship. It
has been said that the Christian church is always just one generation away from
absolute ignorance about the Savior (apparently coined by Ronald Reagan). This is a valid observation because no
one is born with a knowledge of or confidence in the gracious love of God and
the salvation of sinners that he has accomplished in Jesus Christ. Clearly,
Habakkuk received some valid instruction. Because he knew the history of God’s
people, he was able to accept and understand God’s words of judgment against
the enemies that surrounded Israel. He knew that God had taken care of His
people throughout the generations and expected nothing less in the current
situation. And so he repeats back to God what God has already promised to him
about what he is experiencing.
Verses 13-15 are of special interest because it is here that
Habakkuk acknowledges that there is a Messiah coming through God’s people and
His actions of judgment against the Babylonians only serves to protect that salvation
plan. As we look back through the history of God’s people, we are able to
follow that path of protection from the first Gospel in Genesis 3:15 through to
the miraculous birth of the Savior.
With his final words of praise, we see that Habakkuk has
come full circle. He began with complaint and ends with praise. His eyes have
been enlightened and we are the richer for his willingness to share with us
through this little book. Even though he faces the immediate future with some
fear (which is only natural) he ends with rejoicing in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
I’ve left you some information regarding the beginning and
ending notations which are believed to be worship notes. Also, there is even a
song that has been written using the phrase “in wrath remember mercy” which is
taken directly from this section of God’s Word. I’ve left a link to that at the
end.
Nobody knows for sure what “shigionoth” signifies. There does seem
to be considerable agreement, however, that it refers to some musical direction
or melody according to which this psalm was to be sung. The fact that such
directions appear here and at the end of the chapter and that the threefold
“Selah” occurs throughout the psalm indicates that the psalm was intended for
and used in public worship. Since it expresses the kind of patient, trusting
faith which the Lord said resides in the heart of the believer (2:3, 4), it
forms a fitting conclusion to the book. It has been suggested that the psalm
was used in Israel as a song of victory when the Babylonian Empire was finally
overthrown some 70 years later. It may also have served as a song of trust in
the Lord whenever his people were faced with any kind of oppression and danger.
Westendorf,
J. J. ©2000. Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
(pp. 133–134). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.
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