Habacuque 3

Habacuque 3

Meyer - O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years. Habakkuk 3:2 When we are oppressed with the state of the Church and the world, as Habakkuk was, there is no resource but to turn to God. It is of no use to say to our brother, “What shall we do?” Better at once get into the presence of the Almighty. All conferences with flesh and blood are wasted breath, unless there has been a previous one with God. Note also the unselfishness of the prayer which precedes revival. We must not pray “Revive my work,” lest the insidious temptation come in of using the stream of God’s blessing to turn our own tiny water-wheels for our own profit. Let us get beyond the narrow limits of our church or section, and ask for a revival of God’s work everywhere. We do not need a new Gospel, but a revival—a revivifying of the old Gospel. If any preach another Gospel than that which the apostles preached, let him be accursed; he is selling bran for wheat; he is filling cartridges with sand. We want nothing but the Gospel of the Cross of Jesus Christ, proclaimed from lips which have received a new baptism of heavenly power. Note the time. Not at the end of years, but in the midst. This is a prayer for those in middle life. They are apt to think that their power for service has passed its prime, and that the successes of their early days cannot be paralleled. But let them remember that in the midst of the years God can revive his work, and ask for it. What an argument! “Remember mercy.” We cannot appeal to merit, but can lay great stress on mercy. Lord, have mercy on thy Church—revive her; and ere the dispensation close, may she arise for one great work of soul-salvation! (Our Daily Homily) Habakkuk 3:3 God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.: O Lord: Ezr 9:8 Ps 85:6 Ps 90:13-17 Ps 138:7,8 Isa 51:9-11 Isa 63:15-19 Isa 64:1-4 Hos 6:2,3 Jn 10:10 Php 1:6 Habakkuk 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries LXE = God shall come (future tense) from Thaeman, and the Holy One from the dark shady mount Pharan. Pause. His excellence covered the heavens, and the earth was (Actually no verb in the Greek) full of His praise. NLT = I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with His praise. NET = God comes from Teman, the sovereign one from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the skies, his glory fills the earth. THE THEOPHANY THE COMING HOLY ONE God come from Teman...Mount Paran - God answers Hab 3:2 with a description of His glory (glory is that which gives a proper opinion of someone) from Hab 3:3 through Hab 3:15. Hab 3:16 is the prophet's reaction to God's Self Revelation and Hab 3:17-19 is his final declaration of trust. The reader needs to be aware that there are two ways Hab 3:3-15 is interpreted, one school seeing this description as only past history with no prophetic implications, but another school seeing it as a description of God's actions in the past and a prophecy to be fulfilled in the future at the Second Coming. This commentary favors the latter view as will be explained in the following exposition. Related Resources: Parallel passage - Exposition of Isaiah 63:1-6 See also Proposed sequence of events when Messiah Returns Spendera comments that this next section recalls "the wilderness period, the next section of the psalm begins and ends with southern geographical references (Hab. 3:3, 7). Exact locations for these places have yet to be determined, but their general location in the Sinai parallels the poetic description of God’s movement during the wilderness period." (Ibid) God (Eloah) - Thought by some to be the singular of the noun elohim. David uses Eloah to describe Jehovah in Ps 18:31. Eloah is used once in the phrase “God of Jacob” (Ps 114:7) and once in the phrase, “God of forgiveness” (Neh. 9:17). Eloah - 56x in OT - Dt 32:15, 17; 2Chr 32:15; Neh 9:17; Job 3:4, 23; 4:9, 17; 5:17; 6:4, 8f; 9:13; 10:2; 11:5ff; 12:4, 6; 15:8; 16:20f; 19:6, 21, 26; 21:9, 19; 22:12, 26; 24:12; 27:3, 8, 10; 29:2, 4; 31:2, 6; 33:12, 26; 35:10; 36:2; 37:15, 22; 39:17; 40:2; Ps 18:31; 50:22; 114:7; 139:19; Pr 30:5; Isa 44:8; Da 11:37, 38, 39; Hab 1:11; 3:3 Teman (Dictionary Description) - This word means "south" and describes southern Edom. (see map) Holy One - Used in Hab 1:12, cp Hab 1:13. This name expresses God's absolute holiness, His set apartness so to speak from sin and all things unholy. Holy One - 58x in 56v (50v in OT & 8v in NT) - 2Kgs 19:22; Job 6:10; Ps 16:10; 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; 106:16; Prov 9:10; 30:3; Isa 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19, 23; 30:11f, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 40:25; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14f; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14; Jer 50:29; 51:5; Ezek 39:7; Dan 4:13, 23; 8:13; Hos 11:9, 12; Hab 1:12; 3:3; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34; John 6:69; Acts 2:27; 13:35; 1 Pet 1:15; 1 John 2:20; Rev 16:5 Mount Paran (Dictionary Description) - According to most sources this describes a wilderness area south of Judah, west of Edom, and north of Sinai. Israel camped there after leaving Sinai during the Exodus and sent spies to scout out the Promised Land from Kadesh, a location in Paran (Nu 10:11-12; 13:3,26). In short, Habakkuk received an answer to his prayer that consists of an awesome description of God coming from the southern portion of Israel, the general direction of Sinai. The mention of Teman and Paran appear to be allusions to the events of Israel's wilderness wanderings during which God demonstrated great power to His covenant people as He brought them on their journey to the Promised Land. There are several other majestic descriptions of God similar to that of Habakkuk 3 which also recall God's past presence, power and provision during the time of Israel's wilderness wanderings... Deut 33:2 And he said, “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir (which is sometimes equated with Edom - see comment below for location); He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them. Comment: Seir (“hairy, shaggy”) is a mountainous region, south and west of the Dead Sea with Mt. Hor (burial site of Aaron = Nu 20:27, 28) as the highest point. "Seir" was originally occupied by the Horites (Ge 14:6), who were afterwards driven out by the Edomites (Ge 32:3 = "the land of Seir, the country of Edom"). Jdg 5:3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I–to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. 4 “LORD, when Thou didst go out from Seir, when Thou didst march from the field of Edom, the earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, even the clouds dripped water. 5 “The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, this Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel. Comment: The context of these passages is a song of Deborah and Barak celebrating victory over Jabin King of Canaan (Jdg 4:24). While this was Israel's victory, it was clearly one won by their God, the writer recording that "God subdued (to bring a proud people to subjection, make them bend the knee) on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel." And so Deborah and Barak's song begins much like the description in Habakkuk 3, recalling God's past presence and power in behalf of His covenant people as they traveled through the wilderness toward the promised Land. Indeed, Israel had entered into a covenant with the Lord at Mount Sinai, and He would fulfill His promises to His special people. Bible Knowledge Commentary adds that: A typical proclamation of praise (Jdg 5:3) is followed by a historical recital of the Lord’s previous saving deeds (Jdg 5:4-5). Yahweh is identified as the One of Sinai (cf. Ps. 68:8) and associated with events prior to the crossing of the Jordan under Joshua.