Session 10 Awestruck The depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God in executing His judgments is literally awe-inspiring. HABAKKUK 3:1-6,11-13,16-19 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. Selah. His glory covered the heavens and his praise 2015 Date LifeWay of My Bible Study: 97
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. [ ] 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. Selah. [ ] 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. Observe the parts of Habakkuk s prayer that express who the Lord is and what He does. Then take note of one request the prophet makes. (Hint: see v. 2) 98 Explore the Bible Personal 2015 LifeWay Study Guide
MEMORY VERSE Habakkuk 3:18 FIRST THOUGHTS Devon is a digital native. He s been hands-on with modern technology since childhood. His home computer system stays at a state-of-the-art level and, of course, he s never without his smart phone and tablet all connected to the Internet. Like a fish in water, Devon thrives in an online, digitally connected way of life. He is virtually able to speak face to face with people across town, across the country, and even around the world as though they were in the same room. When his grandfather recently sat with jaw dropped, watching Devon navigate online, the young man shrugged, smiled, and said, It s no biggie, Grandpa. I do this all the time! What recent inventions or technological advancements make you respond with jaw-dropping awe? What factors can cause people to lose a sense of awe they once had about something? One of the descriptors of God in the Old Testament is the Holy One of Israel (Ps. 71:22; Isa. 1:4; Jer. 51:5). The latter part of that phrase points to His immanence that is, His involvement with creation and with us. However, He is also the transcendent, allpowerful, and all-knowing Sovereign who rules over His creation. Keeping the balance between His closeness and His otherness is important. We can become so familiar with God that we lose our reverence and awe of Him. This is what happened to the people of Judah in Habakkuk s time. Habakkuk prayed as he continued to wait on the Lord. He asked the Lord for mercy in the midst of judgment. But more than that, Habakkuk praised the Lord in the form of a song for who He is and for what He does to save His people. 2015 LifeWay Session 10: Awestruck 99
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT HABAKKUK 3:1-19 How did Scripture writers attempt to describe the indescribable God? One way they did this was to depict majestic or powerful natural phenomena and then declare God s utter supremacy over those things (see Isa. 40:12-26). The prophet Habakkuk called attention to calamities such as plagues, pestilences, earthquakes, and torrential rain. He also pointed to natural phenomena such as rivers, oceans, tidal waves, and planets. He declared that even these great forces performed the bidding of the Sovereign God who rules His creation. Habakkuk was prepared to wait for the judgment of God on Judah s enemies, which would be but an overture to the eventual judgment of the world by the King of kings. The Hebrew word selah [SEE luh] appears three times in chapter 3 in most Bible translations. (The word also occurs in a number of the Psalms; see Pss. 4; 24; 62; 140; and others.) Bible students suggest that the term could be a musical notation, a pause for silence, a call to fall on one s face in worship, a verbal response from listeners, or a word meaning forever. Here the prophet celebrates the power of God in the form of a song. In chapter 3, Habakkuk emphasized the attributes of God, including His power, glory, splendor, wrath, outreach, and grace. Thinking about these virtues could rightly call forth a shout of praise or awed silence as we contemplate His eternal nature. The notations in 3:1 and 3:19 may indicate that Habakkuk s prayer eventually came to be used in Jewish worship gatherings. EXPLORE THE TEXT STAND IN AWE (HAB. 3:1-2) VERSE 1 Habakkuk s prophecies in chapters 1 and 2 became the foundation of his prayer in chapter 3. His previous dialogue with God, frank at times, transitioned into praise to God. The meaning and function 100 Explore the Bible Personal 2015 LifeWay Study Guide
of the term shigionoth [shig ih OH nahth] is uncertain. Some Bible students suggest that it was a musical signal indicating how the prayer was to be sung in congregational worship. VERSE 2 Past behavior often is the best predictor of future behavior. Habakkuk relied on the spiritual truth that God s faithfulness in the past ensured that He could be trusted in the present and the future. The prophet stood in awe of God s work. How does the past impact the way we view God today? How does what He has done for His people in the past fuel our desire to see Him work in the present day? Habakkuk also desired to see a work of God in his time. He believed that God was no less active in his day than in the days of Moses. Just as the Lord had delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, He would yet again set them free from oppression in due time. The Lord has a purpose for every generation (see Acts 13:36). God s work in Habakkuk s time was a work of judgment and wrath, which according to the prophet Isaiah was His strange work (see Isa. 28:21-22). It is strange to Him in the sense that He much prefers to show mercy and grace for salvation. Habakkuk prayed that God would show mercy even in judgment. Both the words wrath and mercy are terms that are full of meaning. The word wrath comes from a root word that means to shake. God s wrath shakes the world on its foundations. The term mercy has associations with the womb. It brings to mind images of new life and the tender care of a mother for her newborn. TREMBLE IN HIS SPLENDOR (HAB. 3:3-6) VERSE 3 The song in verses 3-15 comprises what Bible scholars call a theophany [thee AHF uh nee]. It is a passage that describes a visible 2015 LifeWay Session 10: Awestruck 101
representation of the presence of God, using the highest human terms possible. The references to Teman and Mount Paran, both of which are places that in Old Testament times were associated with Edom, called to mind the times when the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness. God had successfully led His people through that desolate region once; He would so again in the future. An encounter with God, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, always leaves an indelible impression of His splendor and greatness. Such encounters form the basis of our praise, our worship of a God who is greater than all the adoration we can articulate (see Neh. 9:5). Our finite minds are unable to fathom the expanse of His glory; our words always fall short in describing His splendor. It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself. John Piper VERSE 4 God s brilliance is in view in this verse. Habakkuk compared it to light. Light s very nature is to reveal itself, to shine, to enlighten. The glory of God wants to be known. It is waiting to be grasped by those who will consider it with devotion. This revelation of God s aweinspiring character proceeds from His hand. VERSE 5 Likewise, powerful destructive forces of nature do the will of the Sovereign Lord. Like the foot-servants of an emperor on a journey, these forces go ahead of and follow behind the Lord, always ready to do His bidding. VERSE 6 Habakkuk depicted a God who is advancing and is on the move. While His ways are everlasting, He is also involved in the present, leading forth in victory. In response to Habakkuk s previous complaints that evil was running unchecked in the world, now he praised an active God who was working out His glorious plan. 102 Explore the Bible Personal 2015 LifeWay Study Guide
Fear and trembling are appropriate responses to the majesty of God. He reveals His greatness in His ability to shake the earth. This is a defining characteristic of both the people of God and His presence. His people are those whose lives have been shaken by His appearing. His arrival changes everything and turns life right-side up. When you consider the works of God, what emotions do you feel the need to express? How would you compare your emotions to the emotions expressed by Habakkuk? CELEBRATE HIS VICTORY (HAB. 3:11-13) VERSE 11 The reference here seems to refer to a divinely extended day described in Joshua 10:12-13. In the midst of a battle in which the Israelites needed more time to completely vanquish their enemy, the Lord stopped the sun and moon in place. It was as though the celestial bodies paused to gaze in awe at what the Sovereign Lord was doing in and through His people. Although God created an orderly universe (see Gen. 8:22), He is not bound by any restrictions. He is free to adjust it as He sees fit. What God has done in the past provides clues as to what He is doing now and will do again in the future. VERSE 12 The wrath of God is an often misunderstood attribute of God (see Ps. 90:11). When we understand it solely in terms of what we can see, then the presence of evil and suffering may raise questions in our hearts and minds. When no quick manifestation of judgment comes on the wicked, then those who are weak in faith might wonder if God indeed punishes sin. As Romans 1 makes clear, the wrath of God includes an inward dimension as well as an outward aspect. That is, God has built into His judgment that obstinate sin becomes master over the sinner. The sinner is given over to the bondage of sin (Rom. 1: 24,26,28). Only the power of God in Jesus Christ can break the power of sin s hold and satisfy God s wrath (see Rom. 1:16). 2015 LifeWay Session 10: Awestruck 103
KEY DOCTRINE: Last Things According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. The dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. VERSE 13 This advance of God has as its goal the deliverance of His people. God had delivered the people of Israel in Moses day from Egypt and from Pharaoh s bondage. He would deliver Israel again after the exile. Ultimately, He sent Jesus Christ into the world to provide a way of everlasting salvation from sin (see Matt. 1:21). One day the Lord will deliver all of His people fully and forever from the corruption of this world (see Rev. 21:22-27). What images used by Habakkuk point to Christ? How did Christ accomplish the things described in the passage? REJOICE IN FAITH (HAB. 3:16-19) VERSE 16 The theophany of God in this chapter was essentially the answer to Habakkuk s prayer in verse 2. What the prophet had heard about God came true both in belief and experience. He trembled at the revelation God gave him. What portions of Scripture are so impactful that you tremble at them? As always, the key issue is timing. We are not always given access to the reasons that God acts on the timetable of His choice. The Lord 104 Explore the Bible Personal 2015 LifeWay Study Guide
affirmed to His struggling prophet that in time the Babylonians would be judged for their iniquity. The Lord commanded Habakkuk to trust in divine timing. We are called to do the same thing. VERSE 17 Not only was God going to give the people of Judah a future, He would also take care of His messenger. Faith must move from the collective to the personal. The God of my people is also my God. This was the conviction of Habakkuk. VERSE 18 Amid dire circumstances, Habakkuk s complaints were transformed into joyful adoration. Because of the peace he discovered through faith and confidence in the Lord, this prophet experienced true joy. There is a close connection between peace and joy. I like to think of joy as peace dancing and peace as joy resting. Habakkuk experienced both peace and joy in the God of his salvation. VERSE 19 Life presents many obstacles that can trip us up in our journey of faith. As we seek to rise in our spiritual life, God both stabilizes and strengthens our walk. When He is our Lord, then He also becomes our strength and joy (Neh. 8:10). Though the prophet s path had been precarious at times, God had been faithful to Habakkuk. At the end of the road, as we look back, we will be amazed at how God has preserved us and brought us safely to our eternal inheritance. BIBLE SKILL: Examine a biblical setting and compare it to today. Habakkuk 3:16-19 describes a period of time when Judah would experience economic chaos as part of God s judgment. Reflect on these verses and imagine what a similar situation of chaos might look like today. Substitute valued items today for the items in 3:17. Then reflect on verse 18. 2015 LifeWay Session 10: Awestruck 105
IN MY CONTEXT We should respond to God s presence and work with awe. We can find security in God s complete and sure rule of all that is. We can rejoice regardless of our circumstances, knowing that God can be trusted. Reflect on how you view God. How would you characterize your sense of awe toward God? When is that awe at its weakest and greatest? What actions can you take to foster your awe for God? What circumstances are causing you to doubt God s ability? How is God using those circumstances to challenge you to remain faithful to Him regardless? Write a prayer expressing your confidence in Him based upon the truths examined in this study. As a group, how can you offer affirmations of faith to one another in difficult times without being glib or insensitive? PRAYER JOURNAL 106 Explore the Bible Personal 2015 LifeWay Study Guide