Habakkuk 3:17-19 + Recap
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When life is hard what do you turn to?
Social support - friends, family, spouse,
Emotional resilience -
Inner determination -
Problem-solving skills -
Adaptability -
Self-care -
and resilience-building practices -
Well all these failed Habakkuk!
have you ever been broken
with a problem you cant solve
that no one else can solve for you?
and no self care, no resilience practices
is going to change your reality
thats about where Habakkuk is at.
and while that sounds awful
we will see how he actually ends up having
something amazing most people
dont have....
joy, strength, rest, and rejoicing
in times like that
most dont even have that in good times!
and when we face hard times we tend to lean
on on our abilites
and the things in our control
but today we will see Habakkuk arrive
to a much better place then where he
was in chapter 1&2
lets pray then we will read, then dive into it.
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
Here we see a Habakkuk very different from chapters one and 2
Here He describes
the loss that he feared over
that he questioned God for..
but now as God answered Him
and as He remembered who is God is
in ch.3
even though all is lost
all is gone
that he will rejoice in God
he will joy in God
God is His strength
the reality is that God is all He has
but no one is stronger then God
as he remembered last week.
and by the strength of God
he can overcome anything
and allows him to have joy
even in the face of trials
lets dig in ...
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—
In context this is
of the coming Babylonian invasion,
Habakkuk is referring to the overwhelming desolation
of the land and livestock
which would come from
the invading group of savage soldiers.
this is describing a
complete loss
loss of produce, cattle, flock
this is essentially a loss of livlihood
its loss of purpose
its loss of ability to live
its loss of everything....
what would you do
knowing your about to lose it all?
maybe like Habakkuk run to God
and demand an answer
well look at Habakkuk here...
Habakkuk 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Yet ...
Yet - Yet is clearly a term of contrast.
This "yet" is one of the most beautiful and meaningful in all of Scripture.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
presents one of the most striking contrasts
in the entire Word of God.
Habakkuk 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord...
Habakkuk makes a choice to rejoice,
even in the face of loss for imminent judgment.
However, this choice is not simply "mind over matter",
but reflects God giving His prophet the desire
and the power to rejoice / which also means to exult
it is the heb word (alaz) means to rejoice, to exult,
to be jubilant and describes a state and act of celebration.
TWOT
says this Hebrew word group describes
"an emotion of joy which finds expression in singing and shouting."
so this word is a real outward expression of joy
its loud,
its coming from within and going outward.
then a different but similiar word is used
Habakkuk 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy...
joy (01523) (giyl/gul) is derived from a root word which means
"to circle around", from which such ideas as "to circle in joy"
It is more applicable to vigorous,
enthusiastic expressions of joy
and can even mean to spin round
Habakkuk used this verb before
but in great contrasting contexts,
the first use of giyl/gul refers to the rejoicing of the pagan Babylonians.
5 “Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
here the Babylonians are
with enthusiastic joy
spinning around
over their harsh conquests of other nations.
but here
Habakkuk 3:18 (NKJV)
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy....
shows me that God brings the final rejoicing.
yeah the wicked may be laughing now
the wicked may seem well off now
they may seem so happy now
but there will be pay day one day
for the deeds they have done
and for those who remain faithful to God
will have the final rejoicing!
so
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Many people are called to rejoice in the Lord,
and many reasons are given for expressing this joy:
Those who have experienced the Lord's forgiveness and received his righteousness are to express their joy to the Lord (Ps. 32:11; Isa. 61:10).
The gods of the nations do not reign, but the Lord reigns, and He judges in righteousness and justice, so let all the people of the earth be glad (Ps. 97:1, 8).
The kings and rulers of the earth are to act wisely and rejoice with trembling in the King of heaven (Ps. 2:11).
Zion should rejoice in their King who is also their Maker (Ps. 149:2).
Those who have experienced the Lord's care and concern, and his deliverance from their enemies should rejoice in the Lord (Ps. 9:14; 16:9; 21:1; 31:7; 49:13; Hab. 3:18).
After David was confronted with his sin with Bathsheba, he repented and sought God's forgiveness and cleansing. He prayed, "Let the bones you have crushed rejoice," (Ps. 51:8).
indicating joy can emerge from the Lord's conviction in our lives
but here we see
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
in the God of my salvation
this can be applied in a few contexts.
in the historical context
in the near future context
in the last days context
Historical Context:
The Lord promised Israel one day
he would judge their enemies,
restore them to their land, bless Jerusalem,
and cause their land to produce abundantly.
This is cause for rejoicing (Isa. 41:16; 66:10; Joel 2:21, 23; Zech. 10:7)
Near future context:
9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
The New Testament writers quoted this passage
in reference to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:5; John 12:15)
Jesus is our Salvation!
and gives us reason to rejoice!
In the last days context:
In the future reign of the Messiah,
the people of God will rejoice because their hope in the Lord
as their savior will be rewarded.
Total healing will come to all God's people,
and they will reside in God's creation
of the new heavens and earth (Isa. 25:9; 29:19; 35:1f; 65:18).
9 And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
19 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel.
I dont know about you but when I read
Revelation 21:1–4 i get excited.
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
now i just want to also point out that
we dont just get to rejoice over God
but two passages indicate God rejoicing over his people.
which i think is so awesome:
my favorite is
17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
What a picture of God
anyways lets
bring back to
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
that no matter what the context ...
what about for us....
will we rejoice in the God of our salvation?
how about in the face of desolation?
When it seems that there is disaster and failure everywhere,
no blossom on the fig tree,
no fruit on the vine,
the labor of the olive failing,
the flock gone from the field
and the herd from the stall?
This all Is Eastern Culture
how would we express that in the language of America?
bankruptcy.
Everything gone,
yet will I jump for joy in the Lord,
I will spin round with gladness in my God.
wow!
this also reminds me of when Davids wife
laughed at him
as he danced before the Lord
This was not imitation joy.
It was that of a man filled with delight
even in the midst of circumstances of desolation.
What I love here is
that as he described that all is lost
all is gone
He can have joy in God
because he will never lose God.
You may never learn that Christ is all you need,
until Christ is all you have.
yeah Habakkuk your about to be bankrupt
but you
have God
and what confidence
comes when you realize He is all you need
what strength,
what joy
that follows
no longer needing
to solve my own problems
or having someone else be the solution
or something else
or money be what I need to get through
I dont need some better self help practices
or better skills
I just need God.
Even when we have lost it all
we still have God
what a special and great thing that takes place
when you know all you need is Christ
do we truly know that?
I want to share with you what a few Bible teachers had to say about this.
Wiersbe adds to this and that...
By the time Babylon was through with the land of Judah, there wouldn’t be much of value left (Hab 2:17-note). Buildings would be destroyed, treasures would be plundered, and farms and orchards would be devastated. The economy would fall apart and there would be little to sing about. But God would still be on His throne, working out His divine purposes for His people (Ro 8:28). Habakkuk couldn’t rejoice in his circumstances, but he could rejoice in his God! - Wiersbe
Billy Graham said it this way...
We have to be tuned to God. We will never be free from discouragement and despondency until we know and walk with the very fountainhead of joy....The ability to rejoice in any situation is a sign of spiritual maturity....No matter what the climate is, what the troubles are, what the difficulties are, there is joy for the child of God, because joy is produced supernaturally by the Holy Spirit in us. - Billy Graham
G. Campbell Morgan said
Our joy is in proportion to our trust. Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God. Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God. To know Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to triumph and excel. May we be led into fuller knowledge and so find fuller faith and so enter the fuller joy. - G. Campbell Morgan
As someone has well said
"Joy is the flag that is flown from the citadel
of the heart when the King is in residence."
Joy is the fruit of a right relationship with God.
lets break down verse 19
Habakkuk 3:19 (NKJV)
19 The Lord God is my strength;...
It is not that the Lord God
had lent Habakkuk strength,
but that God Himself was his strength
He found strength in God
because God was all he had
everything he is about to lose
You may never learn that Christ is all you need,
until Christ is all you have.
so Habakkuk found strength in God.
Habakkuk 3:19 (NKJV)
19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, ....
The dear is a surefooted animal,
able to make its way on high,
dangerous terrain.
In context, Habakkuk is alluding to
the security God gives to those who place their trust in Him
this simile is used in Dt. 32:13; 33:29. and with David (Ps 18:33 - see Ps 18:34, ).
33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
Spurgeon said:
One of these days we shall be called to higher places still.
Up yonder we shall climb,
even to the mount of God,
the high places where the shining ones are gathered.
Oh, what feet are the feet of faith,
by which, following the Deer of the Morning,
we shall ascend into the hill of the Lord!
--Spurgeon
show the rest of v.19
19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
I love how Habakkuk ends here.
the Lord also gave him sure-footedness.
The deers feet leap over rock and, never miss their foothold.
Our Lord will give us grace to
follow the most difficult paths of duty
without a stumble.
Habakkuk went from questioning God
to surefooted confidence
because God is His strength.
and it gave him joy