"I Feel Like Going On"
Despite what was happening in the natural, Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord
“I Feel Like Going On”
The psalmist realizes that his faith can safely be put in Yahweh’s grace, not only in matters of national survival but also of personal well-being and even existence. Judah had in the main an agrarian economy. She derived most of her sustenance from crops such as figs, grapes, olives and other produce of the fields, as well as livestock such as the flocks of sheep and goats and herds of cattle. Even though these sources might fail in some way, the psalmist sees that ultimately his existence is not based on them, but upon their source, Yahweh. He is the covenant God who keeps his promises, and in periods of affliction for his covenant people he is also their Saviour (vv. 8, 13; cf. Exod. 15:1–2; 2 Sam. 22:3; Ps. 18:2, 46; Mic. 7:7). Even now, in the midst of doubt and oppression, the writer wants to rejoice (cf. Ps. 32:11; Isa. 25:9; Joel 2:23). This is not because of any good on his own part, or because of any weakness on the part of his oppressors. His rejoicing is grounded in, and springs from, the relationship which God has with him and his people. Stripped of all else, he can never be deprived of his covenant God (cf. Josh. 1:5; Rom. 8:38–39). This is shown by the very word he uses to describe the saving God. Habakkuk, in the midst of deprivation and suffering, still feels able to call God ‘mine’ (cf. Ps. 63:1). The intimacy of the relationship is sure and solid, based as it is on the firm foundation of God’s covenant promises of an eternal relationship with his people (cf. Deut. 7:6, 9) rather than being based on emotion or passing human whim (cf. Num. 23:19; Hos. 11:9). This is a practical commentary on, and example of, the faith noted in 2:4.
Any strength or confidence which the psalmist possesses is due to the lordship of Yahweh and arises from him (cf. Ps. 18:32, 39; Joel 2:25). Not only does he provide stamina to endure hardship, God also provides vitality to walk on heights like a deer (cf. 2 Sam. 22:34; Ps. 18:33). The lighthearted prancing and gambolling of these creatures could reflect the skipping joy of the psalmist (cf. Job 21:11–12; Eccl. 3:4; Matt. 11:17). Assistance on the heights is found elsewhere (Deut. 32:13), although with a different verb, in the context of the conquest of the land and joyful possession of it (cf. Deut. 33:29). If this is the referent here, the entire chapter is united by its implicit and explicit references to the historical complex of exodus-Sinai-conquest. Habakkuk, who starts in depression, and doubt as to God’s righteousness and justice, ends with a lively confidence in God’s provision and sustaining power