Living in Difficult Days (Habakkuk 3)

Habakkuk lived in an exceedingly difficult time for Judah. The armies of Babylon were on the march and no other country or group of countries seemed able to prevent their progress. Yet what made things more difficult for Habakkuk was that the One he trusted in, God Almighty, who had the power to do something about the situation, allowed the Babylonians to continue in their campaigns. Not that Habakkuk disapproved of God using the pagan Babylonians as a means of punishing the other nations for their pagan behaviour – that divine action would not have been surprising for Habakkuk. But he was astonished that his God also intended to use the Babylonians to punish the Jews severely for their sinful behaviour.

For us living today, the time of Habakkuk was long ago and no one worries about the Babylonian empire anymore. Yet God has seen fit to include the response of a disappointed and disturbed prophet in his Word in order to help others who may find themselves living in very difficult times for society and the church. In this third chapter of his book, we find recorded the reflections of Habakkuk in his prayer and the resolve of Habakkuk in his plan for how to live in such times.

We are living in difficult days from a range of angles. Compared to the past, we are at a low ebb spiritually. Where are the positive signs of God’s power? Life is also difficult at a social level; even secular commentators are alarmed at the fragmentation of society. Are we living securely even although we have powerful armies and weapons to defend us? Why is there such a sense of unease all around? What about the uncontrollable consequences of global warming? After all, even if it is a circular thing that has happened before, perhaps more than once, it still brings great destruction in our time. Surely we have to ask ourselves, ‘Where is God in all of this? Whose side is he on? How does he respond to our prayers?’ In our world, which is like Habakkuk’s world of personal uncertainty, what do we say to God

Prayerful reflections

As we consider this prayer of Habakkuk, some obvious questions come to mind. What does Habakkuk do in his prayer? What kind of praying person was he? What kind of details to we find in his prayer?

First, Habakkuk was realistic about the current situation. He tells us that he was afraid of what God might do. He had information about what was taking place in divine providence, and the details of devastation concerned him. It is important to note what he primarily saw. He did not focus on the devious actions of the devil or on the sinful and cruel activities of humans. Rather he took on board the awesome reality that God was in control of current providence, that he was not sitting idly by as events worked out. Habakkuk recognised that God was angry.

Second, Habakkuk was concerned about the recovery of Judah and therefore he prayed for God to revive his cause. It is important to note what he asked God to do because the term ‘revival’ has become part of Christian jargon and means a wide variety of things to different people. In Habakkuk’s mind, the cause of God was going to disappear and die. The Jews were going into exile, they would lose their national independence, their temple would be destroyed, and everything that they had known would be smashed to pieces. Yet he did not conclude that the destruction was the end of the story. Somehow he recognised that the middle of such a collapse was an appropriate time for asking God to revive his cause.

Of course, we know what happened. All that the prophet feared took place and more. And yet it was in the dark Babylon of the exile that the recovery started when Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to go back to their land and resume their worship of God in the place he had stated. Our familiarity with the story can deaden its effects on us. All we have to ask ourselves is this question: did we pray today, ‘O God, who did such amazing things in and to Babylon, arise and show your power once again!’ Someone who knows the contents of the Old Testament would be very surprised that we did not pray in such a way.

For Habakkuk, what would happen to Babylon was still unknown, away in the future. But he could turn to a similar event from his nation’s past when God had revealed his great power. So thirdly, he reflected on what had happened at the Exodus. His reflection took the form of a conversation with the Lord. He reminded God of what he had done when he led his people from their bondage in Egypt, took them through the desert, and brought them to the Promised Land. His words are a graphic description of God on the move. Yet we should note that this awesome event was a veiling of his power (v. 4), which seems to say that he acted in such a way that no one realised that it was him that was doing it. Astonishing to think that the Almighty hides that he is involved. But then does he not do so today?

We can see from Habakkuk’s words that God had come down to meet with his people. Even as when two people meet, they often come in different directions to the appointed place, so God and Israel travelled to meet at Mount Sinai. His arrival was spectacular (vv. 3-4), and yet he did not reveal his full glory. His presence in judgement had brought diseases on Egypt (v. 5) and his presence caused the creation to tremble at Sinai (v. 6). The inhabitants of the desert were overwhelmed by the signs of his presence (v. 7), probably because they had heard of what had happened at the Red Sea and later at the River Jordan (v. 8). What kind of God is this who controls the power of a sea or a deep river and allows his people to cross without getting wet? He had even arranged for the sun and the moon to stand still as he fought on the side of his people and as he used them to punish the nations (vv. 9-15).

Fourth, having described the activities of God at the Exodus, what effect did his musing have on Habakkuk? He was overwhelmed by his thoughts on the greatness of his God. His reaction is similar to that of the prophet Isaiah when he said that he was undone when he saw the holiness of God when in the temple for worship (Isa. 6). Another godly man, the author of Psalm 119, had a similar experience as Habakkuk: ‘My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments’ (119:120). Such a response is not limited to Old Testament incidents. The apostle John, when suffering on Patmos for being a witness for Jesus, when he saw the splendour of the risen Saviour, fell at his feet as if dead. Thinking about God does have such effects on those who consider his ways. Habakkuk was shaking at the thought of God, and this should be the effect on those who grasp something of his great but hidden power.

Such a sense of divine greatness is not the only reaction that Habakkuk had. Because he realised that ultimately God’s power will work for his people, he therefore could anticipate the Lord displaying his power against his enemies. He knew that eventually divine power would deal with Babylon, that their apparent current success was only a form of building up wrath against the day of God’s wrath. They would yet reap what they had sown, and Habakkuk could wait patiently for that time. He probably did not know how far away this divine vengeance was. Scholars tell us that it would be another sixty years before Babylon would capture Jerusalem, and it would be another seventy years before Babylon itself would be overthrown by the Persians. Habakkuk knew that God’s time would be the best time, but his experience tells us that the deliverance we long for may come after our lives are over.

Confident resolve (3:17-19)

The apostle Paul makes what some might consider an unreasonable requirement when he twice tells the Philippians to rejoice always in the Lord. What many regard as unreasonable is his use of the word ‘always’ in such a connection. Is it really possible for a person to rejoice in the Lord when things are indeed difficult? We can see that Habakkuk thought that he could and determined that he would, even if things around him became much worse. Habakkuk knew what the outcome of invasion would be. The people would lose the usual benefits of an agricultural society because the land would be devastated. It would be difficult to imagine something worse happening for the Israelites.

Yet whenever the devastation would happen, Habakkuk determined that he would rejoice in the Lord. He knew what was coming would be destructive for the people, but he realised that such circumstances did not necessarily mean spiritual ruin for all of them. The key for his response is that he realised he could still enjoy the company of the unchanging God. Is this not the promise that the Lord gave to the recipients of the Book of Hebrews who were facing trouble for their faith in Jesus? ‘Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”’ (Heb. 13:5-6).

Habakkuk is the Old Testament source of Paul’s famous statement that the just shall live by faith. Surely it is obvious from his response to his troubles that Habakkuk was living in such a way. His faith was also expectant. When Habakkuk appeals to God’s strength, the word that he uses includes wealth as well as power within its meaning. Habakkuk knew what Paul later knew, which was that God could supply all his needs according to his riches in glory.

What does Habakkuk mean ‘by my high places’? Clearly they refer to locations that are above the mundane, above the noise, above the ordinary. They are locations where he can walk at liberty, where the atmosphere is good, from where he can see far into the distance. Difficult times are opportunities for finding high places. God will enable him to ascend as a deer to those locations. We have seen deer ascending the tracks on hills and mountains. They proceed gracefully and energetically. Through these illustrations, Habakkuk is telling his hearers and readers that he anticipates having spiritual enjoyment in difficult times.

Bunyan in his Pilgrim’s Progress speaks about the Delectable Mountains where Christian and Hopeful met the shepherds who explained to them the significance of some of the mountains. Because they were higher, they could see the dangers of error and take caution as they travelled. Another of the mountains was called Clear and from it, on a clear day, travellers to the Celestial City could see its gates. Perhaps Bunyan had in mind this verse from Habakkuk and aimed to tell his readers about the benefits of high places.

Habakkuk, we can say, speaks to us about spiritual progress when things are problematic. During his dark time, he looks to the God of strength who can bring to him spiritual benefits and by such divine aid he will be able to make speedy progress and soar to heights he had not known previously. God would enable him to find what belonged to him already through divine grace – my high places. The challenge that comes to us is whether we have found our ‘high places’ as we live in difficult days.