Habakkuk 03
Habakkuk 3:1 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:
After hearing Jehovah’s answer, Habakkuk recorded a victory prayer which looked to the Second Coming of Christ. This prayer was designed to be put to music.
2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did; I am awed, Lord, by what you accomplished. In our time repeat those deeds; in our time reveal them again. But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy!
In this prayer, Habakkuk was transported into the future of the latter days. He looks through the eyes of the Jewish remnant who are living during the middle of the Great Tribulation. He hears the good news message of what Jesus had done on the cross for the redemption of Israel. He heard this message from either the 144,000 witnesses, or the two witnesses in Jerusalem. He has watched the seal and trumpet judgments of the first half of the Great Tribulation. During this calm in the middle of the tribulation, he asked for God to repeat His judgments upon the unbelievers. He asked God to show mercy on the messianic believers. This is basically a prayer for the future messianic believers who are living during the Great Tribulation.
3 God comes from Teman, the sovereign one from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the skies, his glory fills the earth.
Jesus is God. When Jesus returns at His Second Coming, He will return to a place called Teman. Teman is near Petra in the Edomite mountains. His return route will be Teman, He will return to Israel from the direction of Teman in Edom and Mount Paran in the southern Negev.
When Jesus returns, his Shekinah Glory will descend from the clouds. Every eye on earth will see Jesus return in his Shekinah Glory form.
4 He is as bright as lightning; a two-pronged lightning bolt flashes from his hand. This is the outward display of his power.
When Jesus returns in His Shekinah Glory form, He will be as bright as lightning. Lightning bolts will flash from His hand. Every eye will see the outward display of the power of Jesus.
5 Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him.
When Jesus returns, plague and pestilence will precede Him. This plague and pestilence will instantly kill all of the enemies of Israel, including the soldiers of the Antichrist.
6 He takes his battle position and shakes the earth; with a mere look he frightens the nations. The ancient mountains disintegrate; the primeval hills are flattened. He travels on the ancient roads.
When Jesus returns, He will return as a warrior. He will return to do battle against the Antichrist and against those who oppress Israel. His return will shake the earth. The mountains will disintegrate. The hills will be flattened. Jesus will travel on the ancient roads.
7 I see the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble; the tent curtains of the land of Midian are shaking.
The Gentile nations will fear the Second Coming of Jesus, especially those in Cushan and Midian.
8 Is the Lord mad at the rivers? Are you angry with the rivers? Are you enraged at the sea? Is this why you climb into your horse-drawn chariots, your victorious chariots?
God’s judgments will affect the water supply on earth. Those on the earth ask if God is angry at the sea and rivers.
9 Your bow is ready for action; you commission your arrows. Selah. You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.
The answer is “no.” God is not judging the waters. His bow is ready to defend Israel and judge those who come against them.
10 When the mountains see you, they shake. The torrential downpour sweeps through. The great deep shouts out; it lifts its hands high.
Jesus must upset the natural order of the earth in order to save Israel.
11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses; the flash of your arrows drives them away, the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.
In order to save Israel, the Second Coming will cause supernatural global effects upon the earth.
12 You furiously stomp on the earth, you angrily trample down the nations.
At the Second Coming, the Antichrist will gather all of the Gentile armies to fight Christ and exterminate Israel. Jesus will stomp over all of the Gentile nations, just as a vinedresser stomps on his grapes in the winepress. Isaiah 63 gives more details of this future event to come.
13 You march out to deliver your people, to deliver your special servant. You strike the leader of the wicked nation, laying him open from the lower body to the neck. Selah.
Jesus defends Israel against the soldiers of the Antichrist. Jesus kills the Antichrist. According to 1 Thessalonians 2:9, the Antichrist will be the very first casualty at the Second Coming of Jesus.
14 You pierce the heads of his warriors with a spear. They storm forward to scatter us; they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition. 15 But you trample on the sea with your horses, on the surging, raging waters.
Habakkuk described the Campaign of Armageddon. The heads of the warriors are the soldiers of the Antichrist. Jesus will kill all of these soldiers. According to Revelation 14, their blood will flow to the depth of the horse’s bridle. The Gentile armies want to scatter Israel, but instead, they will be scattered. They will receive a kind-for-kind judgment of the Abrahamic Covenant.
16 I listened and my stomach churned; the sound made my lips quiver. My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying, and I shook as I tried to walk. I long for the day of distress to come upon the people who attack us. ‘’
Habakkuk was looking through the eyes of the Jewish remnant during the middle of the Great Tribulation. He knew that another wave of bowl judgments was to come upon the Gentiles who were attacking the Jews.
17 When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce, and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen, and there are no cattle in the stalls,
When the land does not produce any resources during the Great Tribulation, the Jews in Petra must look to God to supernaturally provide their needs.
18 I will rejoice because of the Lord; I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
Habakkuk will rejoice under any circumstance because of Jehovah. He will always be happy, because God will save him.
19 The sovereign Lord is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. (This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)
Jehovah was the one who gave Habakkuk the strength to endure these trials. Jehovah can cross any terrain, because God enables him to do so. Notice that this prayer was to be played to music.