Knowing God
The third chapter of Habakkuk is a psalm or a song. It is a prayer (verse 1), but it is a prayer that was meant to be sung. It is harder for us to notice that when we read it in the translated form than it would have been for the original recipients. But some clues point us in that direction. As you read through it you will notice the word “Selah” appears three times. You see this word show up in the Psalms as well. It isn’t a word in the sentences of the text. It is a stand-alone word. The common understanding of interpreters is that this was a musical notation that indicated a place in the psalm/song where a pause or interlude was called for.
Then, when we get to the end of the chapter, we see that Habakkuk ends with the instruction, “To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” Habakkuk intended for this portion of his short book to be sung in public worship settings. The first two chapters give us the “backstory” of this Psalm. They explain the motivation and reason this song was written.
This song is the outcome of Habakkuk’s experience with God as he struggled with questions about God’s justice and the wickedness he witnessed in the world. Habakkuk was troubled by what he saw in the world around him and couldn’t understand what he perceived as God’s inaction. God answered Habakkuk’s questions, corrected his twisted view of what God was and was not doing and gave him a deeper understanding of himself.
Amid God’s description of the judgment that would come upon Babylon, he reminds Habakkuk of what was to come and what was presently true. In 2:14, God promises that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” But Habakkuk need only wait for the promise of this future, the present reality of God is always that “the LORD is in his holy temple;” and therefore, “let all the earth keep silence before him.”
When we face tumultuous and confusing times, the best thing we can do for our peace of mind is to remind ourselves of the God who is sovereign, the God who reigns, and the God whose glory will one day cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
