Minor Prophets Major Message
Goodness Gracious Great Chariots of Fire
Habakkuk 3:1-19
#minorprophets
INTRODUCTION… Different Types of Literature in the Bible, bibleresources.americanbible .org/resource/different-kinds-of-literature-in-the-bible [adapted]
The Bible is God’s Word. I hope you believe that. The Bible was and is inspired by the Holy Spirit to human beings who wrote down without error what God the Father wanted them to say. One of the interesting facts about the Bible is that the Bible is a collection from different authors over many years that wrote in different forms to communicate God’s Word to us.
The Bible includes a great number of types of literature and in the Bible the most important of these forms are laws and rules, history, poetry and songs, wisdom sayings and proverbs, Gospels, letters, and apocalyptic writings. Other forms of literature describe sections within a particular book like prose narrative, prayers, parables, prophesies, and genealogies.
Laws and rules include both laws that forbid things (“do not...”) and laws that encourage things (“do...”). They were given to the people of Israel in order to help them worship correctly and treat one another with respect and care. We find laws and rules in Books like Exodus and Deuteronomy and even passages like James 4:11–12.
History books and passages describe the activities of such important figures as the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the kings of Israel and Judah, including King David and King Solomon. These books also include information about the events of the two Israelite kingdoms. Examples of history books in the Old Testament are Joshua and 1 and 2 Kings and in the New Testament, the Book of Acts.
Poetry and songs are a large category that includes many different forms. Psalms, Job, and the Song of Songs are in this category, but also poetry and songs can be found in many books of the Bible. Exodus has a few songs as does Judges. In the New Testament, Luke 1 has two songs and we also find a song in Philippians 2. Songs are important. Put a mental pin in songs because we are going to come back to them!
Wisdom sayings and proverbs are a large division of the Old Testament and there is even some in the New Testament. Wisdom sayings and proverbs have a unique style which makes them read like common sense sayings and reflections about the world, God, and ask moral questions about human life. A great example of this is the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. A great example of wisdom literature in the New Testament is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and some parts of the Book of James.
The Gospels are unique books in the New Testament that are autobiography, biography, history, teaching, and prophecy all rolled into one. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are very unique in the Bible and in all of literature and share all about the life and ministry of Jesus.
We also find letters mostly in the New Testament and are a particular letter-writing style of the first century AD. Within each letter a number of different kinds of literature can be found, including prayers, instructions, teaching, wisdom, warnings, hymns or songs, and personal news. The Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle John and others all wrote these kinds of letters which were inspired by the Holy Spirit and saved for church use.
I also want to include apocalyptic writings in the list as the last one we will talk about this morning. Apocalyptic literature is very symbolic and cryptic and poetic writing meant to show the future and reveal spiritual truths in repeating and strange ways to encourage the readers to whom they were written. When we think of apocalyptic literature, we think of parts of Daniel and Ezekiel as well as the Book of Revelation.
BACKGROUND OF HABAKKUK 3
Now, take out your mental pin when it comes to songs and remember that the Bible contains songs… actually LOTS of songs. Today we are in the Book of Habakkuk and we are going to focus on chapter 3. This morning we are continuing our journey in the last twelve books of the Old Testament which I have called “Minor Prophets Major Message.” I want to focus each week on one of these specific prophets and the message that he brought to the people of God because those messages are also important to us.
Today we focus on the prophet Habakkuk in chapter 3, but before we read chapter 3, I want to explain a little bit what we are reading before we actually read it. Habakkuk is a small book at the end of the Old Testament and it has just three chapters. The last chapter of the Book of Habakkuk begins with…
READ HABAKKUK 3:1 (ESV)
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
What does that small verse tell us?
It tells us first that the chapter is a prayer. It tells us secondly that the prayer is written by a prophet of God so we should absolutely listen up. You may pronounce his name Hah-back-kuck or Hab-ah-kook or however you want.
It thirdly tells us that it is “on shigionoth.” Now here it where chapter 3 gets interesting and we are only 9 words into the chapter! What does that word “shigionoth” mean? “Shigionoth” is a musical term which means “a wild passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm.” The end of Habakkuk 3 has the words “with stringed instruments.” So… Habakkuk 3 is a #1 song #2 played on stringed instruments #3 with wild passion and #4 rapid changes in rhythm. What does that sound like to you? It’s a rock n’ roll song! Habakkuk chapter 3 is a prayerful rock song written by a faithful prophet of God. Boom! Mind blown.
TRANSITION
We look today at chapter 3. Let’s read:
READ HABAKKUK 3:1-19
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2 O Lord, I have heard the report of You, and Your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah [air guitar]
His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand; and there He veiled His power. 5 Before Him went pestilence, and plague followed at His heels. 6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 Was Your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was Your anger against the rivers, or Your indignation against the sea, when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariot of salvation? 9 You stripped the sheath from Your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah [air guitar]
You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw You and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of Your arrows as they sped, at the flash of Your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the earth in fury; You threshed the nations in anger. 13 You went out for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah [air guitar]
14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. 15 You trampled the sea with Your horses, the surging of mighty waters. 16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
THE CENTRAL PICTURE OF HABAKKUK 3
As Habakkuk is singing and praying and jamming with his stringed instruments, he shares with us a vision of God Almighty that we need to take to heart:
In verse 3, “His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise”
In verse 4, “His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand”
In verse 5, “Before Him went pestilence, and plague followed at His heels”
In verse 8, which is at the center of his description, God rides in on His chariot of salvation.
In verse 11, He has “a glittering war spear”
God Almighty Whom Habakkuk envisions and writes to us in this chapter is a powerful God riding in on a chariot of salvation conquering and crushing all enemies. The chariot is very significant in verse 8 and is at the center of his vision and message. In my opinion, it is a bit like God arriving in a huge blazing monster truck or maybe a crushing tank if we were to use today’s terms.
CONTENT: faculty.wts.edu/posts/chariots-of-the-lord/
In the ancient Near East, chariots were not commonly owned by ordinary people. They were expensive. They could, of course, be used for mere show. But their main practical use was in war. They provided a mobile platform. So, when chariots occur in connection with God appearing, we should think first of all of God waging war against evil.
TRANSITION
I remember from a music history class from high school that Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” from 1957 was one of the first rock n’ roll songs. Instead of “goodness gracious great balls of fire,” this morning, Habakkuk is singing about “goodness gracious great chariots of fire!” The vision and picture that Habakkuk gives us is a significant one. There are other passages in the Bible where God shows up in His blazing chariot or there are blazing chariots and horses from God and when we take all of these passages as a whole, including Habakkuk 3, we get a very important message.
2 KINGS 6: GOD’S PRESENCE IS POWER
In 2 Kings 6, we have a situation that seemed terrible for the folks involved. The King of Syria was trying to attack Israel, but the prophet Elisha would always warn the King of Israel of the other king’s plans and he never succeeded. The King of Syria was told that Elisha kept tipping Israel off and he sent an army after the prophet. The king wanted the prophet dead. Let’s read what happened in 2 Kings 6:
READ 2 KINGS 6:14-17 (ESV)
14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Needless to say, Elisha was not captured or killed or even inconvenienced in any way on this day. The presence of the fiery chariots of God was a reality surrounding Elisha and his servant. His servant could not see and did not know about the spiritual battle that was being waged. He only saw the physical battle that was going to take place all around him and was afraid. He feared because he did not think God was present. He feared because of what was before his eyes. Verse 16 is significant: “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha’s words are very important because they are backed up by holy chariots of fire. God’s presence is power and assurance and insurance.
Habakkuk shares with us the same truth that God’s presence is power. In Habakkuk 3 as Habakkuk sings with stringed instruments, he describes that the nations shake, mountains are scattered, hills sink low, rivers dry up, and nothing can stand before God because nothing and no one is greater than He. The blazing chariot is a symbol that God is absolute power and there is nothing greater than Him either visible or invisible.
The Apostle Paul shares with us the same truth in Colossians 1:
READ COLOSSIANS 1:16 (ESV)
16 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
TRANSITION
Next, we have another song in the Psalms which uses the same kind of language.
PSALM 68: GOD’S PRESENCE IS BOUNDLESS
In Psalm 68, we have a verse from David amid Psalm 68 that only helps us understand what happened to Elisha and his servant before in 2 Kings 6 and looks forward to what Habakkuk will sing about in chapter 3.
READ PSALM 68:17 (ESV)
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
King David reflects in his song that God’s power and might are limitless. The phrase “twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands” is a way of saying “gazillion” or “uber-gobtillion” or “googolplex.” There is no way to count the power of God. There is no way to weigh the massiveness of His armies. There is no way to count the servants in the heavenlies that serve God and do His bidding.
And yet it is not the number that we should pay attention to. Nope. Notice what the chariots of God do. It is the same thing they did for Elisha. The chariots of God signal that God is among His people and more importantly, He brings His holiness with Him. “Sinai” is a reference to the holy mountain of God where God spoke with Moses from a burning bush and where later He gave Israel the Ten Commandments and His Law. The “sanctuary” is a reference to the place among the Israelites known as the “holy of holies” where He promised to dwell among them and where He received their offerings. When God’s countless boundless innumerable armies show up, they bring not only victory but His holiness with them. They signal the presence of God and His holiness.
* Holy means set apart for God’s use.
* Holy means morally perfect and righteous.
* Holy means the righteous power of Heaven.
Habakkuk shares with us the same truth that God’s presence is holy. Verse 3 calls Him the “Holy One” and talks about “His splendor” and “His praise.” The “brightness” and “light” and “rays flashing” in verse 4 are a symbol of His holiness. The “flash of Your glittering spear” in verse 11 is fueled by His holiness. And absolutely the statement in verse 13: “You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck” is a statement of God’s holiness and His judgment against wickedness and everything that is NOT holy. The chariots of God are a symbol that God is absolute power and His holiness.
TRANSITION
Next, we have other words from a different prophet which uses the same kind of language.
ISAIAH 66: GOD’S PRESENCE JUDGES
In Isaiah 66, the prophet Isaiah sees God coming in fire and with chariots and the point is that He is bringing His judgment on sin with Him. How do we know this? Verse 16 says it plainly. Isaiah sees something similar to Elisha and David and then also what Habakkuk will see. Fire and chariots are all part of properly envisioning God.
Let’s read from Isaiah 66:
READ ISAIAH 66:15-16 (ESV)
“For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger in fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, and by His sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many.
Isaiah sees a holy mighty God coming in fire. Isaiah wants us to remember that two things happen with fire. First, fire purifies. Second, fire destroys. God does both in His judgment. He always does both. Those that are His are purified for His presence and those that are not His are destroyed and go away from His presence. It is a fearful thing to fall under the judgment of God.
This is not the only place God and fire and judgment are connected. There are plenty of places in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament:
READ 2 Thessalonians 1:8 (ESV)
“in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
READ Hebrews 10:26-27 (ESV)
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgement, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
READ 2 Peter 3:7 (ESV)
“But by the same Word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the Day of Judgement and Destruction of the ungodly.”
Habakkuk shares with us the same truth that God’s presence is judgment. In verse 2, Habakkuk prays and sings, “in wrath remember mercy” and knows in verse 6 that God “stood and measured the earth.” His entire song is about the Holy God Who judges.
APPLICATION
What do we do with Habakkuk 3 and the vision of the Almighty God rolling in on His flaming chariot of salvation busting with holiness and power and bringing judgment? What do we do with “goodness gracious great chariots of fire?” The vision and picture that Habakkuk gives us is a significant one for us. The other passages in the Bible clue us in and none more than Elisha’s passage in 2 Kings 6. You see Elisha knew and believed what Habakkuk sang about much later. Elisha believed that He was on God’s side, surrounded by the holiness and boundless power of God and it changed his perspective. It changed his faith. It improved His outlook. It formed his prayers. It gave him new vision. It gave him an understanding of the circumstances that surrounded him.
Say this phrase with me: “Do not be afraid [repeat] for those who are with you [repeat] are more than those who are with them.” [repeat] Let’s say the whole verse together: “Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them.”
* Are you facing something physical that is challenging and it is breaking down your resolve day after day and you are surrounded by pain and aches and maybe even constant doctor visits?
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them.”
[repeat]
* Are you facing a terrible emotional time when anxiety and worry and fear or maybe depression seem to be the order of the day?
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them.”
[repeat]
* Are you in a crisis with a relationship and you aren’t sure how it will work out or even if you want it to work out?
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them.”
[repeat]
* Are you in the dark night of the soul and you are struggling spiritually and you aren’t sure where God is or when your soul will ever see light again?
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them.”
[repeat]
You see God rides into our lives with His flaming chariot of salvation which is humming with holiness and bursting with power and purifies sin wherever He goes. His countless charioteers are around you.
Heavenly Father please open our eyes that we may see Your presence among us.
Heavenly Father please open our years so we can hear that we are surrounded by You.
Heavenly Father please open our hearts that we will feel Your holy strong presence.
PRAYER
INVITATION
Keep in mind, the judgment of God purifies those that belong to Him and destroys those that don’t. I want you to belong to Jesus if you believe that He is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins. I want you to belong to God and experience all He has for you in this life and in the next.
