Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
-
Upload
teresa-hemmer -
Category
Documents
-
view
222 -
download
0
Transcript of Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 1/22
Day 1
*What Scriptures did you read in your time alone with God today?
*What has God impressed upon your heart today?
1. Read Habakkuk 3:1-15
Chapter three is an interesting chapter in that it is written a little differently
from the previous two chapters. The very first verse uses the word
“Shigionoth.” Some translations have translated this word to mean
“orchestra.” The exact meaning is uncertain, but it is believed that the term
implies some sort of accompaniment. As you read through a little farther,
you may have noticed the use of the word “Selah.” The term “Selah” is a
musical instruction… a pause in the singing. Aside from the third chapter of
Habakkuk, it is only used in the Psalms. What we can gather from the waythe third chapter was written, is that this chapter was meant to be sung.
1
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 2/22
2. After doing a preliminary reading of the first fifteen verses of the chapter,
why would you guess that there is a shift in the way these passages are
recorded? Why do you think the chapter was intended to be sung?
Habakkuk is singing this last chapter of the book. There has been much
reconciled in his understanding of the Lord. If you consider what we’ve been
studying in the book, it’s important to note that Habakkuk circumstances
haven’t changed at all. In fact, the book starts with Habakkuk questioning
the Lord about how bad circumstances are and actually finds that
circumstances only get worse. This hardly seems cause for singing, and yet
that is exactly what Habakkuk is doing. The beautiful process that we see
happen is not that God changes the circumstances, but that God changes
Him.
3. Look closely at verses 3:1-2. What are your initial thoughts on the
passage?
4. In verse 2, Habakkuk says that he has “heard the report about you.” This
one line can encourage us in two ways. One way is that it reminds us, once
again, to write things down. Record what the Lord is doing and has done-
just like we looked at in chapter 2, verse 2. The other way that this verse
encourages us is to talk about the things of the Lord, to recount His
goodness. The Israelites made a practice of talking about the faithfulness of
God. Do you have that practice in your life? Just as Habakkuk wasencouraged by the reports that He had heard of the Lord, we can be doing
the same for ourselves and for others. This recounting of God’s faithfulness
is a common theme in scripture.
2
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 3/22
5. Read Psalm 75:1 and Psalm 26:7.
6. Write down five ways that the Lord has been faithful in your life. These
are the kinds of things that we want to be reporting on.
Remembering what the Lord has done for us in the past encourages us in the
present and gives us hope for the future. We trust and hope that just as the
Lord has acted on our behalf in the past, that he will continue to do so.
7. What are some of the things that the Lord has done for you or taught you
in that past that you are hoping He will “renew” or “revive”?
The last line of verse 2 says, “in wrath remember mercy.” These two polar
opposite responses are found fused together in the Lord. This prayer iscounting on all that God has said that He is, being true. Nowhere can we see
this truth more clearly than in the person and sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
8. Read Romans 5:8-11. How is this verse the perfect example of God
remembering mercy in His wrath?
Memory Verse- This week, you will be choosing your own memory verse. The verse
should be a verse that the Lord has taught you… not that you’ve already
memorized, but that you’ve experienced the truth of. The verse should be
one that points to how the Lord has been faithful in your life. Perhaps it is a
verse that the Lord used to sustain you through a difficult time, or a verse
3
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 4/22
that helped you better understand a trial that you experienced. It should be
a verse that reminds you of a time when the Lord was faithful to you- not in
changing your circumstances, but in changing you.
When you spend time in your small groups, consider going around the group
and sharing your verse and giving a brief explanation of how the Lord used it
in your life. Take this opportunity to boast in the Lord.
If you are a new follower or not yet a follower of Christ, you may not feel as
though you have a verse to memorize or share. Don’t feel as though you
need to make something up. Trust that the Lord, in His perfect time, will
plant His word in your heart. In the meantime, you may wish to pray
throughout the week that the Lord would reveal something in His word for
you in your quiet time or in the Bible study.
Write out your verse here.
Journal-
What has the Lord shown you today as you have studied His Word? Be sure
to discuss at least one verse in particular.
4
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 5/22
Day 2
*What Scriptures did you read in your time alone with God today?
*What has God impressed upon your heart today?
1. Read Habakkuk 3:1-15.
Memory Verse-
Write out your memory verse.
2. Look closely at verses 3:3-5. What are your initial thoughts on the
passage?
Beginning in verse 3, the Lord answers the request that Habakkuk made in
verse 2… to revive His works, make His glory known in this time. Verses
three through fifteen are what is called a “theophany.” A theophany, as
defined by D. Garland in his book on Habakkuk, “is an appearance of God in
great power and glory.” There are many examples of theophanies in the Old
Testament. One writer explains a theophany in this way, it is a “composite
of images drawn from the most awesome elements in the natural world,
used freely and poetically in an effort to represent the emotional effect of
experiencing the immediate presence of God himself.”
The next thirteen verses seem to take the best of the best examples, the
most glorious of the most glorious pictures of who God is.
5
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 6/22
Verse three is a reference to the Israelites being led out of Egypt. It would
remind its hearers of God’s faithfulness to them in the past. It is followed by
a “Selah,” a pause for meditation.
3. Let us follow the same form. Take a moment to make a note of one
significant time that you can remember God’s faithfulness.
4. Now, would you take a moment to meditate on God’s faithfulness in your
life? Put yourself on the clock for a couple of minutes, if that helps you to
discipline yourself.
Verse four talks about light and power. Radiance, sunlight, rays flashing…
the verse contains a collection of images. These images would have been
familiar to the hearers and would have reminded them of the character,
goodness, and ways of the Lord.
5. Read through the following verses and write down what the brightness or
light represents in each of the verses.
Exodus 13:21-
Exodus 24:16-
Ezekiel 10:4
Psalm 18:28
6
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 7/22
Unlike Habakkuk’s original readers, we have the blessing of seeing in the
New Testament how Christ was the embodiment of this light.
6. Read John 1:1-13. How does Christ personify what is pictured of God in
the Old Testament?
Verse five reminds us that the Lord punishes His enemies. There is comfort
in knowing that the Lord will have the final say in all things. We can rest in
the fact that the Lord takes perfect care of His people.
7. Read Exodus 7:14-25 to be reminded of the awesome power of God. The
plagues of Egypt would surely have come to the mind of Habakkuk’s hearers.
They would have remembered how the Lord had delivered them. As you
read, remember how amazing the Lord has been to deliver you as well.
7
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 8/22
Journal-
What has the Lord shown you today as you have studied His Word? Be sure
to discuss at least one verse in particular.
8
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 9/22
Day 3
*What Scriptures did you read in your time alone with God today?
*What has God impressed upon your heart today?
1. Read Habakkuk 3:1-15.
Memory Verse-
Write out your memory verse.
2. Look closely at verses 3:6-7. What are your initial thoughts on the
passage?
The answer to all of Habakkuk’s concerns and prayers and been found in the
power and the glory of the Lord. The Lord did not necessarily answer the
prophet’s prayers in the way Habakkuk would have liked, but He has given
Habakkuk the gift of peace and reverence. Look at verse 6. God stands in
power. What confidence springs forth when His mighty power is illuminated.
Different translations state the second part of that line differently. Some say
the Lord shook the earth others say He surveyed the earth. Still others say
He measured the Earth. All translations point to the fact that it is His… all of it… He completely owns it, dominates it, controls it. Habakkuk took great
comfort in that and we can do the same.
3. Read Psalm 24:1-2. What is the Lord’s?
9
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 10/22
Further down in verse 6 talks about mountains and hills. This is an earthly
reference for us. We know what mountains and hills look like and how solid,
unmovable, and eternal they seem. A mountain is established. No man can
move a mountain. It is secure and beyond the control of man. But God can
do anything. He can shatter a mountain and collapse a hill. He is above any
certain thing we may count on. There is nothing that is out of the reach of
the Lord. He is the ultimate eternal fixture. Verse 6 ends with HIS ways are
everlasting. He is the one thing that we can count on to remain.
We may recognize this truth in our heads and yet our daily lives may not
reflect this truth.
4. What are some of the things you place significance in- as if they are
eternal or reliable fixtures?
Verse 7 talks about the “tents of Cushan” and the “tent curtains of the land
of Midian.” These nations are meant to reference the land between Egypt
(the land of slavery for the Hebrew people) and Cannon (the land of promise
for the Hebrew people). These nations represented the path that the
Hebrews took from slavery to promise. The miracles and legends of the
Hebrew God went before the Hebrew people- as the awesome and terrifying
works of the Lord were talked about all over that region.
The Lord worked on the behalf of His people as they traveled through these
nations and the reference would have reminded the hearers of how the
mighty right hand of the Lord had upheld them as they traveled. It would
also remind the hearers that any nation who has had a glimpse of the power
of the Lord would tremble in fear of Him.
10
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 11/22
5. Read Exodus 23:27. What is one way that the Lord protected the Hebrew
people?
6. Can you look back on where you’ve been and see a time when the Lord
protected you?
7. Can you think of a time when you have seen a glimpse of the power of
the Lord and it has put you in awe of Him?
11
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 12/22
Journal-
What has the Lord shown you today as you have studied His Word? Be sure
to discuss at least one verse in particular.
12
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 13/22
Day 4
*What Scriptures did you read in your time alone with God today?
*What has God impressed upon your heart today?
1. Read Habakkuk 3:1-15.
Memory Verse-
Write out your memory verse.
2. Look closely at verses 3:8-11. What are your initial thoughts on the
passage?
Verses 8-11 are an interesting section of this chapter. It is unclear as to
whether this passage is referencing events in Israel’s history or whether is it
referencing expectation of things to come. It is possible that both are true.
**** states in his commentary, “The Lord who does not change is sovereign
over history, not only in the past but also in the present and future as he
works for his own glory and the redemption of his people… The prophet
Habakkuk saw the work of God in the past and knew that God would alsowork in the future. Our faithful God who does not change is a subject
preached throughout the Old Testament.”
We will attempt to look at the verses in the same light. Just as God has done
13
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 14/22
these things in the past, we can be sure that He will continue to act in great
power and authority for all eternity.
Look at the following passages in light of the encouragement and truth that
they were for Habakkuk and the Israelite people. Also recognize, though,
that they are part of your story as well. Our God has always been faithful to
His people. This is as much your story as it was theirs.
3. Read the first two lines of verse 8. This line is most likely referring to
what the Lord did in Joshua 3:14-17. Read Joshua 3:14-17 and explain how it
connects to the first two lines of Habakkuk 3:8?
4. The third line is probably referencing Exodus 14:13-23. Read the Exodus
passage and explain how Habakkuk 3:8 and Exodus 14:13-23 are connected.
14
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 15/22
5. The fourth and fifth line can be correlated with Pharaoh’s chariots. Read
Moses’ song in Exodus15:36 and explain the relationship between the
verses.
Verse nine is possibly referencing the many battles that had to be fought in
order for the Israelites to make it to the land of Canaan. Another idea is that
since the word “bow” is the same word used in the account of Noah’s flood
and the rain“bow” that followed, it may be referencing that event.
6. Read the account in Genesis 7 and explain how Habakkuk 3: 9 might be
referring to the flood.
7. Take a moment, as it says in verse nine, to “Selah.” Meditate on how God
has displayed His power to you- both in the accounts of Scripture and in your
current life.
8. Both references in verse ten can be associated with the book of Judges-
as the events have already been sung about in the song of Deborah and
Barak. Read line one of verse ten and explain how it might go with the event
described in Judges 5:4.
15
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 16/22
9. Read the second line of verse ten and explain why it might be connected
to Judges 5:21.
The last two lines of verse ten might again be a reference to the Red Sea and
the Jordan river… or it might be personification of the waters of the Earth.
The Word of God says that all the Earth worships the Lord.
10. Read Psalm 93:3. What parallels do you see in the two scriptures?
11. The final verse of the day, verse eleven is most likely connected to
Joshua 10:12-13. Read the passages and explain why.
As you’ve spent time reading these different accounts of the Lord’s
faithfulness, hopefully you have been reminded of the Lord’s power and
sovereignty. It should be a cause for peace and security, just as it was for
Habakkuk and his hearers. What a wonderful thing to recount the goodnessof our God.
16
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 17/22
Journal-
What has the Lord shown you today as you have studied His Word? Be sure
to discuss at least one verse in particular.
17
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 18/22
Day 5
*What Scriptures did you read in your time alone with God today?
*What has God impressed upon your heart today?
1. Read Habakkuk 3:1-15.
Memory Verse-
Write out your memory verse.
2. Look closely at verses 3:12-15. What are your initial thoughts on the
passage?
Yesterday’s focus was all about the goodness and faithfulness of God in the
past. Today’s passage really deals with the rescue of God’s people. This
rescue is meant to refer to the then-current rescue of the Israelites from the
Chaldeans as well as the coming rescue of a Messiah. As we put the two
days of study together, we see that just as God has always been faithful to
glorify Himself and take care of His people, so will He continue- in both our
current circumstances, as well as in our future.
### suggests that, “Perhaps Habakkuk was looking both to the past (the
exodus) and to the future (deliverance from Babylon) and using the ancient
victory to encourage the people to expect a new victory.” Hopefully, it does
the same for us.
18
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 19/22
Verse twelve talks about the wrath of God coming across the Earth-
specifically Babylon. We are reminded again of the Lord’s awesome power
and sovereignty. The same idea is presented in multiple other places.
3. Read Jeremiah 51:33. What does this verse say?
Beginning in verse thirteen, we see the hope for what is to come. The same
God who was their salvation in the past would be their salvation in the
future. “Salvation” in this context is translated as “to save” or “to deliver.”
The Lord would both save them and deliver them- in the earthly context as
well as the eternal context.
4. Read Daniel 5:22-31. What happened to the last king of Babylon,
Belshazzar, and the Babylonian empire?
The Lord goes forth for the “salvation of (His) anointed.” The word
“anointed” means chosen. It means that the Lord has selected His people
for a specific purpose. The verse is talking about not only the Israelites at
that time, but also His redeemed people now.
The third and fourth lines are interesting in that they have a couple of
different connections. The “head” can mean both the literal head of a body
and also I can mean the highest power… the pinnacle of an organization. If
the verse was referring to the past, it may have referred to Pharaoh’shouse… that the Lord had the firstborn killed in the land of Egypt- as the final
plague- in order to finally free the Israelites from captivity. It reminded the
hearers of what God did for them. In it’s present- tense it may have also
foreshadowed what God would do to king Belshazzar, the “head of the house
of evil” in Babylon- as you read in Daniel.
19
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 20/22
Another concept it could be referencing is the eternal story of redemption
and the role of Christ the redeemer. It may have been casting vision for
what the Lord would do in the future for all of His anointed people.
5. Read Genesis 3:14-15. Describe the possible connection between these
verses.
6. Be sure to follow the text and “Selah.” There is much to meditate on. Be
sure to consider the profound ways of the Lord.
Verse fourteen reassures us that evil will get what it deserves… that
however bad it is, it will be brought down. There is great irony throughout
scripture with regard to this.
7. Read the following verses and note the irony of the promised destruction.
Esther 7:10-
20
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 21/22
Daniel 6:24-
Isaiah 9:20-
Psalm 7:12-16-
Commentator O. Palmer Robertson offers that, “Rather than being terrified at
the strength of their enemies, God’s people ought to rest confidently in the
assurance that the strength of the enemies’ power only displays their
capacity to destroy themselves.” What a comforting thought to once again
be reminded of our security in the Lord and that His justice will prevail as He
works on the behalf of His people.
Verse fifteen once again reminds us that nothing can stop the Lord from
acting on behalf of His people… not the deepest of seas or the surge of many
waters. We’ve looked at multiple scriptures that testify to God’s command
over all things. We are grateful for a God who commands the Earth and who
providentially cares for His people and works for His glory.
21
8/3/2019 Habakkuk Hmwk Week 6
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/habakkuk-hmwk-week-6 22/22
8. End today with your personal response to chapter three. You may want
to write a prayer or simply note your thoughts. Next week, we will look at
Habakkuk’s response… don’t read ahead! Be honest with where you are
personally.
Journal-
What has the Lord shown you today as you have studied His Word? Be sure
to discuss at least one verse in particular.