Habakkuk 3 Commentary

Habakkuk 3 records a psalm which is also a prayer. The psalm asks God to renew His work among His covenant people and temper His judgment with mercy, to revive His people even during their time of judgement and exile. Habakkuk speaks of God in the third person to describe how God comes on the earth so powerfully and inflicts judgment on His opponents. God has done so in the past, and will most certainly do so again in the future. Thus Habakkuk ends the psalm with assurance, noting that he can choose joy in the midst of difficulty because the LORD is his strength.

The outline of the passage is as follows:

1. Habakkuk asks God to have compassion on Judah amid their exile so that they can experience spiritual revival and restoration (vv. 1-2).
2. Habakkuk describes the manifestation of the LORD as He comes in great power and inflicts punishment on those who oppose Him (vv. 3-7).
3. Habakkuk wants to know the ultimate purpose of the LORD's manifest presence. The prophet then realizes that the LORD's appearance is to deliver His covenant people from their adversaries (vv. 8–15).
4. Habakkuk is filled with fear when he hears the report about how the LORD will use Babylon to discipline Judah. Despite his fear, he is overwhelmed with joy as he puts his trust in God and waits patiently for God to rescue His covenant people (vv. 16–19).