God knows your name. Yes, you! He knows your name, sees your actions, and he hears your thoughts. Habakkuk has experienced this as he asks God his questions (Hab 1:2–4, 1:12—2:1) and hears God’s replies (Hab 1:5–11; 2:2–20).
After God’s second answer to Habakkuk we read what Habakkuk says in reply to God. That reply to God is introduced with a note, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth” (Hab 3:1).[1] In this verse let’s notice what we learn about the prophet, his prayer, and his music.
His name, “Habakkuk,” shows up two times in the Bible (Hab 1:1; 3:1). While the book of Habakkuk is often quoted in Scripture,[2] his name is only mentioned twice and his family is not revealed.
Habakkuk probably was an ordained priest that was part of the temple liturgical singing. He appears well educated, deeply sensitive, and based on literary style he was as much a poet as prophet.[3] His aptitude for music is clear. There are musical notations in Habakkuk 3:19 which indicate Habakkuk was a composer of music.
He likely lived in Judah in 607–604 BC under king Jehoiakim (Jer 22:15–17; 2 Kings 23:34—24:5) in the final dark days of the southern nation of Judah.
His role within Judah as prophet was a covenant mediator. He had a responsibility to offer intercession for the people.[4] Habakkuk found himself living in Judah while Babylon was approaching. Yet God was in control of both nations, thus only God’s grace could sustain the prophet and the people.
If you’re like me you have trouble reading the word, “Shigionoth.”[5]That word is transliterated, not translated, because we don’t know what it means. Since we don’t know what it means, translators “transliterate” it by transferring the Hebrew consonants and vowels into English consonants and vowels. (It’s as if they “sound it out” from Hebrew into English.) But, in light of the musical note in Habakkuk 3:19, it probably has some type of musical-liturgical significance and perhaps this chapter was a song. It could refer to excitement or celebration.
The “prayer”[6] we read about here is a response to God’s revelation. As I shared earlier, chapters one and two of Habakkuk involved an interchange between God and Habakkuk. Chapter three is the effect of that interchange. The British preacher Martin Lloyd Jones once said, “Prayer is more than petition, and includes praise, thanksgiving, recollection, and adoration.”[7] I think that’s a good summary of what Habakkuk is doing in Habakkuk 3:1.
We learn from Habakkuk’s prayer that peace in the midst of God’s plans comes when we realize obscurity does not mean invisibility. Habakkuk was a man living in the seventh century in Judah, became the author of a small book in the Old Testament, was probably not well known, but he was known by God as a prophet.
Habakkuk, the prophet, wrote a book of just three short chapters. His book only contains fifty-six verses. Luke wrote seven chapters that are as long or longer than the entire book of Habakkuk. We can compare Habakkuk’s three meager chapters with the sixty-six chapters of Isaiah, fifty-two chapters of Jeremiah, the forty-eight of Ezekiel, and twelve of Daniel.[8]
Habakkuk’s book might be small but the man was not minor in God’s eyes. From Habakkuk we learn that obscurity doesn’t mean invisibility. And that’s a lesson for us in the church today.
Just because we are not famous or well known doesn’t mean God doesn’t hear us, know us, and respond to us. Even if you are a new Christian, never volunteer in church, only occasionally attend church, and never donate to church, God listens to your prayers. God knows you and he responds to your need just as he responded to Habakkuk’s need.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[2] Habakkuk 1:11 is quoted by Paul in Acts 13:39. Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. The author of Hebrews also quotes Habakkuk 2:4 in Hebrews 10:38.
[3] J. Ronald Blue, “Habakkuk,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1508.
[4] As was seen by other prophets in Gen 20:7; Exod 32:11–14; Isa 63:15; Jer 14:7–9.
[5] The plural form appears here in Hab 3:1, the singular form appears in Psalm 7:1.
[6] Psalm 17, 86, 90, 102, 142 all have “prayer” in the title. This prayer is like those Psalms that also contain the name of the person that prays them.
[7] Martin Lloyd Jones, From Fear to Faith: Rejoicing In The Lord In Turbulent Times (Carol Stream, IL: NavPress, 2011), 55.
[8] Habakkuk is called a “minor prophet” simply because of it’s size, but not because of it’s impact or importance. Habakkuk was a minor prophet with a major message and a major ministry.