Habakkuk 3:16 - Meaning and Application

In these few lines, the prophet is both trembling and triumphing at the same time. That shows the changing condition of God’s people in this world and the changing feelings of their hearts. In heaven, there will be no more trembling, only lasting triumph.

The prophet had already seen the enemies of the church grow strong, and he knew the church’s troubles would last a long time. That sight made him shake with fear (Habakkuk 3:16). He is continuing what he said earlier, “I heard your message and was afraid” (Habakkuk 3:2). When he heard what hard times were coming on God’s people, his whole body reacted, his belly trembled, and his lips quivered. It was as if the news had given him a severe fever.

He was so overwhelmed that it seemed as if his bones were rotting and all strength had left him. He could hardly stand or move. He trembled inside and out, and he freely gave way to that fear. Like the psalmist, he was moved by reverence for God’s judgments, and his flesh trembled because of God’s fear (Psalm 119:120). He felt deep sorrow for the church’s suffering and feared that Israel might end in ruin. He did not think it shameful to admit that he was one who trembled at God’s word, because God looks with favor on such people.

“I tremble in myself, that I may rest in the day of trouble.” The lesson is clear: when we see trouble coming, we should prepare for it. We should lay up what will help us rest in that day. The best way to find rest in trouble is to tremble inwardly at God’s word and its warnings. God has joy stored up for those who sow in tears, and he has rest stored up for those who tremble before him. Holy fear is the foundation of good hope through grace. Noah, who feared God’s warning about the coming flood, found his resting place in the ark during that time of trouble.

The prophet then tells us what he feared. When the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, came against the people of Israel, he feared they would invade, surround, and break into the land. The margin suggests another sense, that they would cut the people in pieces with their troops. In his anguish, he cried out that the whole nation was lost. We are often tempted, when things look bad, to make them seem even worse than they are.

But then he looked back at what God had done for his people in earlier times. As he remembered God’s former works, he recovered from his fear. He not only regained his calm, but also broke out into holy joy, even while the coming trouble still stood before him. He spoke not for himself alone, but for every faithful Israelite.

He first imagines the loss of all earthly comforts, even the things needed for daily life (Habakkuk 3:17). War often brings famine, and those who stay behind usually suffer first and most. So the prophet and his godly friends would be stripped of what they had when the Chaldean army came. He may also be thinking of disaster from bad weather or some immediate act of God. Or he may be speaking of the condition of the captives in Babylon, who would not have the plenty they once enjoyed in their own land.

He pictures the fruit trees failing. The fig tree, which gave much food, would not blossom, and there would be no fruit on the vine, which supplied their drink and cheered the heart. The olive crop would fail too, so their oil, which served them as butter does us, would not come. Their hopes for it would be disappointed. He also supposes the grain fields would fail, so that no food would come from the land. Since even the king depends on the produce of the field, everyone would feel that lack.

He goes further and supposes the cattle would die or be carried off. The flock would be gone from the fold, and there would be no herd in the stall. The reminder is plain: when we enjoy earthly comforts in full, we should remember that a time may come when all of them are taken away. We should use them carefully, without being ruled by them (1 Corinthians 7:29-30).

Yet even if all those things are gone, he is resolved to rejoice in God (Habakkuk 3:18). “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will still have him to rejoice in, and I will rejoice in him.” If vines and fig trees are destroyed, the joy of a worldly heart dies with them (Hosea 2:11-12). But those who once enjoyed God in all things, when they were full, can still enjoy all things in God when they are emptied and poor. They can sit among the ruins of their comforts and still sing to God’s praise as the God of their salvation.

That is the main reason for our joy in God, he is the God of our salvation, our eternal salvation, the salvation of the soul. If he is that to us, then even great troubles cannot stop that salvation or keep us from it. So joy in God is never out of place. It is especially fitting when we lose worldly things, because then it becomes clear that our hearts are not fixed on them.

The prophet then rises higher still: “The Lord God is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:19). The God who saves us in the world to come will also give us strength in this world as we travel toward him and face opposition along the way. Even when food is cut off, to show that man does not live by bread alone, God can supply what is missing through the grace and comfort of his Spirit.

We will be strong for spiritual battle and work, because “the Lord God is my strength, the strength of my heart.” We will also be quick for the spiritual race, because “he will make my feet like a deer’s feet,” so that with an enlarged heart we can run in the way of his commands and outrun our troubles. And we will be successful in spiritual efforts, because “he will make me walk on my high places.” That is, I will reach my goal, be restored to my own land, and tread on the high places of the enemy (Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:29).

So the prophet, who began his prayer in fear and trembling, ends it with joy and victory. Prayer gives a troubled soul real relief. When Hannah prayed, she went away, ate, and was no longer sad.

The prophet found this for himself, and he shared that experience for the church’s use, especially in times of captivity. Even when the harps were hung on the willow trees, he looked ahead in hope that they would be taken up again, and that the hand that had forgotten how to play would recover its skill. He set his song to Shigionoth, that is, wandering or changing tunes (Habakkuk 3:1), and to Neginoth, stringed instruments (Habakkuk 3:19). A person who is hurting, and who has truly prayed, may become so at peace, and even so joyful, that he can sing psalms.