“You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. 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. 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. You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.” (Habakkuk 3:12-15 ESV)
Throughout history, military power has been paramount to national success. Especially in ancient times, whoever had the largest army and the most technologically advanced weapons ruled the known world. From Babylon to Persia to the Hittites to the Romans, world superpowers left their mark on history as peoples against whom virtually no nation could stand.
By contrast, the nation of Israel was “the fewest of all peoples” (Deuteronomy 7:7) and insignificant on the global scale. They had no great army to manifest their power among the nations, nor could they have, by natural means, withstood the advance of the nations by which they were surrounded. Yet, they alone were the people of Yahweh. They alone were a nation to whom it could be said, “The LORD will fight for you” (Exodus 14:14). Their small size was a constant reminder—often intentionally and explicitly (Judges 7)—that their confidence could lie nowhere else than in the hands of their omnipotent God.
For Habakkuk, this was an immeasurable comfort. As he continues his prayer in verse 12, he moves from meditating primarily on God’s power over the natural elements of seas, mountains, and heavenly bodies to God’s power over Israel’s human enemies, from the conquest of Canaan to Habakkuk’s present day.
He says that God “threshed the nations” as he marched through the earth. Threshing, a process likely unfamiliar to most of us, involved the aggressive beating or trampling of grain. Habakkuk uses the term here to describe the manner in which the Lord overwhelmed the nations. Though powerful in a worldly sense, they would be destroyed as the thresher beats out the grain. It was the power of the Lord, not the earthly might of Israel, that would accomplish this.
Habakkuk continues that the Lord “went out” for the salvation of his people. It is interesting to note that Habakkuk previously stated that “the LORD is in his holy temple” (2:20), yet he is now emerging from the throne room, as it were, to go out to battle against his foes. Neither the military might of the nations nor their “speechless idols” could turn back the God of Israel. The Lord would secure the promised inheritance for his “anointed,” which refers to the Davidic line culminating in Christ. Yes, the armies of Israel were involved in the conquest of Canaan, but it was the Lord who went out before them and gained the victory for them.
God also “crushed the head of the house of the wicked.” God is not only preserving the messianic line of his own people, but, by crushing the “head of the house” of his enemies, is effectively removing the familial leader of the enemies. It is not merely the soldiers or servants of the enemy nations who will be defeated, but the one who embodies its leadership and power. This statement also refutes those who would contend that the Lord is merciless and unjust in his actions, as Habakkuk notes that it is the “house of the wicked” which is destroyed. These peoples were in rebellion against God, and their destruction is the result of God’s just wrath being poured out.
The power of God comes with such force that the peoples of Canaan were confused and scattered. There was complete disarray among Israel’s opponents. Though “the people who [dwelt] in the land [were] strong, and the cities [were] fortified and very large” (Numbers 13:28), they melted like wax before Yahweh. As God rules over creation, so he rules over its inhabitants. As he shakes the foundations of the mountains in the advance of his kingdom and his glory, so also he threshes the seemingly indestructible peoples who oppose him. It is only those who belong to the Lord who possess a sure kingdom and everlasting inheritance.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You are the God of all the universe and the ruler of all peoples. None who oppose you will stand, and none who are with you will fail. Let us take comfort in this, and may it strengthen our faith as we cling to you alone.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for missionaries reaching the unreached in Toronto.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries using fitness to share the gospel in Thailand.
- Thursday: Pray for the ministry of Hope Radio in Togo.
- Friday: Pray for the missionary candidates who will attend Missionary Orientation later this month.
- Saturday: Pray for the Sports Event Evangelism teams as they reach people for Christ.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries serving in Italy.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving through counseling.
Featured Serving Opportunity:
Operating Room Manager
Location: Togo
We are looking for a registered nurse with at least two years of operating room experience to manage the operating room at the Hospital of Hope, in Togo, Africa.
