A JOY THAT TREMBLES (5 OF 5)
Scripture: Habakkuk 3:16-19
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A Joy that Trembles (5 of 5)
Series: Lament, Protest, and Trust: The Book of Habakkuk
Wyman Richardson
Habakkuk 3:16-19
Read Habakkuk 3:16-19
James Montgomery Boice has passed on a very interesting story about our text.
The last section of this chapter contains some of the most moving verses in all the Bible. On one occasion it was used by Benjamin Franklin, who was not a Christian, to confound some of the sophisticated, cultured despisers of the Bible whom he met in Paris when he was serving as United States Plenipotentiary to that country. The skeptics were mocking him for his admiration of the Bible. So he decided to find out how well they knew the book they professed to scorn. One evening he entered their company with a manuscript that contained an ancient poem he said he had been reading. He said that he had been impressed with its stately beauty. They asked to hear it. He held it out and read this great third chapter of Habakkuk ending with:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer.
he enables me to go on the heights.
Verses 17-19
The reading was received with exclamations of extravagant admiration. ''What a magnificent piece of verse!'' they cried. Where had Franklin found it? How could they get copies? They were astonished when he informed them that it was the third chapter of Habakkuk's prophecy.
Yes, this is indeed a powerful verse, but it is not merely powerful because it is beautifully written and constructed. It is powerful because of what it reveals about the Lord our God and about the prophet Habakkuk's trust in Him.
It is possible to trust in God when you are scared.
Remember the unfolding development of the book o ...
Series: Lament, Protest, and Trust: The Book of Habakkuk
Wyman Richardson
Habakkuk 3:16-19
Read Habakkuk 3:16-19
James Montgomery Boice has passed on a very interesting story about our text.
The last section of this chapter contains some of the most moving verses in all the Bible. On one occasion it was used by Benjamin Franklin, who was not a Christian, to confound some of the sophisticated, cultured despisers of the Bible whom he met in Paris when he was serving as United States Plenipotentiary to that country. The skeptics were mocking him for his admiration of the Bible. So he decided to find out how well they knew the book they professed to scorn. One evening he entered their company with a manuscript that contained an ancient poem he said he had been reading. He said that he had been impressed with its stately beauty. They asked to hear it. He held it out and read this great third chapter of Habakkuk ending with:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer.
he enables me to go on the heights.
Verses 17-19
The reading was received with exclamations of extravagant admiration. ''What a magnificent piece of verse!'' they cried. Where had Franklin found it? How could they get copies? They were astonished when he informed them that it was the third chapter of Habakkuk's prophecy.
Yes, this is indeed a powerful verse, but it is not merely powerful because it is beautifully written and constructed. It is powerful because of what it reveals about the Lord our God and about the prophet Habakkuk's trust in Him.
It is possible to trust in God when you are scared.
Remember the unfolding development of the book o ...
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