Habakkuk 3 Footnotes

3:16-19 At the end of his book, Habakkuk reiterated his determination to continue to trust God even when conditions of physical survival would become almost insurmountable. Nothing would deter him from his first obligation as a worshiper of the Lord, to “celebrate” and “rejoice” in him. The “salvation” (v. 18) Habakkuk mentioned, in other words, is not dependent on people or circumstances but on God, who supplies “strength” (v. 19). That was Paul’s point: Salvation is through faith and, therefore, dependent on God alone, not on what people strive to do by their own means nor upon the outward circumstances of life. One can hear the echo of Habakkuk in Paul’s admonition, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Php 4:4).

3:19 The final line of Habakkuk is an instruction for musical performance, similar to what is found in the superscriptions of many of the psalms. This would indicate that his prophecy, or a portion of it, was intended for use in worship.