Reading for February 10th

 Read Habakkuk 3.1-19. In 3.1-19: A hymn praising God's rule. This hymn describes a theophany, a direct appearance of God (vv. 3-15), placed in a framework describing poet's response to it (v.. 2, 16-19). In verse 1: Though attributing the hymn to Habakkuk, the title contains a musical notation, according to Shigionoth (a Hebrew word no loner understood), which is found elsewhere only in Ps 7. Other features of ch. 3 found elsewhere only in the psalms-the term Selah (vv. 3,9, 13; a Hebrew word no longer understood) and the musical notation in v. 19-suggest that this hymn may once have existed as a psalm, independent of the prophetic book that it now concludes. In verse 2: The hymn's introduction and conclusion (vv. 16-19) are composed in the first-person perspective of the poet. In verses 3-115: The theophany describes God's march into battle (vv. 3-7) and conquest of his enemies (vv. 8-15. in verse 3: Teman and Mount Paran refer to a sacred mountain in the southern desert, perhaps to be identified with Mount Sinai (Horeb) and where God appeared to Moses and Israel (Ex 19; Deut 33.2-3). In verse 5: Pestilence and plague are divine figures in antiquity; they may be part of the heavenly armies God leads into battle. Inverse 7: Cushan and Midian are inhabitants of the southern desert where God's march begins. They are shaken together with nature (v. 6) when God appears. In verse 8: The forces of chaos that challenge God's rule of the world are personified in ancient mythology as Sea and River, as they may be here. By describing God's enemies here and in v.15 as sea and river, the poet claims that God conquers chaotic forces in both cosmic and historical realms. In verses 10-11: The sun and the moon are heavenly figures who are members of God's armies, like pestilence and plague (v. 5), or are simply startled by God's appearance together with the rest of nature. In verse 13: The anointed is Israel's military or political leader. It may also be understood as laying bare the body of the wicked (Sea/River) from buttocks to neck, thus describing God's defeat of the powers of cosmic chaos as well as Israel's historical enemies. In verses 16-19: The conclusion resumes the first-person perspective of the introduction (v.2), describing the poet's own awe at God's appearance (v. 16) and joy because of God's victory and rule ((vv. 18-19). Comments or Questions..