Habakkuk 3:14, commentary and pictures

God turns the weapons of hostile leaders back upon their own heads when they rush like a whirlwind to scatter His people and gloat over crushing the poor and weak in secret. It belongs to His saving action for Israel, showing His intervention to deliver those who call on Him even while the prophet trembles at the trouble to come. It portrays His defense of His people in the scenes just before the day of wrath, in the time of trouble when hostile forces come against them, to their utter destruction at Christ's appearing. Habakkuk's exposure of oppression in his day is a striking picture of the last days, and the clearing of the way lets His chariots of salvation, living angels, reach souls to rescue them from evil and transform them into His likeness.

Context and Wording

Habakkuk 3:14 stands in the closing prayer of the prophecy, in its last chapter, which is a majestic, beautiful, wonderfully eloquent lyric poem expressing the glory of God and the prophet's trust in his power, and which can be called a psalm. The prayer belongs to the close of the book as the prophet's own prayer of trust in God's power and glory. Its lyric form makes the last chapter a majestic and beautiful poem in its own right.

The Selah pauses in that prayer are holy pauses after great truths, like an inward amen.

Habakkuk lived in the time of Jeremiah, about 625 or 626. His message reproved the oppressive and wealthy in Israel, exposed the evil among God's people especially the strong oppressing the weak, and warned of the coming of the Chaldeans.

The verse means that God strikes through the head of his villages, that is the enemy leaders and warriors of hostile nations, with their own staves or weapons. They come out as a whirlwind to scatter his people in a violent, fierce assault. Their rejoicing is cruel and predatory, as to devour the poor and weak secretly. God thus turns their own weapons against them as they rush to scatter his people and secretly prey on the poor, striking down the hostile leaders risen against those who call on him.

Divine Judgment and Deliverance

The striking through of the head of the villages is the favorable outcome of God's intervention for Israel, in which He saves His people and all who call upon Him. It belongs to the action to save described in verses 12-16, where God strikes down enemy leaders and warriors with their own weapons as they rush like a whirlwind in fierce assault to scatter His people. Their attack is cruel and predatory, with rejoicing as to devour the poor and weak secretly. The prayer that contains it is a lyric poem expressing glory to God and trust in His power, yet the prophet trembles at the trouble ahead.

The times of Habakkuk are a type of the present time, and because human nature is always the same and oppression is always the same, his exposure of the strong oppressing the weak forms a striking picture of the last days. The verse portrays God defending His people during the time of trouble in scenes just before the day of God's wrath, when hostile forces come against them. Together with verses 13-16 it points to the same future battle and divine judgment of the great day, when God's voice is heard and the wicked face utter destruction at Christ's second appearing. The wider passage of chapter 3:8-19 describes the fearful condition of the earth during the fourth plague, when scorching heat brings mourning, failed harvests, withered trees, and the loss of joy.

The verse shows God clearing the way for His chariots of salvation to reach souls and accomplish their work, overturning mountains and nations, turning the course of rivers, and causing the sun and moon to stand still to make way for them. Those chariots are living angels, thousands upon thousands, sent from heaven on errands of mercy to save the lost. They rescue from evil angels and unseen dangers, keep the heirs of salvation from falling into sin, break the cruel bondage of sin, and transform the fallen back into God's likeness. They are soul savers and not destroyers, cooperating with Christ and with people who love Him in winning and saving souls.