Though the Fig Tree Does Not Flourish

Habakkuk's book began with complaint and ends with a song. In chapter 3 he prays, Yahweh, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Yahweh. Renew your work in the middle of the years. His request is simple and humble: in wrath, you remember mercy. He does not ask God to stop being just, but to show mercy within his justice.

Habakkuk then pictures God appearing like a warrior and a storm, echoing how God rescued Israel in the past. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran; his glory covered the heavens. His splendor is like the sunrise. The ancient mountains crumbled, the deep roared, and the sun and moon stood still. Through all this power God went out for the salvation of his people.

The vision leaves Habakkuk shaking, but it also settles him. He will wait quietly for the day of trouble to come on the invaders. Then comes one of the great statements of faith in Scripture: for even though the fig tree doesn't flourish, nor fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive fails, the fields yield no food, the flocks are cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The man who began by asking how long ends by trusting God himself, not his circumstances. Yahweh, the Lord, is his strength.