Where is Yeshua in Habakkuk? On the road to Emmaus, when he spoke to this couple, it was the third day, and Yeshua had already risen and He began to teach. We are told in Luke 24:27, Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Yes, all the prophets include Habakkuk. Where then is Jesus in Habakkuk? We have seen Him at the beginning of chapter 3 and in verse 4 we read, His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise. His radiance is like the Light. And then we are told of His redemptive power when it says that He has rays flashing from His hand. These are only a few words which say so much.
However, there is yet another place of Habakkuk where we can perceive Yeshua in His suffering and in His death and resurrection. This is during Habakkuk’s first response and the first sign of His transformation. It is in vs.12 of chapter 1 where we read, Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? You will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.
While Habakkuk spoke of the LORD, we, who know Yeshua, and the prophecies about Him and the account of His life, can see Him in these words. Let’s look at are You not from everlasting? The word everlasting is kedem. This word, also found in Micah, tells us from where the Messiah will come. In the same prophecy where he tells us that Yeshua will born in Bethlehem, he also adds: His goings forth are from everlasting, (kedem), from the days of eternity (le-olam).
But it is in the words addressed to God, You shall not die where we can see Yeshua best. These words disturbed the bible scribes so much that they changed it to we shall not die. Habakkuk however, wanted to stress God’s eternity, but for us we can see Yeshua going to the Tav, to the cross to die for us and resurrect. Did Habakkuk also see this? It is as if he perceived Him carrying His Tav. But he saw Him resurrected in power, back on earth, to save all believers.
Furthermore, see how Habakkuk calls God, the Holy One; this also was Yeshua, for He was the Tzadik, the Holy One, the pure sacrifice for our sins. And when Habakkuk says my Holy One it further emphasizes the work that Yeshua did… Yeshua made us holy, Tsadik. All those who know Yeshua can call Him, “My Holy One”.
He is also the Rock, as Habakkuk, as well as Paul call Him (1 Cor. 10:4).
And see how Habakkuk calls God in verse 12: He says Jehovah twice, and God Eloha אֱלֹהַ֛י once. This is what it is in the Shema: In both Habakkuk 1:12 & Deuteronomy 6:4 God is addressed three times and in the same way; Jehovah twice and Eloha once. It is in the singular in Habakkuk as Eloha and in the plural, our God, Elohenu in the Deuteronomy passage. These are the three names that brought the rabbis in the Zohar to ask; why is the name of God mentioned 3 times? They answered: They are two, and one is joined to them, making three, and when they are three they are one. (ZOHAR Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 162a)
Here we see the fullness of God engaged in the redemption and the salvation of Israel and of all those who believe in Him. And beyond these things, the name of Yeshua is in this book in such a great way.
Have you noticed the words in 3:8? Chariots of Salvation. In the Hebrews it reads: מַרְכְּבֹתֶ֖יךָ יְשׁוּעָֽה׃ Merkabotecha Yeshua. Jesus is coming with thousands of His angels, to crush the evil of this world.
If there is one thing we ought to remember, if there is one thing that should give us joy and exultation, it is the knowledge that Yeshua is coming back, and soon. This then is the Book of Habakkuk.
Click here for the complete teaching: The Prophet Habakkuk Sermon 8 : “Habakkuk’s Transformation”