Though the fig tree should not blossom,
Habakkuk 3:17-18
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God revealed to Habakkuk the terrible times to come. He can only sit and wait for the inevitable outcome. What would you do? How do you respond when it feels like the world is falling apart?
Forsaken Fields
Habakkuk describes a frightening situation: fruit that fails to grow and fields that fail to yield. Famine and starvation will quickly follow. He names a few prominent sources of food in the land: figs, grapes, olives, and grains (barley and wheat). Moses describes the seven prominent species of crops that they will cultivate in the land: “wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey” (Deuteronomy 8:8).
Contrary to what Habakkuk sees coming, the idea of “the good life” in the Bible is when everyone sites “under his vine and under his fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25). This describes life under Solomon’s reign. It is also a promise for the future redemption (Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10). On the other hand, during the ten plagues on Egypt, God “struck down their vines and fig trees” (Psalm 105:33).
Hidden Herds
Not only have the crops failed, but the flocks and herds have also disappeared. While we know of plenty of instances of killing the fattened calf for a celebration, people didn’t eat meat often. For practical reasons, they didn’t have refrigeration, so it wouldn’t keep long, so it made more sense when you had a large group with which to share it. The flocks and herds were more useful on a daily basis for the products you could get from then, like wool and milk. They were also work animals, like donkeys for hauling goods or oxen pulling a plow.
A big part of someone’s wealth was indicated by the number of animals they owned. For instance, “Abram was very rich (literally, heavy) in livestock” (Genesis 13:2). Jacob worked for his uncle Laban for 20 years and “increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys” (Genesis 30:43). Laban’s sons said Jacob had become wealthy (once again, heavy) at Laban’s expense (Genesis 31:1).
To Ponder…
How does Habakkuk respond to these troublesome thoughts? He rejoices! Even when the world around him is falling apart with no food on the table and the bank accounts drained, even then he will praise God. That doesn’t mean he likes that these terrible events are coming. He’s simply able to praise God because of who he is, “the God of my salvation”.
How would you respond if you were in Habakkuk’s place? Are you able to praise God even in the worst of circumstances? It’s easy to thank God for things that go well. What does it look like to take joy in him just for being the God who saves us, not expecting anything more from him? Do you believe God will eventually make everything right, when we can all live at peace under our own vines and fig trees?
