Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (110 page)

Speaking of the city of Jerusalem, what would have made it a challenging target for an invading force? Why was it worth the effort?

Based on the words chosen to describe God, what was Habakkuk’s intention in describing his Lord?

What other questions do you have about this passage? (Now is the time to check them out.)

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Book of Habakkuk

TIME COMMITMENT:

30 minutes

“A ‘term’ is a key word or phrase that an author uses to make his point. He may use the word repeatedly to give it emphasis. He may place it on display in some prominent verse. He may build a story around it to illustrate its significance. Or he may put it in the mouth of a central character in his narrative. However he signals them, an author wants you to pay attention to his terms, because they are freighted with meaning. Unless you ‘come to terms with the terms,’ you’ll never understand his message” (pp. 257–58).

Y
ou’ve just been through the five keys to Interpretation: Content, Context, Comparison, Culture, and Consultation. In doing so, you’ve remained in the same passage of Scripture—only three verses, for the most part. But while you’re familiarizing yourself with various Bible tools, today’s assignment gives you the opportunity to better identify some noteworthy terms used. Since Habakkuk 3:17–19 is a relatively straightforward and simple passage, let’s back up and look at some terms found earlier in the book.

Depending on the Bible translation you are using, these terms pop up in various verses. Choose one or more of the following terms, start with its occurrences in Habakkuk, and then use a concordance to see where else it pops up and what conclusions you can draw about its significance.

• Justice/injustice

• Judgment

• Cup (2:16)

• Deliverance

• (Choose another term that looks interesting to you.)