Though the fig-tree shall not blossom and the fruit is not on the vines, the work of the olive fails and the fields make no food; the flock is cut off from the fold and no herd is in the stalls, yet I will exult in YHWH, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

Exult – The prophet Habakkuk must have been a secret economist.  Of course, his prediction wasn’t very favorable.  Just look at the disaster.  No figs.  No olives.  Crop failure.  Loss of animals.  Everything necessary for an agricultural society to survive fails.  That’s like telling us that the banks collapse, the stock market drops 6000 points, the oil supply dries up and unemployment reaches 60%.  In true prophetic form, Habakkuk announces a celebration, exactly the opposite of any “rational” man’s response.  But Habakkuk wasn’t a rational man, was he?  He was a prophet.  His reality was the character of God, not the condition of the world.  And he tells us that it’s time to party.

The Hebrew verb ‘alaz describes rejoicing, jubilation, and celebration.  It is especially applied to celebrating God.  This isn’t a party about the conditions of the economy.  They are dismal, no doubt about it.  Habakkuk is not focused on the circumstances of present-day life.  He is celebrating the eternal power, majesty and purposes of YHWH.  In other words, no matter what our conditions are, being God’s people is worth it all.

‘alaz has an interesting pictograph.  Ayin-Lamed-Zayin is the picture “to experience control cut off.”  Wow!  This hardly seems like a picture of celebration.  This seems like a picture of catastrophe.  But we have the picture upside-down, don’t we?  It is only when we experience loss of control that God is able to demonstrate His care and compassion.  As long as the world works the way we expect it to, we are more than likely to put God behind the glass that says, “Break in case of emergency.”  The Hebrew view is just the opposite.  We celebrate when things fall apart because we are known by the One who cares.

Carl Jung used to tell his patients that moments of loss in their lives were the perfect environment for real change.  When a patient reported losing a job, Jung was joyful since this crisis could precipitate serious personal introspection and development.  But when a patient reported being newly hired, Jung despaired, commenting that this apparently positive change could prevent real personal change.  Jung seemed to have a very Hebraic view.  So often our focus is on all those things that we believe we must control in order to have life the way we want it.  Fortunately, God is good.  He removes our seductive crutches in order for us to find Him.  He alone is our rescue and deliverance.

Perhaps your current crisis is God’s engineering attempt to remove the false foundation of your hope.  Maybe what you and I need is ‘alaz, right now in the midst of the collapse of our way of imaging the world.  Hooray!  God’s in charge.

Topical Index: exult, ‘alaz, control, Habakkuk 3:17-18

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