Habakkuk 3:17-18: “Although the fig tree does not blossom neither shall fruit be on the vine, the labor of the olive shall fail and the field shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice (Alaz עלז) in the Lord, I will joy (Gil גיל) in the God of my salvation.”
“The only ones who did not suffer from the effects of the Great Depression were those who were poor before the Depression.” John Kenneth Galbraith, American/Canadian Economist
God knows my heart and He knows I deeply respect our brothers and sisters who live in nations where Christians are persecuted. Despite the threat of losing their jobs, homes, and even their lives they continue to be faithful to God. They do make me ashamed that I sit around and belly ache because I suffer some loss while these great warriors of God continue the fight.
With that said, let me speak the unspeakable. In most cases, not all to be sure, those suffering in persecuted lands didn’t have much to lose to begin with. Their whole lives have been difficult and death was always a reality to them. Here in this country we have lived and grown up in relative security and prosperity. Such blessings can also be a curse when you seek to put the heart of God first.
If you had nothing to begin with it is much easier to weather a recession or depression than if you had couple new cars, house, with all the trimmings and to then suddenly lose it all. Job did not ;mourn on a pile of ashes because he had nothing, he mourned because he had much and then had nothing.
Israel had entered a time of great prosperity just before the Babylonian Captivity. Suddenly all their wealth and prosperity would be torn away. Chapter 3 verse 17 declares they would suffer not only disaster at the hands of man but natural disasters as well, a double whammy. Ever get hit with a double whammy. You look up only hoping someone got the license number of that truck that just ran over you. The last thing you feel like doing is to rejoice. Yet the prophet says that when this happens he will rejoice in the Lord. He is not rejoicing over someone else’s misfortune, he is right in the middle of this misfortune. His stocks and bonds will go down the tubes just like everyone else, yet he says “he will rejoice.” Not only that but the word for rejoice e’elazah which has a paragogic Hei and means he will dance with joy. Well, goody gum drops for Habakkuk, he may be able to dance for joy over losing everything, but I can’t even fake a rejoice after being run down by that truck.
I know I should be joyful, I should be dancing with joy like the prophet, but that is not my story. So I think I will just have a little chat with this word Rejoice and see what this is all about. Now the root word for this rejoice is ’alaz (Ayin, Lamed, Zayin) and it is found….well it was here a minute ago, Where did he…Ah ha, I knew it, trying to sneak out to go behind that Looking Glass. Alaz (rejoice) don’t you go crawling away from me like that, you stop right there and come back here, I have few words to…Alaz, Alaz, don’t make me come after you.” Blast it anyways, there he goes running through my Looking Glass. Well, that did it, I needed Alaz (rejoice) so bad that I have no choice but to take in after him through my Looking Glass. As I pass through my Looking Glass I run smack dab into a giant Gimmel accompanied by an equally large Yod and Lamed. “Who are you I ask?” I am Gil (joy) Alaz’s (rejoice) big brother.” I have Alaz (rejoice) right here, he is always running away. “Yeah, well how do you guys (Gil, rejoice) fit into all this? I ask. Gil (joy) replies: “You see that last part of the verse: ‘I will joy in the God of my salvation?’ Well, we are that word joy. There is more than one joy out there my tired, disillusioned friend. Now come on, join hands with us (joy) and Alaz (rejoice)”
I am forced to take Gimmel’s hand with my right hand and Ayin’s hand with my left hand and suddenly I find myself dancing around in a circle with Alaz (rejoice) singing “Here We Go Round The… “ Now cut that out” I shout. I knew this dream was really getting out of hand, it was about time I gave some of these Hebrew letters a piece of my mind. After all it is my dream, I can behave anyway I want. So I point my finger at Alaz (rejoice) and I start to scold him, “Look you joyful little snot, my fig tree is not blossoming and I don’t feel like Alazing (rejoice) with any delinquent little Alaz (rejoice), so there.” Suddenly Alaz (rejoice) starts to cry: “He don’t love me no more” and runs away. Gimmel looks at me sternly, “See what you’ve done now. You wait here.” “No,” I say, repentantly, “I will go get him.” “That you will not!” shouts Gimmel, “You’ve done enough damage and besides this is my job”. With that, Gimmel takes off after his kid brother Alaz (rejoice). I turn to the Yod and Lamed of Gil (joy) and asked why it is that Gimmel has to get Alaz (rejoice) back. Yod (which represents the beginning point) says that people are always offending little Alaz’s (rejoice) heart with their negative attitudes. Alaz (rejoice) is very sensitive and just one little negative comment from anyone and he is off running away and poor Gimmel (lovingkindness) is the only one who can sooth Alaz’s (rejoice) little wounded heart and bring Alaz (rejoice) back to us. You see, I (Yod) am the next letter in Gil (joy) and I represent a heavenly message where Gimmel is right now reminding Alaz (rejoice) of our last letter in Gil, Lamed. So I turn to the Lamed and say, “Ok, Lamed you have been pretty quiet throughout all this so now cough up, you seem to be the missing link to this mystery, what role do you play into all this? But Lamed just stood there with his hand lifted up to heaven receiving the joy of the Lord into that center bump of his which represents his heart. Then Lamed quietly turns to me and says, “You see Alaz (rejoice) needs to be reminded that he is not dependant upon circumstances or on what people say.“ I see Ayin glaring at me and Gimmel looking back at me with a scornful look. Lamed continues, “Alaz (rejoice) needs to be reminded that he comes from God and that he is God’s special gift to you.“ How you treat your gifts from God is your business, but if you take my advice I’d…“ “Never mind I say, “but what’s up with this circle business, this ring around the rosy stuff? Gimmel, now having rejoined us and his other two letters forming the word Gil (joy) answers by saying: “Why didn’t you know? That is our original Semitic meaning. We were not always known as joy, but we were originally known as a circle.” “Mother Joseph and Mary I respond, “I always thought you, (Gil) meant joy.” “I know, replied Gil, “It makes about as much sense as your exclamation. But tell me now, don’t you find pleasure and joy when you spin in a circle. You go to an amusement park where there are a variety of ways to spin you in a circle to feel pleasure. The circle is a symbol of God and that is why we (Gil – circle, joy) are much bigger than Alaz (rejoice) because our joy is bigger, it is the joy of the Lord.
I take Alaz’s (rejoice) hand as we are now once again good friends, and return to my office through my Looking Glass. I let go of Alaz’s (rejoice) hand and he happily scampers back into my Hebrew Bible. But before returning I mention to Alaz (rejoice) that this was all very interesting but I still do not feel the joy. Alaz (rejoice) makes a suggestion: “When I ran away, it was Gimmel (lovingkindness) that brought me back, After I jumped back into Habakkuk turn to Romans 8:38-39. My Greek friends in the New Testament will explain it all to you.”
Saying goodbye to my friend Alaz (rejoice), I then turn to Romans 8:38-39 and read the words of the Apostle Paul who once had wealth, power, comfort and lost it all when He found Jesus. Here he is not bemoaning the loss of wealth, power, fame and even health. He is focused on one thing and one thing only and in that he declares that nothing will or can separate him from the one thing that matters to him in this life and that is not wealth, power, fame or health, but it is the love of God in Christ Jesus. Like Paul, I can lose everything in this life, man can take away everything from me but there is one thing man or the enemy cannot touch or remove and that is the love of God in Jesus Christ and with that I will always have Alaz (rejoice) by my side and I can join hands with his big brother Gil (joy, circle) and spin around in a circle our of pure joy.
Man or natural disasters can separate me from everything on this earth except one thing: The Gimmel, the love of God in Christ Jesus, His lovingkindness.” As long as I have that I can join hands with Alaz (rejoice) and Gil (circle, joy) and sing, dance and praise the Lord. And should I offend my little friend Alaz (rejoice) again, well, I will always have the Gimmel (lovingkindness) to chase after Alaz (rejoice) and bring him back to me.
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