A Hidden Gem

O Jehovah, I have heard your message, and I am in awe.

O Lord, restore to life in the midst of the years the one you created!

In the midst of his years, make him known.  In wrath, remember mercy.”

Habakkuk 3:2

Occasionally while translating the Old Testament, we come upon prophecies overlooked by other translators, such as the one above.  There are many of them.  The apostles had nothing but the Old Testament with which to work, but the holy Ghost opened their eyes to those holy scriptures to see the Son in them, and they preached the Son wherever they went.

Here, Habakkuk is moved by the Spirit to pray that the Father will make the Son known “in the midst of his years”.  And how did the Father do that?  He did that by sending him to the cross, and when He did, the Son dreaded the agony and pleaded with God to find another way to save mankind.  He said, “Abba (that is, Father)!  All things are possible with you.  Take this cup away from me!” (Mk. 14:36).  But even this plea of the Son was prophesied in another oft overlooked prophecy found in Psalm 102:24, and this time, God’s answer to the Son when he prayed that prayer is included:

Psalm 102

24. When I said, “O my God, don’t offer me up in the midst of my days,” you said, “Your years are throughout all generations.

25. In the beginning, you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26. They will perish, but you will continue, and all of them will grow old like a garment.  Like clothing will you change them, and they will be changed.

27. But you will remain the same, and your years will have no end.

28. The sons of your servants will dwell, and their seed will be established, in your presence.”

There are very many such gems in the Old Testament which foretell the Son’s coming and his work to save us.  God has hidden them, but if we diligently search for them, we will find them, and it is a glorious feeling when we do.  Solomon said it: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, and it is the honor of kings to search it out” (Prov. 25:2).