Habakkuk— The Just Shall Live by Faith
11.02.22
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)
We know virtually nothing about Habakkuk. The words surrounding the psalm with which Habakkuk ends his book indicate that he may have had a priestly background.
He wrote during the period in which Babylon was a world power. The Babylonian captivity of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of Israel, was imminent, beginning in 605 BC and being completed in 586 BC. Josiah may have been upon Judah’s throne. Habakkuk was a contemporary with Nahum, Zephaniah and Jeremiah.
Each of these prophets, be they major or minor, gave a unique God-inspired message based upon their circumstances, personality and writing style. Habakkuk is not so much interested in delivering a message as in solving a problem. He does not speak to a person or a nation, but it is directed to God alone. The book is a dialogue between the prophet and Jehovah, ending with a psalm. He could see the handwriting on the wall for the captivity of Judah.
As noted in the key verse, faith is the central topic of this prophetic writing.
Habakkuk wrestles with two questions. One, why did God permit the increasing evil in Judah to go unpunished? Two, why would God allow a nation more wicked than Judah to be used as the vehicle for God’s judgment upon Judah? Instead of being in despair over these difficult questions, the prophet took his problem to the LORD and He answered the questions.
Habakkuk received a vision of the coming captivity of the Jews into Babylon. The beginning and end of the book are in stark contrast. The book moves from mystery to certainty, from questioning to affirming, and from complaint to confidence.
There were three great powers that would afflict Israel from the Exodus to the present. The first was Edom, and Obadiah spoke its doom. Nahum tolled the death knell for Assyria and its capital Nineveh. And Habakkuk now speaks of the grave dug for Babylon.
The focus of the first chapter is Habakkuk’s burden, his questions. In this sense, his faith sighs. But God answered the first of Habakkuk’s questions: why does God allow Judah to continue its evil ways? God does not tell why, but He does assure that He will not allow it for much longer.
As for why Jehovah would use a more wicked nation like Babylon go punish Judah, that is answered in chapter two. Though God choses to use them as His vessel, they in turn will be punished for their own sins. We learn elsewhere in Scripture that Babylon when far beyond taking Judah into captivity and acted most cruelly toward her. Judah will eventually understand the loving purposes God has for them in all that He does. In this way, faith sees.
The third chapter forms a prayer. Faith sings. Habakkuk offers prayer for God’s Person, His power, and His purposes. It is a beautiful psalm. While the book begins with a sob, it ends with a song.
The Lord Jesus Christ is of course found in the key verse: “The just shall live by faith.” This phrase is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38), pointing clearly to faith in Christ. It was reading this text that caused Martin Luther to understand that salvation was by grace alone, through faith alone, and not by works; and the Protestant Reformation was born.