God explains His answer

Habakkuk 2:4-20 God Explains His Answer

In 2:1 Habakkuk determined to wait upon God for more information regarding God’s troubling revelation of the Chaldeans being used to bring judgment upon Judah. In 2:2-3 God answered him, “the vision is yet for an appointed time…wait for it, because it will surely come.” I pointed out that this was a far bigger answer than Habakkuk was expecting, The vision is yet for a time, the Chaldeans are coming and it will be a difficult season, but there is something bigger, someone greater coming, “The vision…will rise up at the end…wait for him.”

2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
The Lord presents two men, the proud and the righteous. I think the Douay-Rheims Bible (translation of the Latin into English) captures the sense and intent of the first half of this verse, “Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in himself.”

Here is the answer Habakkuk is looking for, “the just shall live by his faith.” The righteous man will live, will survive the coming days, by his faith. Not by his righteousness, but by his faith. Faith is powerful.

Faith also has priority. It comes before righteous living, righteousness is birthed in faith.

What is this faith? Belief in the Lord, His Word, His ways, His character, His promises, His faithfulness. It is faith that moves me to obey, to be righteous, to be holy; it is faith that helps me ride out the storm. Not simply faith, but faith in the Lord, because faith connects me to Him.

This verse is vital to the gospel and the New Testament – it is quoted three times in the New Testament. I plan a separate post on the just shall live by his faith as quoted in the New Testament.

What follows is really powerful. Faith is not something I work up or decide to have, it is always and only a response to something God has said or done. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This was as true in the Old Testament as it is in the New. So what God does in verses 5-20 is give them the word to believe. This is expressed in five woes and an amazing promise:

2:5-8 6 Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! … 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee

2:9-11 11Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house … 10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

2:12-13 12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

2:15-18 15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

2:19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach!

What is this all about? Judgment is coming. There will be justice. God has promised. You can count on it. The just shall live by this faith.

In the midst of all these woes we read;

2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

This is a wonderful, faith building promise! What a day this will be!


The chapter ends with this: 

2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Many years ago I often visited a church that sang this as their call to worship. What a sad misunderstanding. This verse is saying “sit down and shut up.” This is not a call to worship!

Here are calls to worship:

I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, and into his courts with praise.

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Hallelujah!

So what is this verse? It is a call of judgment. Just like in our courts, as the judge enters:

Bailiff: All rise. Department One of the Superior Court is now in session. Judge Roberts presiding.

You see, people have a tendency to justify themselves, to explain away their faults. At that Great Day the call will go forth, "The LORD is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him." Excuses, vindications, explaining away will not work in that Day because God knows everything. As we read in Revelation 20:11-13 11 

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 

If we haven’t settled our account before then, it will be too late for our souls. Come to Jesus now.

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

NEXT: Chapter 3 Prayer & Psalm of Habakkuk