Live By Faith – According to Habakkuk

 

 

The backdrop to the book of Habakkuk was the forthcoming invasion of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Lord revealed to the prophet that the time of His judgment would be approaching, and that the Southern Kingdom would have to “pay the holy Piper” for her rampant sin. The possibility of this judgment being averted is non-existent, unlike some of the other books of the Twelve (e.g. Joel, Amos, and Zephaniah). Habakkuk leaves one choice in relationship to this scenario, an option in which he will live out himself; perseverance in the midst of God’s judgment would come “by faith alone.” Even though a self-inflicted, impending destruction is decreed for God’s nation, there is always hope for any person who holds fast to the everlasting confidence that comes from Yahweh. The writer of Lamentations (assumed to be Jeremiah), actually written during, or soon after the conveyance of this judgment, demonstrated this behavior as well. Despite strong laments in the midst of annihilation, Jeremiah clearly models what “living by faith” says and does. He focused on Yahweh’s eternal faithfulness and compassion (Lam 3:22-23, 31), and the glorious future deliverance the Lord guaranteed to His faithful. As Malachi later states (c. 430 B.C.), “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed” (Mal 3:6). This truth is applicable backward and forward in time, even though it was written after the days of Habakkuk (608-597 B.C.). “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex 3:14) never changes! God’s elect will have eternal life assured; insured by Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:3, 15:1-21, 17, 22:15-18). The Lord will always protect His own from ruin, and when people walk in His ways, their paths will be straight (Prov 3:5-6). The focus on eternal security should always transcend worldly circumstances. This post will describe what it means for God’s elect to “live by faith” according to Habakkuk.

The literary structure of Habakkuk can be divided into three discourses. The first is the prophet’s prayer of complaint concerning Judah (Hab 1:1-4). His questioning of the Lord went as follows: “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” The Lord’s answer will be an oracle of judgment against His chosen nation (Hab 1:5-11); the Chaldeans would invade and destroy the remainder of the Promised Land. “The LORD, who brought [Abraham] out of Ur of the Chaldeans” (Gen 15:7), would have descendants of the same people group complete the destruction of the nation of Israel (Hab 1:6). In God’s answer He said, “be utterly amazed, for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (Hab 1:5). The majority of presumptuous people in the Southern Kingdom did not take this to heart, and they certainly did not understand the important messianic implications which stood behind these divine words, which came from a loving, righteous, and just God (Psa 89:14).

In this book’s second discourse, Habakkuk questions God about His ways of justice in another prayer of inquisition. “O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves (Hab 1:12-13)?” Although Habakkuk confirms God is just, he does struggle with why Yahweh would use the wicked, ungodly Chaldeans to execute His plan. The prophet awaits the Lord’s reply (Hab 2:1), and receives his answer directly from Him. “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false” (Hab 2:2-3a). God speaks of the future oracles of judgment to come against Babylon for their own sin (Hab 2:6-20; Isa 47), and also against all people who do not believe in the Lord. In this same disclosure, God speaks of the responsibility of His righteous, in stark contrast to the proud and arrogant, “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith— indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.” Throughout the OT, one assertion has always been true, and remains true to this day; whomever truly believed in the LORD would be credited with righteousness (Gen 15:6), and should walk by faith in Him.

The last discourse contains Habakkuk’s final prayer: a hymn of praise (Hab 3:1-19). It becomes a model of how to live as a true believer, for all ages, despite times of hardship and despair. Habakkuk looked at all the evil around him, and called out to the Lord for action. He had total trust that God would be his Deliverer. It was a reliance on God to provide salvation that individuals cannot provide for themselves. The prophet prays, “LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (Hab 3:2). God always provides compassion to His children, even during times of extreme consternation. In chapter 3, verses 8 through 15, a theophanic vision was given, that God is coming as a mighty warrior, to bring both judgment to the wicked, and salvation to the faithful. “I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Hab 3:18). The prophet’s response was one of faith and joy, a reaction that surpasses worldly circumstances, even though it was coming to future fruition that God’s fury and wrath would be doled out on Habakkuk’s people.

So then, “What did it mean to ‘live by faith’ according to the book of Habakkuk?” Simply stated, Habakkuk’s hymn of praise becomes a model for living out this type of life. It is the standard which Paul picks up on in the NT. The apostle did not invent a new gospel message never before known, but extended the same message which ran throughout the entire OT. Paul states, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1:17). The OT should never collide with the NT in regard to any divine truth, but only confirm foundational beliefs. If not, as Scripture instructs, students of God’s Word should be like the Jews of Berea, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). There should never be any contradictions in the Bible, but only complete and perfect harmonization, which can only occur due to its perfect, inspired composition by the Spirit (2 Pet 1:19-21). The overall purpose of this book was that the righteous should ‘live by faith,’ even during times in which Yahweh brings judgment. It is a call for believers to lean on God’s everlasting loving-kindness (chesed), and every one of His promises, awaiting our ultimate reward of salvation and an indescribable future. Habakkuk provides the eternal model, which all people of faith should mimic, until every covenant promise of God is fulfilled and His elect are permanent citizens of Messiah’s everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7:12-16; Hosea 3:4-5; Joel 3:16-21; Amos 9:11ff; Obad 1:17ff; Micah 2:12-13; Nahum 1:15; Hab 3:13; Zeph 3:14ff; Hag 2:9; Zech 9:9-10, 13:1, 9, 14:9-10 ; Mal 3:1)!