THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

HABAKKUK 2:1–14

See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith

(Habakkuk 2:4).

This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament. It is the theme verse of the book of Romans (1:17), and it is also found in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. Today, let us consider what this statement meant in its original context.

The Troubled Times of Habakkuk

Habakkuk was a prophet with a troubled spirit. He lived and ministered to the Jewish people during one of their darkest hours. It was a time of judgment, when God was using pagan nations to implement His wrath and punishment against His own people, and that upset the prophet. He struggled with it, and he went before God, saying “God, how can You let these things happen? You are too holy even to behold iniquity, and yet it seems as if You have turned Your back on Your people and You have let wickedness prevail in our midst. How can these things be?”

Have you ever struggled with that question yourself? Have you ever come before God in the midst of a difficult or horrible situation and said, “Lord, how can these things be?”

God’s Answer for Troubled Times

It was in that context of doubt, doubt that pushed the prophet to the rim of despair, that the Word of God proclaimed: “The just shall live by faith.” It is as though in the midst of the situation, God did not have the time to give a lengthy explanation of the intricacies of what He was doing through His sovereignty in world history, and so He said to His prophet: “Trust Me.” Trusting God is the opposite of trusting yourself, being “puffed up” as the verse says.

There comes a time in every Christian’s life when it seems the only answer from heaven is, “Trust Me.” But it is enough.

CORAM DEO

Have you been going through rough times recently? Have you been experiencing a “dark night of the soul”? Does it seem as if God is far away? The pain is real and the difficulties can be grueling. When the disciples faced the harsh prospect of Christ’s imminent death they too needed comforting. In John 14, Jesus combines comfort with a call to exercise trust in God. The struggle of faith proved itself and can triumph in your situation, too.

For further study: Psalm 62; Galatians 3:1–7

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