The Just Shall Live By Faith

The Just Shall Live By Faith

The Book of Habakkuk

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHdXHFJzpxE

Today we’re continuing through our study on the minor prophets and the major theme found within each. So far, we’ve looked at Obadiah and how the Kingdom is the Lord’s, Haggai and the fear of God, Malachi and the unchangeableness of God, Hosea the faithfulness of God, and last week we looked at the book of Joel and the Day of the Lord.

Now, the biblical principle of “The just shall live by faith,” is the central theme of the book of Habakkuk. And like the ‘Day of the Lord,’ in the book of Joel that we looked at last week, it is also one of the central themes of the Bible.

Second-century Talmudic rabbi, Simlai, in the Babylonian Talmud book, “Maccoth,” said that Moses gave Israel 613 commandments, the prophet Isaiah reduced them to six (Isa 33:15), the prophet Micah reduced them to three (Mic 6:8), the prophet Isaiah, once again, reduced them to two (Isa 56:1), but, he said, that God can be found in the fulfillment of the law in Habakkuk (Hab 2:4), when he said, “The just shall live by his faith.”

[https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/S/simlai-rabbi.html].

This overall theme and fulfillment of the law is also found in the New Testament through the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:17, and Galatians 3:11, as well as the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 10:38. And Martin Luther rallied the whole protestant movement behind this as being one of his five ‘Solas’, or ‘onlys’ which brought about the great reformation of the 16th century.

From our study today in the book of Habakkuk, we will learn how we can face the difficulties that await us and the great judgment that will come. We will learn how we can get on with our lives through the deep-seated conviction that comes from knowing who God is and that He is in control no matter what life may throw at us.

Yet, to understand its meaning, we must see what brings Habakkuk to this remarkable proclamation, and how it affected his outlook on God’s upcoming judgment, and how it affected the whole of his life. In other words, there is a lesson to be learned in how we are to look at and respond to by faith, what lies ahead in God’s plan for our lives.

First, let’s look at Habakkuk’s distress and what brings about his remarkable statement of faith.

“O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4 NKJV)

Habakkuk’s complaint was “Why wasn’t anything being done about all the evil in the world.” To understand we must understand what was happening during this time.

Habakkuk lived during the final days of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and the days were getting progressively worse. Not only was violence on the rise, but the Babylonians were closing in. And not even the great revival under King Josiah, 12 years earlier, could turn God’s judgment away, because the people had it in their hearts to rebel against God and His word.

Notice the words Habakkuk uses to describe these deplorable conditions that existed: violence, iniquity, trouble, plundering, strife, and contention. The very fabric of Jewish life was unraveling. Oppression, exploitation, and terrorism ruled the day.

Now, doesn’t it get disconcerting and depressing when we read the same thing about our own world and society? And so, Habakkuk cries out, “How long O Lord,” and “Why.” These were the cries of an anguished soul over the unspeakable corruption and evil that was found in Judah. And such cries by God’s people were not uncommon. We find them throughout the Psalms as David continues to cry out to God feeling somehow that God had abandoned him, like in Psalm 13.

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2 NKJV)

With evil and suffering running rampant through the world this should be our cry as well today as we see the violence being done to God’s word and grace.

This, however, brings us to a very sticky question. “Is it right to question God?” Now, what we need to notice with both Habakkuk and David is that they were addressing their question to God. They weren’t, as some people and groups are doing today, questioning the existence of God, or who God is, because of what is going on in our world.