Key word: Faith
Have you ever questioned God and, the way He is handling your life? Have you ever wondered why He allows so many ugly things to take place in this world, things like the death of children, war, famine, injustice, or whatever you are facing today? If so, you are ready for the message of Habakkuk.
We are introduced to the prophet at an extremely low point in His life (1:2). As a man of God, he is deeply troubled by the wickedness of the nation of Judah – God’s people. He is perplexed that the Lord is allowing this to continue and wants to know why. God informs him that He is not passive; as a matter of fact, He is preparing the Babylonians to execute judgment on Judah (1:5-11). But this does not please Habakkuk who wants to know how God could use an even more ungodly nation to discipline Judah (1:12-17) (1:13b).
Having completed his prayer, and more troubled than ever, the prophet does an amazing thing: he waits on the Lord (2:1). He has cast his concern on the Lord, now he will wait to see how He will answer. When the Lord replies, He does not give a detailed explanation, but His admonishing is profound – trust Me. He says, “The righteous will live by his faith” (2:4b). This line becomes the basis for three New Testament books: Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. In essence, the prophet is being told that while he may often be confused by what he sees in life around him, he nevertheless can live faithfully because he can have trust in a faithful God, for after all “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him” (2:20).
When the book concludes we find the circumstances surrounding the prophet’s life unimproved, yet he stands firm because the Lord was His strength (3:19). How did he get from a man on the edge of spiritual collapse (1:2), to a man with deep confidence in God (3:19), he went through the door of faith (2:4b), everything hinges on entering through this door.
Key verse: Habakkuk 2:4b – “But the righteous will live by his faith.”
