The
Prophet.
His name means
"to embrace" or "to wrestle," and in his book, he does
both. He wrestles with God concerning the problem of how a holy God could use a
wicked nation like Babylon to chasten the people of Judah, and then by faith,
he embraces God and clings to His promises. Habakkuk also wrestles with the
spiritual decline of the nation and why God wasn't doing something about it.
Habakkuk wanted to see the people revived (3:2), but God wasn't answering his
prayers.
Contents.
This book may be
described as the antagonism of faith. It is not so much a prophecy as a story
of the experience of one man. That man was a prophet unquestionably, and in
that sense it is a prophecy through an experience, which he has recorded for us
in this brief book that bears his name. When
Habakkuk prophesied about 608 B.C., the political and moral situation was a
critical one. Nahum predicted the downfall of Assyria which took place in 607
B.C. two great world powers, Egypt and Babylon contended for the vacant place
of master of the earth; the issue was decided in favour of the Chaldeans at the
battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. After the death of king Josiah at Megiddo,
Judah had thrown off all restraint and sinned flagrantly. It was a time to try
the soul of righteous men.
These were dark
days in the history of the people of God. The national conditions were
appalling. Concerning that fact, he first spoke in the presence of God. He
spoke of the prevalence of violence, and iniquity, and pride abounding in the
national life. The international situation was threatening. Enemies seemed to
be closing in upon this nation, and the difficulty for Habakkuk was this, that
God seemed to be negative, waiting. He seemed to be doing nothing. That is how
the prophecy opened, (1.2-4).
Then we are told
that God answered him. To change the wording, God said to him in effect: “It is
true you think I am doing nothing, but I am. I am at work; but, if I told you
what I am doing, you would not believe it.” Then God did tell him what He was
doing, that he was raising up the most cruel and brutish people of the times,
the Chaldeans, to be His instrument for the carrying out of His purpose in the
world, and among His people, (1.5-11).
Habakkuk then
said in effect: This is worse than ever. It seemed bad enough that God was
doing nothing; but now He tells me that He is using these people, the terror of
the nation, for His purpose. I do not understand it. I will get to the watch
tower, and I will wait (1.12 - 2.1). In these circumstances of helplessness the
prophet decided to wait for God, and having decided, God answered him. “And the
Lord answered him.” The Lord sent him a vision, a mental outlook, a revelation.
God gave him an interpretation, a final point from which to view all the
circumstances, and events; and then write it on tablets, that he who runs may
read it. The man who is busily occupied in a thousand ways – running, tearing
along – make it so plain that as he passes by, he can see it. That is the claim,
that the vision should be written on tablets, made plain, so conspicuously that
the running, racing man may see it. Do not be in a hurry. Tarry for it, wait
for it. It will surely come. That is the simple initial statement. (Habakkuk
2.2, 3).
What was the
vision? As we go back to the prophet we find that after that charge, that
declaration of a vision and the charge to write it and make it plain, the
vision is declared, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within
him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (2.4). The rest of the chapter
is almost an exposition of the first half of the vision, “Behold, his soul is
puffed up.”
The wicked man
suffers from a fatal flaw that drives him on, seeking a satisfaction he can
never find. In essence God told His prophet that the Babylonians' successes
would only feed the flames of their desires. As passion is inflamed, the
emptiness within is enlarged, and the wicked man is driven to push further into
sin in a vain attempt to find satisfaction. The
course the wicked choose offers no inner satisfaction no matter how
"successful" such people seem. And there is another principle at work
that demonstrates God is actually actively judging sinners now. The wicked
person arouses hostility, and one day those he harms will turn on him.
There is no
exposition of the second half. There is
no need.
The prophet's
statement "The just shall live by his faith" (2:4) is quoted three
times in the New Testament (Rom 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). The
emphasis in Romans is on the just, in Galatians on how they should live, and in
Hebrews on faith. It takes three books to explain and apply this one verse! The
key clause "the righteous will live by his faith" sparkles like a
diamond in a pile of soot. In the New Testament passages (Romans 1:17; Galatians
3:11; Hebrews 10:38), the words "will live" have a broader meaning
than in Habakkuk. In the New Testament they mean to enjoy salvation and eternal
life. In contrast with the self-reliant, boastful ways of the unrighteous, the
righteous are found to be reliant on God and faithful to Him.
"The just
shall live by his faith" was the watchword of the Reformation, and they
may well be the seven most important monosyllables in all of church history. It
was verse 4. quoted in Romans 1:17, that helped to lead Martin Luther into the
truth of justification by faith. "This text," said Luther, "was
to me the true gate of Paradise."
Application.
We are not only
saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we are instructed to live by faith.
"And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith" (1
John 5:4, NKJV). Faith is a lifestyle that is just the opposite of being
"puffed up" and depending on your own resources. Habakkuk knew the
difficult times were coming to the people of Judah, and their only resource was
to trust God's Word and rest in His will. So it is with us, we need to trust
God and His word for our life here on earth and the life to come.
The earth in
Habakkuk's day was certainly not filled with much glory, nor is it today. Look
at the five "Woes" in this chapter, and you will see the sins that
God hates: greedy and violent covetousness (vv. 5-11); murder for gain (v. 12);
drunkenness (vv. 15-16); and idolatry (v. 19). These are the very sins that are
polluting nations today. And God hates these sins today just as much as He did
back in Habakkuk's day. But the promise still stands that God's glory shall one
day fill this earth, for Jesus Christ shall return, put down all sin, and
establish His righteous kingdom.
God is still on
the throne (2.20). We have no need to complain or doubt, for He is ruling and
overruling in the affairs of nations. Habakkuk thought that God was
uninterested in the problems of life, but he discovered that God was very much
concerned, and that He was working out His own plan in His own time. This is
why the just live by faith. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2
Cor 5:7; 4:18). If we look at ourselves, or at circumstances, we will be
discouraged and want to quit, but if we look up to God by faith, and ahead to
the glorious return of Christ, then we will be encouraged and enabled to go on
in victory.
REFERENCES.
Wiersbe's
Expository Outlines on the Old Testament. Victor Books/SP Publications (1993).
Barnes' Notes, Electronic
Database Copyright. Biblesoft, Inc.( 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006).
Bible Knowledge
Commentary/Old Testament. Cook Communications Ministries (1983, 2000).
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