The amazing little book of Habakkuk was written around 640-615 B.C., prior to the fall of Assyria and the Babylon's coming to power. God had worked through the Assyrians to discipline Israel and as we read Habakkuk we see that HE is raising up Babylon to bring judgement on Assyria and to punish Judah. The question that cries out loudly from Habakkuk is how in the world could God use a godless, wicked nation like Babylon to carry out his purposes? You have to wonder and think, but Lord it looks like YOUR cure for the disease of rebellion and injustice among YOUR people is worse than the disease itself. You have to admit from our perspective it looks that way, but clearly not from God's point of view!
The short answer is that the wicked will be judged and the word that God sends to HIS prophet is that the "righteous shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 These precious Words are repeated 3 times in the NT. If you check your Bible you should see a note related to the word "faith" and that note should tell you that the Hebrew word may also be translated "faithfulness." Do not misunderstand, not perfection, but a life of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. It pictures the direction of your life and that direction should be toward Jesus until Christ is formed in you. You will still fall, stumble and do stupid things, but you quickly repent, confess your sins and get back in the pursuit of our Lord.
Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Gal 3:11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
Heb 10:38 But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
The point is difficult but simple...it is simple in that God's children are to live by faithfulness, trusting in the promises of their great God. The hard part is that we walk by faith and faithfulness regardless of our circumstances...regardless of who is in power, regardless of the evil that surrounds us, God's children are called to live by faith, faith in and toward God. Consider these amazing Words by Habakkuk!
Hab 3:17-19 Habakkuk Rejoices in the Lord 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
From our perspective he has just said if Wall Street crumbles into a heap of trash and the bond market ceases to exist, if the oil refinery's cease producing gas and all our live stock dies and drought destroys our ability to produce food and our infrastructure crumbles and collapses under it own weight (it's the end of the World as we know it...someone should write a song) "yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places."
There is only one reason that Habakkuk could say that...do you remember what he said in Hab 2:14? “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea." He had glimpsed the glory of God! Think about the men that were radically transformed by a glimpse of the glory of God...Moses, Isaiah, Enoch, Job, Elijah, John, Peter, Paul. The one thing that men and women that are radical for God have in common is that they caught a glimpse of the Almighty and they were radically and eternally transformed. After they had witnessed true glory, beauty...mind blowing majesty the things of this earth were viewed as rubbish.
Philippians 3:8-11 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Oh Father in heaven show me YOUR glory, show me YOUR glory for YOUR glory, for YOUR namesake and my joy in YOU.
love,
m