Behold, the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. (2:4)
Habakkuk asks God, “How can You judge one nation with another nation that is less righteous than it?” (1:12-17) Habakkuk is so eager for a reply that he sits on the walls of Jerusalem and waits for God’s answer. I like how the NKJV puts it: I will “watch and see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am reproved” (2:1). In other words, Habakkuk was waiting for God’s answer and expecting a reproof from God for asking such a bold question.
God replies in 2:2-20. His answer could be summed up in two statements:
1. God will judge the proud and the wicked. Nations may fight and gain land. Leaders may rise up and gain power. But in the end, “The nations weary themselves in vain. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (2:14). To use a football analogy…the enemy may have one or two good plays during the game, but in the end they will lose. God and His people will prevail.
2. The just shall live by faith. This is one of the most important statements in the Bible. In fact, it is quoted by Paul in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 as the cornerstone of the gospel. Deliverance and life come through faith in God. We are delivered by faith. And we are to walk by faith. In the context of Habakkuk, God is saying, “You may not understand My ways, but you are to trust My grace.”
Many times in our lives we question God. We do not understand His ways. We do not see what He is doing. We ask the perennial question of man–”Why?” Sometimes God gives us an answer; sometimes He does not. Sometimes He gives an answer and we still do not understand. But in the end we have to make a choice–do I trust Him or not?
The same is true with my children. Sometimes they simply do not understand why I ask them to do something or why I allow a nurse to give them shots or why I hold them down while a doctor puts stitches in their head. In the midst of their confusion and pain, they simply have to trust my love. That’s their only option.
God is good and He loves us. That simple truth is what carries us through difficult times.