Habakkuk 2:1-5, Habakkuk Revisited (2)

Picking up from our previous post, it seems clear that the NT dependence on Hab. 2:4b (“But the just shall live by his faith”) stems from the fact that the LORD has just told Habakkuk that while judgment on Judah is coming soon, it will be a longer time until the whole matter is concluded.  What is the “whole matter?”  For Habakkuk, and all Israel, the issue is God’s covenants with Abraham and his descendants as well as with David and his house. 

This is an issue in Romans.  That is why Paul includes the lengthy discussion in Ch. 9-11 which concludes with the promise that “all Israel shall be saved.”  Paul’s ministry is to the Gentiles (Rom. 1:1-6) but this should not be taken to mean God is finished with the nation of Israel.  The Church is in the waiting period God promised.  The Church, and Israel, need to know, “it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  Israel’s partial blindness is not the end of the story.

As we will note when we eventually make our trip through Hebrews, this is very much in the mind of the writer.  The coming judgment by Rome will be even more devastating than that of the Babylonians.  Yet the Spirit, in Heb. 6:13-20 especially, reminds these believing Jews that the hope of God’s promise to Abraham is still in place.  That is why in Heb. 10:37-38 the writer quotes Hab. 2:2-3 along with v4: “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry.”  In other words, the Spirit is telling us that the “it” that will come according to Hab. 2:3 is, in fact, “Him,” the Messiah whose coming “at the end” will bring the resolution of all that is yet to be resolved!

This is all a big deal!  Very big!  This calls for a “Hallelujah” from the just who are living by faith.  And Habakkuk 3 will add to this hope, the hope of the people of Habakkuk, who are also the people of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:11, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”)

Before we move to Ch. 3 there is one more thing I want to say about Hab. 2.  I mentioned that I could see the United States in the prophet’s description of Judah in 1:1-4.  Hab. 2 also has a description of sin and of God’s promised judgment.  As I was studying the book recently I came across at least one commentator (David Guzik) who said that Ch. 2 was describing the sin of Judah.  In other words, it was the LORD saying I really am going to judge My people. 

But in the context, and by the specific words, it seems the LORD is speaking of judging Babylon.  In 2:8 it says, “Because you have plundered many nations.”  In 2:10 it refers to “cutting off many peoples.”  These seem to have Babylon in mind, not Judah.  Many other commentators said the same thing: Jamieson/Fausset/ Brown, Matthew Henry, Chuck Smith, J. Vernon McGee and John MacArthur come to mind (for those who use the Blue Letter Bible you will note these are all names from their list of commentators).  But then I can add Charles Ellicott, Barnes Notes, Calvin and on and on.  But again, more on this in the next post.