Habakkuk 2:4-3:7, Habakkuk Revisited (3)

From the previous post, there is general agreement that Hab. 2:5-20 is speaking in the context of the Babylonians.  But now we want to note that there is a strong basis for application to Babylon, to Judah, and to the United States (or whatever country you call home).  In the key verse (Hab. 2:4) the contrast is between the “just” and the “proud.”  The man of faith (i.e. Habakkuk, and all who are believers in the Rom. 1 and Heb. 10 sense) will continue to trust God to faithfully keep His word to Israel as well as to Babylon and Rome, etc.  And yes, He will be faithful to His promise in the gospel, to provide atonement and righteousness, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles.  Thus, in Hab. 2, you don’t see the term “Chaldean” or “Babylonian” anywhere.  It’s the proud.  So the LORD will deal with the proud, and that’s a much larger crowd than just the Babylonians.

Furthermore, in 2:5-20, the objects of God’s wrath are also described by 5 “woes.”  It is a judgment on those who increase wealth by plunder (v6-8), by covetousness (v9-11), by bloodshed (v12-14), by shame (v15-17) and by idolatry (v18-19).  This description fits Babylon, and Judea, and the United States.  In other words, God, who is the perfectly just Judge of all the earth, will deal with the proud wherever He finds them.  Therefore, the passage is to be preached in every setting.

Hab. 2:20 concludes by the LORD simply saying, “I am on My throne!  So just be quiet with all your questions.  I will do what I say.  Just be patient and wait!”  This leads to the prophet’s “psalm” in Ch. 3. 

1.     3:1-19.  Habakkuk concludes with his own expression of the faith called for in 2:4.  But, we want to note that his faith is the faith Heb. 11 speaks of.  It is the faith of a “pilgrim,” like the Patriarchs before him.  He is waiting for a fulfillment from the LORD that cannot happen until after the cross and resurrection.  Habakkuk “obtained a good testimony through faith (yet) did not receive the promise.”  The prophet was trusting in, hoping in, the Messiah.

How does Habakkuk express his faith?  From the beginning (3:2) he shows that he believes God when He says this will involve a long time.  He puts the matter in God’s hands, praying that He will, “in the midst of the years … remember mercy.”  In other words, He trusts God to be the Judge.  Wrath is coming.  But he also trusts God to be Israel’s Savior and King. 

The conclusion of the Psalm is one of the greatest expressions of faith.  No matter how bad it gets, LORD, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.  I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”  Many have found great encouragement in these words; may it be so for us today.