A profound truth of life comes out of the prophecy of
Habakkuk. The heart of all the words of the prophecy can be summarized in
a single phrase, "the just shall live by faith." That simple yet
profound truth is pick up by Paul and quoted to the Romans saints, the
Galatians believers, and the Hebrew Christians. It is, also, the heart of
Peter’s letters to those believers who had been dispersed by
persecutions and tribulations. Although largely misunderstood by
modernity, it is the essence of the Christian belief.
Coming out of God’s covenant to His people ("I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou
shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed."), it is the essence of experiencing the life of God in a
world of death and dying. Perhaps, a century prior to Habakkuk, Isaiah
caught the essence of the same truth. He wrote, "But they that wait
upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint."
The events that led up to Isaiah proclamation comes out of a cry that is
often heard among the people of God, "How long, O Lord, how
long!" The people of God in the time of Isaiah and Habakkuk were
wondering if God had forgotten them. It seemed to them, because of
everything that was occurring in their lives, that God had passed them by.
They just knew that their plight and the justice they needed in their
lives were not even seen by God. Life was not fair and God was doing
nothing about it.
Isaiah’s response was, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his
understanding." When it comes to living in the struggles of life,
even young men, on their own, will eventually faint and be weary. They
will fall. Isaiah then adds, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
With the word wait meaning, "to bind together (perhaps by
twisting), i.e. (figuratively) to expect," a clue to the secret of
this ability to be "justified by faith" is given. Being twisted
together with the Lord to such a degree that it can no longer be
determined which is the Lord and which is the believer, the one who waits
draws from the power of Him who faints not nor becomes weary. With renew
meaning basically "to exchange," the one who waits exchanges his
strength with the One who has no weaknesses. Running and not being weary,
walking and not being faint occurs because God is faithful to do what He
says He will do: "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will
bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
"Waiting upon the Lord" in the midst of trouble on every side,
in the midst of violence by the wicked plundering the righteous, and in
the midst of strife and contention running rampant is how the just lives
by faith. Justification by faith is casting your cares upon Jesus because
you know it matters to him and He said "I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee." The God of all grace will
complete you, affirm you, strengthen you, and settle you. The wicked will
be punished and the righteous will be bless.
Obadiah spoke of the fate of Edom. Nahum told of the fall of Assyria.
Habakkuk speaks of the coming judgment of Babylon. Understanding and
living in the "just shall live by faith" enables the believer to
rejoice at its best in circumstances at their worst. It is the essence of
the Christian faith.
|
Schedule