I will take my stand at my watch post
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith
2 And the Lord answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.
5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Woe to the Chaldeans
6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12 “Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!
16 You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
The cup in the Lord's right hand
will come around to you,
and utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
18 “What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!
19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.” Habakkuk 2 ESV
Habakkuk 2 Concerning My Complaint
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up to them, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." John 8:7 NKJV
Place yourself, see yourself, next to the man you regard the least
Take yourself, a step past him and one step closer to the beast
Stare back at the man, in which you see the darkest soul
Take one more step, your closer now, to the bottom of the hole
Now your past the place you thought to be the furthest from His grace
And looking round you realize, that this is your old place
That darkest soul you thought to be is now knocking at your door
So show the place, where you found grace, not so long before
For its not for you or I to say that this one has gone too far
There is this certain problem of evil, and that is, that no one thinks they are
Calvin "Cheese Grits" Yerke
1-3 I will take my stand at my watch post - Habakkuk is identifying himself as a watchman, like those that guarded the city from the watchtowers; prophets with the spiritual equivalent of those who physically guarded the city. They gave warning in advance of a coming army, the wrath of God, their call was not so much to take up arms as to prostrate yourself, repent in hope that God will show mercy.
Write the vision, make it plain on tablets - This is going to happen, so write it down. God had men do this before to bear witness, Moses with the law, and the prophets, they wrote down and sealed it to be kept in the record. Remember a prophet or a dreamer that says something is going to happen, but the thing does not happen, then you weren't to regard them or fear them. If they said something and it did happen, yet, like in the case of Balaam, they led you to worship other gods, to commit immorality as Israel did with Moab, then they were to kill that prophet. So the prophet was to write it plainly, boldly, unmistakably, easy to understand.
4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”...
9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. Daniel 12: 4, 9 & 10
…7Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still. 8Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever. 9These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction.… Isaiah 30: 7-9
…18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.… 1 Corinthians 14: 18-20
That the one who reads it may run - "So that the one who announces it may read it easily." (NET), "So he may run who reads it" (ESV); "So that a herald may run with it" (NIV).
Note that this phrase "reads it may run" is translated in some versions with the idea of whoever reads it may run to proclaim what he has read. However as rendered in the NET version, the idea could be that "may run" means "run through it quickly with one's eyes." In other words, read the message easily. Irregardless, the idea of run with the vision recorded on tablets suggests that the message is important and urgent. - Precept Austin
It will surely come, it will not delay - Wait for it, as sure as God is saying it, as unlikely as it seems to you now, based upon what you see or how far you can see, though the means seem remote, God's word always comes to pass. It is never that it is late or taking more time than God thought, no, that is our impatience, God has set the time.
35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.… Matthew 24: 35-37
4-5 Behold, his soul is puffed up - There is a contrast coming here between the wicked and the righteous. The wicked look at what they have as if it wasn't given to them, and rely on their wit, strength and personality. They look to things like religion, and the proof of it's good is always pragmatic...ie I did this and that occurred, prayed to this goddess and received this blessing. All their confidence is misplaced, they build on sand, and then are most shocked of men when all their work gets washed away.
…5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “ God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.… James 4: 5-7
…12I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ 13But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”… Luke 18: 12-14
But the righteous shall live by his faith - Justification by faith was an old teaching, even before the Apostles, and sadly it is still contested ground even today. This was the battle of many great reformers, including Paul the Apostle, Luther during the reformation, also John Calvin, the recently passed R.C. Sproul and John Macarthur in our day. The contention with the Roman Catholic church started with Sola Scriptura, which puts Scripture as the authority above the church, above traditions, and from where all sound doctrine must be derived and proved by the whole counsel of God therein. From the Scriptures then comes Sola Gratia, that is by God's grace alone that you are saved, not by the will of man or works, then Sola Fide, by faith alone, for it is by grace you are saved through faith, and "that" not of yourselves, for it is a gift. So faith is also a gift, this ability to repent of the idea of works and believe solely in God for salvation, which brings us to Solus Christus, the object of our faith, which is Christ Alone. Finally, the fifth sola, Soli Deo Gloria, to the glory of God alone. He is the author and finisher of our faith, salvation is completely of the Lord.
…14When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sinners” 16know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.… Galatians 2: 14-16
The emphasis in both Habakkuk and the NT references goes beyond the act of faith to include the continuity of faith. Faith is not a one time act, but a way of life. The true believer, declared righteous by God, will persevere in faith as the pattern of his life. - J Mac
16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “ The righteous will live by faith.” 18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.… Romans 1: 16-18
10All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” 12The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”… Galatians 3: 10-12
…37For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.… Hebrews 10: 37-39
But the righteous will live by his faith - This is the full, final, ultimate answer to Habakkuk's questions and indeed to all the deepest questions of all men throughout the ages-What happens when we die? Where will I spend eternity?, etc. This phrase indeed is the key to the book of Habakkuk, for in his appropriation of this truth, the Spirit transformed him from worrying in chapter one to worshiping in chapter three. This passage is the key to the Creator's relationship with men created in His image. In the most simple of terms God is saying.
"TRUST ME!" - Precept Austin
Moreover, wine is a traitor - We recall Lemuel's instruction from his mother, that it was not for kings to be drunk, theirs was serious business. Here we see the drunkeness of pride, the greed of those who want more power, more land, more gold, who have put their trust in these and armies and their own wisdom and strength. The proud always sound like drunks, stuck upon their own supposed merit, justified in their in their own eyes by their own way.
Boice…
Greed is a natural but destructive characteristic of the one who will not trust God. If a person trusts God, he does not need to be covetous of more and more material possessions. The Lord is the portion of the righteous. Besides, the Lord amply supplies his need. (cp Mt 6:30-note, Mt 6:33-note) If a person trusts God, he does not need to acquire more and more possessions, since he knows God will provide what he needs. If he does not trust God, then the need for things becomes a burden. This world is an insecure place, and the individual is insecure within it. So he works to get more and more in the hope that if he only has a little more land or stocks or capital, he may get by. (Ibid)
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