So far in our study of the
book of Habakkuk, we have found Habakkuk not understanding why God
doesn't do anything about wickedness that he finds all around Him.
God tells Habakkuk that he has a solution, but even if He told
Habakkuk, he wouldn't believe it. God was right, and when He exposed
to Habakkuk His plan to use the Chaldeans to execute judgment upon
Israel, Habakkuk complained, argued and gave reason after reason to
God as to why this was a confusing plan. Finally Habakkuk became
quiet, began to watch and listen, and when God revealed to him the
truth, Habakkuk responded with one of the foundational verses within
the Christian faith. He said in verse four of chapter two:
Behold, his soul
[which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live
by his faith.
Habakkuk
said, “the just shall live by his faith”, but before we
get to that more well-known portion of this verse, let's look at the
beginning of it first. Habakkuk wrote, “Behold” or look
upon, stare at, concentrate on this, “his soul which is lifted
up is not upright in him.” In other words, the prideful man has
something wrong with his soul. His soul is “lifted up” and
filled with so much pride that he thinks himself to know more than
God. His soul “is not upright”, not straight, level, just,
right or righteous within him. The one who believes him or herself to
know more than God is filled with pride, and their soul is off
balance. The first step to believing and trusting God is that pride
and self-assurance must go. There has to be a release of that which
is within our mental faculties in order for God to take preeminence
within our lives.
Next
Habakkuk says, “but the just shall live by his faith.” This
small phrase turned Martin Luther so deeply that reformation began,
and the Protestant faith was begun. It is repeated by Paul the
apostle in the book of Galatians chapter three and verse eleven:
But that no man is
justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The
just shall live by faith.
It is
the foundation for Christianity, and those who come to have a
relationship with God through Jesus Christ know this to be true. It
is by faith that we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins on
the cross, rose from the dead three days later, and has made
provision for all who will believe in Him to have eternal life with
Him someday. The reason cannot be fully explained, and if a person is
looking to know everything about it before he or she believes, they
will never believe. Habakkuk understood in his final appraisal that
God knew everything. He didn't. Habakkuk understood that God has
plans that Habbakuk knows nothing about, and he certainly does not
understand. This gives cause for faith.
The
writer of Hebrews put it this way in chapter ten and verse thirty
eight:
Now the just shall live
by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him.
And he
wrote again in chapter eleven and verse six:
But without faith [it
is] impossible to please [him]: for he that comes to God must believe
that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.
There is
so much more to write and study about this awesome verse, so we will
continue it later. For now let it suffice us to meditate upon the
fact that God has a solution for everything, and in order to get to
the place of believing this, we must discard our pride, and look to
Him in every circumstance.
We will
continue this verse tomorrow, so read it again, and we shall join
together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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