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.
Resource
by John Piper
Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1, Habakkuk 2:4, and Habakkuk 3:19
The situation which
Habakkuk faces is the imminent invasion of the southern kingdom of Judah by the
Chaldeans (who are the same as the Babylonians).
This invasion eventually
happened at the end of the sixth century BC, and Jerusalem fell to
Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
Unlike Joel and Zephaniah
and Amos, Habakkuk does not even mention the possibility that destruction could
be averted.
He does not call for
national repentance. It is too late.
Instead, he predicts the
destruction of Judah, and beyond that the doom of the Chaldeans themselves.
And he promises that the
only way to preserve your life through the judgment is by faith.
So even though
destruction is decreed for the nation, there is hope for individuals who hold
fast their confidence in God.
The full-blown doctrine
of justification by faith, as Paul taught it in Romans and Galatians, is not
yet here. But the seed is here.
So, what I would like to
do today is survey the content of this prophetic book, then focus on its main
point and how it unfolds in the New Testament as the great gospel truth of
justification by faith.
Judah’s
Wickedness and Coming Judgment
After introducing the
book as a “burden” which he received from God, Habakkuk cries out
in Habakkuk 1:2–4 that Judah is full of violence and
perverted justice.
For
example, verse 4: “So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth. For
the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted.”
Now here is the southern
kingdom of Judah, 130 years later, guilty of the same offenses. They had not
learned anything.
So in Habakkuk 1:5–11 God
foretells what he intends to do.
Verse
6: “For lo, I am rousing the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who
march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own.”
God is in control of the
nations. He swings them like a sword to chastise his people. The Chaldeans will
come against Judah as God’s rod of correction.
But verse 12 expresses
the confidence Habakkuk has that God will not utterly destroy his people.
“Art
thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O
Lord, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established
them for chastisement.”
God is rousing the
Chaldeans against his people, but it is not for annihilation but for correction
and chastisement.
The
Chaldeans’ Wickedness and Coming Judgment
Then
in 1:13–17 Habakkuk shows that he is not satisfied that the proud (Habakkuk 1:11) and
violent (Habakkuk 1:14, 15) and idolatrous (Habakkuk 1:16) Chaldeans should themselves escape the judgment of
God.
They
certainly are no more righteous than Judah (Habakkuk1:13), even if God is using them to do his righteous work of
judgment.
So, he protests in verse 17: “Is he [i.e., the
Chaldean nation], then, to keep on emptying his net, and mercilessly slaying
nations forever?”
“There is hope for those who will hold firm their
trust in God as the calamity comes.”
In
chapter 1, then, Habakkuk protests first against the violence and injustice of
his countrymen in Judah (Habakkuk
1:1–4), and then against the violence
and injustice of the Chaldeans whom God is sending to punish Judah.
Now,
in chapter 2, Habakkuk takes his stand to await the divine response to his
protests.
In Habakkuk 2:2, 3, the
Lord answers him in a vision. We are not told what he saw.
But
I assume that the rest of what Habakkuk says about the future of Judah and the
Chaldeans is based on the assurance received in that vision.
The word regarding Judah in verse 4 is this (following
the NASB instead of the RSV’s unnecessary conjecture): “Behold, as for the
proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his
faith.”
There
is hope for those who will hold firm their trust in God as the calamity comes.
But
the word regarding the Chaldeans in 2:6–19 is a five-fold woe.
Verse 6: “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his
own.”
Verse 9: “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his
house, to set his nest on high.”
Verse 12: “Woe to him who builds a town with
blood.”
Verse 15: “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink
up the cup of his wrath.”
Verse 19: “Woe to him who says to a wooden thing,
Awake; and to a dumb stone, Arise!”
In
other words, the great power of the Chaldeans will, in the end, come to naught.
The
nations weary themselves in vain to fill the earth with their fame and power.
Why? Because, as Habakkuk 2:14 says,
“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as
the waters covers the sea.”
Habakkuk
need not fear that a rebellious nation will have the last say. The earth is the
Lord’s, and he will fill it with his glory.
The chapter closes with these awesome words in verse
20: “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before
him.”
So
in answer to Habakkuk’s protests, God assures him that the pride of the
Chaldeans will come to a woeful end (Habakkuk
2:6–20) and that any in Judah who
humbly trusts God will gain his life.
“The
just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
Habakkuk’s
Song of Praise and Faith
The
last chapter of the book is Habakkuk’s response to what he has heard.
But
it is more than his own personal prayer. It is intended as a psalm to be used
in worship.
When it says in verse 1, “A prayer of Habakkuk the
prophet, according to Shigionoth,” it means that the prayer is to be used
to musical accompaniment with a spirit of excitement and triumph.
This
is confirmed by two things:
(1) the very last phrase of the book, “To the
choirmaster: with stringed instruments,” and
(2) the use of “Selah” at the end of verses 3,
9, and 13.
The
reason this is important to see is that Habakkuk wants us to be able to sing
this prayer with him.
It’s
here to show us how we should face the judgment of God.
The
Chaldeans are coming against Judah for sure.
How
should the godly prepare for this tribulation and calamity?
We
should ask the same question. Tribulation is coming upon the world, as Jesus
said (Matthew
24:21).
How
should we prepare for it? How shall we endure it?
First of all, in 3:2 Habakkuk prays, “O Lord, I
have heard the report of thee, and thy work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of
the years renew it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember
mercy.”
Habakkuk
has a sober and healthy fear of the judgment of God.
So,
he prays that in the midst of wrath God will have mercy on him.
Then
in Habakkuk 3:3–15 he sings the greatness of God’s power,
and especially his power to save.
For example, verse 13: “Thou went forth for the
salvation of thy people, for the salvation of thine anointed. Thou didst crush
the head of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck.”
The
prophet knew God’s power from his work in the past, and so he counted on his
ultimate victory in the future.
So, verse 16 says that even though his body trembles
at the thought of the invasion, he “waits quietly” for what must be.
And
finally, in 3:17–19, Habakkuk breaks out into a wonderful song of faith:
“Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on
the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the
flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is
my strength; he makes my feet like hinds’ feet, he makes me tread upon my high
places.”
In
other words, no matter how severe the tribulation when the Chaldeans invade the
land, Habakkuk will never stop trusting God.
Even though God himself has roused this “bitter and
hasty nation” (Habakkuk 1:6), Habakkuk is confident that in wrath, God will show
mercy to those who trust him and rejoice in him alone when all else fails.
When a man and a woman marry, they pledge their love
and faithfulness to each other “for better or for worse, whether rich or
poor, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do us part.”
And
if that’s true between husband and wife, how much more between us and God!
We
are each other’s, and we are God’s, no matter how severe the tribulation. We
trust each other, and we trust him absolutely.
The
Main Point of Habakkuk
Now
as we step back from our survey, it shouldn’t be too hard to see what the main
point of this little book is.
Negatively
it is this: Proud people, whose strength or ingenuity is their god (Habakkuk 1:11, 16; 2:4, 19), will come to a woeful end, even though they may enjoy
prosperity for a season either as God’s chosen ones in Judah, or as the victors
over Judah.
All
the proud, whether Jew or Gentile, will perish in the judgment.
But Habakkuk stresses the positive side of his main
point, namely, “the just shall live by his faith.”
He
states it as a principle in Habakkuk 2:4, and then he celebrates it as his own
song in Habakkuk 3:16–19.
When Habakkuk says, “Even when all the fruit and
produce and flocks and herds are destroyed and my very life is threatened, yet
will I rejoice in God,” — when Habakkuk says that, he shows us what he
means by faith in Habakkuk 2:4: “The just shall live by his faith.”
He
means banking your hope on God no matter what.
Remember
that Habakkuk’s prophecy began with his attack on Judah’s violence and strife
and perverted justice in Habakkuk 1:3, 4.
You might expect that when he comes to tell the people
how to be saved in the judgment he would say: “Cease being violent! Do
justice! Put away strife!”
(That’s what Amos said.) But he doesn’t.
When the judgment is certain and the question is, “How
can I gain my life before the wrath of a holy God?”
Habakkuk’s answer is trust him. “The just shall
live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
Amos had said to Israel, “Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live . . . Remember justice in the gate, and it may be that the
Lord of hosts will be gracious” (Amos 5:14, 15).
So,
Habakkuk could have said to Judah: The just shall live by his goodness!
The
just shall live by executing justice in the gate! And he would not have been
wrong.
For
it is a thoroughly biblical teaching that people whose everyday lives are not
changed by the Holy Spirit will not inherit eternal life (Galatians 5:21).
So,
in a real sense we do gain our lives by becoming better people in God’s power
and by doing justice and loving mercy.
“Having a right standing before man and God always
includes faith in God.”
But
that is not the heart of the gospel. And unless we have the heart, that part of
God’s message will become a dreadful legalism and a horrid burden to the
conscience.
Habakkuk’s
message comes close to the heart of the gospel.
When he says, “The just (or the righteous) shall
live by his faith,” he implies two things.
One
is that all those who are righteous are also ones who have faith in God.
Having
a right standing before man and God always includes faith in God.
The
other thing Habakkuk 2:4 implies is that faith is what saves from
God’s wrath.
“The just shall live by his faith” means: just people are people of faith, and faith is
what secures their life and keeps them safe for eternity.
Close
to the Heart of the Gospel
The
reason Habakkuk’s message comes close to the heart of the gospel (but doesn’t
reveal the heart) is that he does not tell us explicitly how righteousness and
faith are related.
He simply says, “Righteous people have faith, and
this faith saves them.”
The
heart of the gospel is that the righteousness which God requires comes by
faith, and it is possible for us sinners to have it because Christ died for our
sins.
Genesis 15:6 says, “Abraham believed the Lord; and
he reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
The
relationship between trusting God and standing righteous before him is that God
looks at our faith and counts us righteous.
The
reason God can do that for us sinners is that Christ took the punishment for
our iniquities on himself.
Already in Isaiah 53:11 this
is plain: “By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many
to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.”
When
God reckons a person righteous because Christ died for him and because he puts
his trust in Christ, that is what we call justification by faith, and that is
the heart of the gospel, the best news in the world to people who know they are
sinners and God is holy.
But
let’s not move beyond Habakkuk too quickly. There may be more here than we
think for the encouragement of our faith.
The
judgment of God is coming, most immediately in the Chaldean invasion of Judah,
but finally at the end of the age.
What
is it that will bring life instead of death in the judgment?
Before
I give Habakkuk’s answer, let me make clear that if this is not your question,
you are in a dream world.
You
are living in a fool’s paradise of unreality if you do not ask with all your
heart, “How can I stand in the judgment, which is coming?”
“It is appointed for me to die once, and after that
comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Those who resist God are “storing up wrath for
themselves on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed”
(Romans 2:5).
On
that day it will appear clearly to all how utterly naïve it was for millions of
people to live their lives as though the God who made this world for his glory
would never call them to account for how little he has meant to them.
It squares with Scripture and with reason: “He has
fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31).
Therefore,
I urge you to ask yourself: Would I gain my life before a holy God if I died
tonight?
Am
I ready to take my stand in the divine courtroom and hear the Judge pass an
eternal sentence on me?
There
will only be two verdicts in that day, and one or the other of them will be
passed on every person: either “condemned” or “justified,” hell
or heaven, eternal death or eternal life.
If you want to know how to be ready to gain your life
on that day, listen to Habakkuk 2:4. “The just shall live by his faith.”
Habakkuk
knew that everybody in Judah was a sinner.
And he knew that the holiness of God prevents him from
ignoring our sins: “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not
look on wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13).
So
Habakkuk taught that the only thing that could save us is faith. Faith in what?
In God’s mercy.
In Habakkuk 3:2 he
prays, “In wrath remember mercy.”
Habakkuk
couldn’t see ahead to how God would preserve both his holy hatred for sin and
his merciful forgiveness of sinners who trust him.
But
God had revealed it, and so he proclaimed it: the just shall gain their lives
in the judgment by faith.
He
knew that when he called them “just,” they weren’t sinless.
He
meant that those who are right with God in spite of their sin are those who
trust God for his mercy.
But
how can a holy God, who hates sin, show eternal mercy on sinners who simply
trust him for mercy? God did not reveal that much to Habakkuk.
The New
Testament Revelation of the Gospel
But
he did to the apostle Paul, and the answer is the death of Christ. Paul said it
like this:
“They are justified by his grace as a gift, through
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation
by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to
prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies
him who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans
3:24–26)
Let
me try to translate that into your situation.
When
you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, when you give up
trying to lead your own life and establish your own worth, and instead
surrender your heart to him and bank on him for your future, three things
happen.
(1) Your sin receives its deserved condemnation.
(2) God’s righteousness receives its deserved
glorification.
(3) And you receive your undeserved justification.
1.
Your sin receives its deserved condemnation.
You
may be drunk with self-confidence now before the awesome holiness of God.
But
I promise you, on your deathbed (if God gives you a chance) you will sober up
in a hurry, and be scared to death that in a day or two you will stand with all
your sin before God.
Sin
must be punished. But God, who is rich in mercy, sent his Son to take our sin
on himself and suffer for it.
“What the law could not do, weak as it was through the
flesh, God did: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for
sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3).
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:6; Mark 10:45).
If
you close with Christ in faith, the death he died becomes your death.
Your
sins become his, and you bear them no more. They have received their deserved
condemnation.
2. It is not as though God’s righteousness is easily
satisfied.
It
took the death of Christ for God’s righteousness to receive its deserved
glorification.
If
his righteousness had not been at stake, he might have swept your sin under the
rug.
But
he glorified his righteousness by requiring an infinitely valuable sacrifice —
the death of his own Son.
“When judgment comes, the just shall live by his
faith.”
It
is unthinkable in a moral universe that God could simply let bygones be
bygones.
The
sins you committed ten years ago are as vivid and horrible and condemning as if
you did them last night.
The
righteous God cannot forget and ignore sin — unless there is an atonement — a
sacrificial substitute.
Therefore,
he sent the Son, so that our sin might receive its deserved condemnation, and
his righteousness might receive its deserved glorification.
3. When you trust in Christ, you receive undeserved
justification.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
“Having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
“To the one who does not work but trusts him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
The
Just Shall Live by Faith
Habakkuk
taught us that when judgment comes, the just shall live by his faith.
And
when that seed comes to full flower in the New Testament, we see that the
reason the just live by faith is that the just are justified by faith.
As Paul puts it (and with this invitation I close), “They
are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by
faith” (Romans 3:24).
John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of
desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33
years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He is author of more than 50
books, including Desiring God: Meditations
of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Coronavirus and
Christ.
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-just-shall-live-by-faith
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