2And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3For 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.
As I thought about our sharing of all God was doing in us as women of God and through us in the lives of our husbands, children, family and friends, I began to thank God. Not only is He in control but His plan is the right plan and its always on time. Now the question becomes will I believe God and trust His plans for me? Although we like to think we have options, we don't. The alternative offers no hope. If we belong to Him, we have one option - 'but the righteous shall live by faith.'
The following commentaries drive home the point that God is the one to be trusted with the very details, twists and turns of our lives, as we learn to walk by faith. May the truth of this passage bless you as it has blessed me.
In God’s Time - Faith's Checkbook - C H Spurgeon
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but atthe end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry,wait for it; because it will surely come, it will nottarry.”—Habakkuk 2:3
MERCY may seem slow, but it is sure. The Lord in unfailing wisdom has appointed a time for the outgoings of His gracious power, and God’s time is the best time. We are in a hurry; the vision of the blessing excites our desire and hastens our longings; but the Lord will keep His appointments. He never is before His time; He never is behind. God’s word is here spoken of as a living thing which will speak and will come. It is never a dead letter, as we are tempted to fear when we have long watched for its fulfillment. The living word is on the way from the living God, and though it may seem to linger, it is not in reality doing so. God’s train is not behind time. It is only a matter of patience, and we shall soon see for ourselves the faithfulness of the Lord. No promise of His shall fail; “it will not lie.” No promise of His will be lost in silence; “it shall speak.” What comfort it will speak to the believing ear! No promise of His shall need to be renewed like a bill which could not be paid on the day in which it fell due: “it will not tarry.” Come, my soul, canst thou not wait for thy God? Rest in Him, and be still in unutterable peacefulness.
Living by Faith by Wil Pounds
Habakkuk 2:4 presents two different ways of living in strong contrast. The way of the wicked is unbelief and defiant disobeying of God’s revelation. The other is the faith in God and obedience to His Word. One is submissive to God, and the other is arrogant unbelief. One says, “I don’t need God. I can take care of myself.” The other says, “But the righteous will live by his faith.” The prophet wrote: “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
The “proud one” is puffed up, swollen with pride. The Hebrew expression is figurative of pride and arrogant self-sufficiency. This is the strong contrast the prophet is drawing out in this chapter. The wicked is puffed up and has no desire to do what is right in God’s sight. “He is greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied” (v. 5, NIV). Sheol or death is compared to a voracious appetite that can never be satisfied.
The other choice is living by faith in the one who keeps us, not only from the moment we first trust in Him as our Savior, but in every moment of every day of our lives. “But the righteous will live by faith.”
This verse in Habakkuk asks some important questions for Christians today. Who is this righteous person? How did he become right in God’s sight? What is the function of faith in the righteous person’s life? How do you live before a holy God? Habakkuk emphasizes, as does the rest of the Bible, that we are not righteous. We are unrighteous. We are sinners. We cannot earn a righteous standing before God because we are dead in our sins and trespasses. We cannot earn a right relationship with God through good religious works, prayers, charity, fasting, etc. “But the just shall live by faith.” Since no one can attain perfect goodness, how then can we stand right before God and be acceptable to Him? The just person, or person right in the eyes of God, has ceased in his own efforts to attain this right standing before God. He has turned to Jesus Christ instead for the righteousness that God freely gives. It is God’s gift to the believing sinner in Jesus Christ. A Christian is a person who is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for a right standing with God. He or she is not someone trying to earn salvation by good works, but instead has received what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The very foundation of our Christian life is not what we can do for God, but what He had done for us in Jesus Christ. Our entrance into the Christian life is not by working but by a spiritual birth. We receive God’s gift by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. “The righteous person will live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17).
To God be the glory,
Cece
