THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH

Passage: Habakkuk 2:2-20

Key verse: 4b

NIV

The Lord’s Answer

2 Then the Lord replied:

“Write(A) down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[a] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;(B)
    it speaks of the end(C)
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait(D) for it;
    it[b] will certainly come
    and will not delay.(E)

4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person(F) will live by his faithfulness[c](G)—
5 indeed, wine(H) betrays him;
    he is arrogant(I) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,(J)
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive(K) all the peoples.

6 “Will not all of them taunt(L) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(M)
    How long must this go on?’
7 Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.(N)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.(O)
For you have shed human blood;(P)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.(Q)

9 “Woe to him who builds(R) his house by unjust gain,(S)
    setting his nest(T) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(U) of many peoples,
    shaming(V) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(W) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(X)
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(Y)
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(Z)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(AA) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.(AB)

15 “Woe to him who gives drink(AC) to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(AD) instead of glory.(AE)
    Now it is your turn! Drink(AF) and let your nakedness be exposed[d]!(AG)
The cup(AH) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(AI) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(AJ)
For you have shed human blood;(AK)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value(AL) is an idol(AM) carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image(AN) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.(AO)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(AP)
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;(AQ)
    there is no breath in it.”(AR)

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;(AS)
    let all the earth be silent(AT) before him.

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Footnotes
  1. Habakkuk 2:2 Or so that whoever reads it
  2. Habakkuk 2:3 Or Though he linger, wait for him; / he
  3. Habakkuk 2:4 Or faith
  4. Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith

2 And the Lord answered me:

(A)“Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
3 For still (B)the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, (C)wait for it;
    (D)it will surely come; it will not delay.

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but (E)the righteous shall live by his faith.[a]

5 “Moreover, wine[b] is (F)a traitor,
    an arrogant man who is never at rest.[c]
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
    like death (G)he has never enough.
(H)He gathers for himself all nations
    and collects as his own all peoples.”

Woe to the Chaldeans

6 Shall not all these (I)take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

(J)“Woe to him (K)who heaps up what is not his own—
    for (L)how long?—
    and (M)loads himself with pledges!”
7 (N)Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
    and those awake who will make you tremble?
    Then you will be spoil for them.
8 (O)Because you have plundered many nations,
    all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
(P)for the blood of man and (Q)violence to the earth,
    to cities and all who dwell in them.

9 (R)“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
    (S)to (T)set his nest on high,
    to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame for your house
    (U)by cutting off many peoples;
    you have forfeited your life.
11 For (V)the stone will cry out from the wall,
    and the beam from the woodwork respond.

12 (W)“Woe to him (X)who builds a town with blood
    and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
    that (Y)peoples labor merely for fire,
    and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 (Z)For the earth will be filled
    with the knowledge of (AA)the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

15 (AB)“Woe to him (AC)who makes his neighbors drink—
    you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
    in order to gaze (AD)at their nakedness!
16 You will have your fill (AE)of shame instead of glory.
    (AF)Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
(AG)The cup in the Lord's right hand
    will come around to you,
    and (AH)utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 (AI)The violence (AJ)done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
(AK)for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
    to cities and all who dwell in them.

18 (AL)“What profit is an idol
    when its maker has shaped it,
    a metal image, (AM)a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
    when he makes (AN)speechless idols!
19 (AO)Woe to him (AP)who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
    to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
    and (AQ)there is no breath at all in it.
20 But (AR)the Lord is in his holy temple;
    (AS)let all the earth keep silence before him.”

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Footnotes
  1. Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness
  2. Habakkuk 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
  3. Habakkuk 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. An urgent message (2-5)

The Lord's answer must be written down plainly, so that anyone who reads it may run to deliver it. His message is one of hope and salvation for God's people, and a message of judgment on any arrogant people whose desires are not upright. God's people must wait on God and live by faith, even though corruption and violence are rampant. One who lives by faith is counted as righteous (Ro 1:17).

2. Five woes from a Holy God (6-2

)

The five woes point out the evils that the righteous God would not long tolerate in any nation. He will not tolerate empire builders who become wealthy by extortion and plunder (6), by ruining others (9-1

), or by crime (11). Woe to those who corrupt conquered people with alcohol and pornography (15). Woe to idol worshipers (18-19). The Lord's triumph is sure. Verse 14 looks forward to the Messianic kingdom. Verses 19 and 2

contrast lifeless idols with the Lord who is in his holy temple, ruling the earth.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live by faith in the Holy God who rules all the earth.

One Word: Live by faith