In this issue, we are to meditate upon them. Let us explore their context in the prophecy of Habakkuk and their corresponding relevance in the New Testament when Paul uses them.
(2) The point Paul tries to make is that we cannot become righteous by our own efforts, but rather righteousness and salvation come by faith in Christ. That is why he talks about “righteousness by faith” in his epistle to the Romans (Romans 1:17). Paul is telling the Romans that no one could become righteous by means of their actions because man’s flesh is sinful in nature. But those who believe in Christ (and His ransom sacrifice) are justified by their faith and deemed righteous (Romans 3:9, 20, 21, 22; 4:1-8, 5:1, 2). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says the same thing. The Galatian church members had started giving importance to the observance of the Mosaic Law (Galatians 3:1-5). Paul rebukes them for that and instructs them that we receive the blessings of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:14). And in his missive to the Hebrews, he says our souls would be saved if we retain that faith till the very end (Hebrews 10:38, 39). Very truly, these words form the foundation of our Christian life. As John reminds us, we can never claim to be without sin (1 John 1:8). So our salvation is only by our faith in Christ Jesus.
(3) Now let us delve into the book of Habakkuk to look at the context and meaning of this very verse that forms the basis of our faith. This book was written before Judah was taken captive and went into the Babylonian exile. It is slightly different from the other prophetic books of the Old Testament in its nature as Habakkuk seems to be a prophet in conversation with God. He asks God questions and gets answers from the LORD Almighty. Those questions are very important. They help us understand God.
(4) Not enough details are provided to arrive at the exact time of the writing of this book. The only thing we can figure out is that it was written before Judah’s Babylonian exile as Habakkuk prophesies about the impending Babylonian invasion. During those times, injustice was rampant in Judah as people were not observing the Law. The prophet feels terrible about this and complains to God (Habakkuk 1:1-4). As a matter of fact, the questions that bothered Habakkuk are the same that usually arise in the minds of anyone witnessing injustice on earth.
(5) In answering Habakkuk, God says that He was going to do something in the days of the prophet that he would not believe even if he were told (Habakkuk 1:5). Even this verse is used by Paul in the book of Acts. Later we will look at how this prophetic verse applies to the context of Paul’s usage there. Now, what was the thing God was going to do in the days of Habakkuk? It was that He was going to let the Chaldeans (Babylonians) invade and carry the people of Judah as prisoners (Habakkuk 1:5-10). This was indeed God’s punishment to Judah for her continuous violations of His Law. To the people of Judah, it was truly a thing impossible to believe. It was inconceivable to their minds that God would completely hand over His chosen people to a Gentile nation. Till then, God had never done such a thing. These Babylonians had their own man-made laws and were in a state of self-promotion (Habakkuk 1:7). They used to plunder cities and take people and kings as prisoners (Habakkuk 1:9, 10).
(6) Habakkuk could not digest God’s answer. He thought Babylon was a more sinful nation than Judah. During those times, Babylon was waging war against many countries and massacring people using its military might. He compares the army of Babylon to a fishing net that gathers many to its wicked ways (Habakkuk 1:14-17). Babylon worshipped its own army (the “net”) as god (Habakkuk 1:16) because of its might. Habakkuk asks God how it would be right for such a wicked nation to capture a relatively more righteous Judah (Habakkuk 1:12, 13). It is indeed true that the prophet had complained to God in the first place against the people and the king of Judah for committing injustices. But when God responded by saying that that He was going to punish Judah using Babylon, Habakkuk protests because Babylon was a country much more wicked than Judah in his eyes. He could not understand how God, whose eyes are too pure to even look at evil, could do such a thing (Habakkuk 1:13). He decides to wait for God’s clarification (Habakkuk 2:1).
(7) God’s clarification reveals that Babylon too would be destroyed. He first asks Habakkuk to write down this revelation and make it plain on tablets (Habakkuk 2:2, 3). This is because; it is this vision that foretells the ultimate destruction of Babylon. In a short while, the Jews would soon be taken captive to Babylon. At that time, this prophecy, that Babylon too would be judged one day, would continue to keep their hopes alive. That is why God tells Habakkuk to clearly note it down. He also says that though this prophecy may seem to linger, it would surely be fulfilled. Paul quotes this verse as well in Hebrews (Hebrews 10:37). We will look into that too later. Then God describes in detail the coming destruction of the “arrogant” Babylon. Even if the puffed-up Babylon is destroyed, God says, the righteous that have faith in Him will be saved (Habakkuk 2:4). That is, Babylon who has faith in his own strength – its army – would not survive. Babylon became guilty before the eyes of God because he did not believe in God but rather trusted his own strength (Habakkuk 1:11). Therefore he would be destroyed (Habakkuk 2:7, 8). But those who trust in God instead of their own strengths would be saved. Thus when God destroyed Babylon, the Jews who had their faith in God – and had been waiting for the fulfillment of Habakkuk’s prophecy – escaped and returned to their land.
(8) Babylon took captive many peoples (Habakkuk 2:5). But God says that the wealth it gained by piling up stolen goods would not last and proclaims that Babylon itself would be plundered like it did the other nations (Habakkuk 2:6-8). Babylon sought after unjust gain (Habakkuk 2:9). It built cities with bloodshed and established towns by crime (Habakkuk 2:12). But all its exhausting labor would be in vain (Habakkuk 2:13), for in the end, the earth would be filled only with the glory of the LORD (Habakkuk 2:14). Yes, Habakkuk’s fear was uncalled for. Neither Babylon nor any such wicked kingdom would last. The Kingdom of God will be established in the end and last forever. How comforting is this to us! Countless earthly kingdoms may rise. And they may acquire great power. But all their efforts and labor would ultimately be in vain. It is only the Kingdom of God that would last forever. Therefore God assures Habakkuk of the destruction of Babylon (Habakkuk 2:15-20). He also describes the sins of Babylon in detail. Babylon deceived even friendly neighboring nations (Habakkuk 2:15). Also widespread in Babylon was idol worship, an act detestable in the eyes of God (Habakkuk 2:18-20). Due to these sins, great “destruction” would come to Babylon, says God (Habakkuk 2:16, 17).
(9) Listening to this revelation, Habakkuk is in awe and fear of the things that are to happen (Habakkuk 3:2). He prays to the LORD to remember to be merciful on Israel amidst His wrath (Habakkuk 3:2). When the Israelites had journeyed through the wilderness, the Edomite city of Teman and Mount Paran had been to their east. Therefore the sun would have risen with glory from that side (Deut 33:2 – 4). Habakkuk compares that glory to that of the LORD (Habakkuk 3:3, 4). Then till the fifteenth verse, he reminisces of the days when God had been with the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness. Bringing down plagues and fire, God crushed many “age-old” mountains –Gentile nations – like the Egyptians (Habakkuk 3:5, 6). He raged against the sea and changed the courses of rivers as per His will (Habakkuk 3:7-10). Even the sun and the moon stood still (Habakkuk 3:11). We do know that this happened during the times of Joshua (Jos 10: 12, 13). In his anger, God threshed many nations and crushed their leaders (Habakkuk 3:12-15). Thus Habakkuk emboldens himself and gets rid of his fear by recollecting God’s good deeds of the old. During our times of crises, we too should follow the prophet’s example and remind ourselves of the good things done by the LORD in our lives in the past and gain courage.
(10) Then when Habakkuk thinks about the “invading nation”, a heart-pounding fear engulfs him making his lips quiver and legs tremble (Habakkuk 3:16). The latter half of the sixteenth verse has not been properly rendered in certain translations. The NIV has it right: “Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” In the earlier chapter, God informs Habakkuk that though the prophecy regarding the destruction of Babylon may seem to be delayed in its fulfillment, it would certainly be accomplished and asks him to wait for it. In spite of his heart-pounding fear, Habakkuk obeys God and says he will wait patiently for that day of calamity upon Babylon. Habakkuk’s faith and love towards God were indeed great. That is why he says whatever be the suffering he would have to endure during Babylonian captivity, he would rejoice in the LORD and be joyful in God (Habakkuk 3:17, 18). He wholeheartedly believed that God would strengthen him (Habakkuk 3:19).
(11) We looked at the book of Habakkuk in detail. It is a book that deals with the Babylonian captivity of Judah. In the book, within the prophecy on the destruction of Babylon are used the words “The righteous will live by faith”. Some might pose a question then – Why would Paul use those words in a totally unrelated context? Let us try to understand that now. Many Old Testament prophecies have been used in the New Testament in a variety of ways. Sometimes the prophecy would directly apply to the context of usage in the New Testament. But in some places, there would not be a direct correlation, but only the essence or theme of the prophecy would apply to its usage.
(12) As an example, observe how Paul uses Habakkuk 1:5 in the Book of Acts 13:41. He talks about how no one could be justified under the Mosaic Law, but those who have faith in Christ are freed from the Law and become righteous by their Faith. And he compares this to the amazing thing to be done by the LORD – which no one would believe, even if told (Acts 13:36-41). We saw before, that that verse in Habakkuk refers to the Babylonian invasion (please refer Para 5). So how does it apply to Acts 13:41? The essence of the Habakkuk prophecy was that an amazing thing that had never been done before was to be done. And that was that God would completely forsake Judah. In those times, that was an astounding and unbelievable event to happen. So Paul applies that verse in another matter having a similar theme and essence. God, who had been endorsing the Mosaic Law till then, ceases to do so, and instead begins to execute His justice through Christ. This too, was an amazing and inconceivable thing to the Israelites. Thus the essence of the Habakkuk prophecy applies to the amazing and inconceivable nature of this matter. That is why Paul points it out to the Israelites and warns them. Thereby he explains the seriousness of the change instituted by Christ.
(13) An instance where an Old Testament prophecy applies directly to its New Testament usage is also found in Habakkuk. Paul uses Habakkuk 2:3 in Hebrews 10:37. There Paul connects the revelation of Habakkuk to Christ’s Second Coming. Superficially, this might seem confusing. As we saw before, the vision of Habakkuk 2:3 is about the destruction of Babylon (please refer Para 7). That is true indeed. But the prophecy goes further than that. It lasts till the period when “the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (Habakkuk 2:14). Such a period comes only after Christ’s Second Coming. Therefore, as Paul too is writing about the same period in Hebrews, it fits right in and applies directly.
(14) Through these examples, we see how Old Testament prophecies have been applied in a variety of ways in the New Testament. Now let us see how the title of this article, Blossom – the sentence “The righteous will live by faith” – is used by Apostle Paul in the New Testament. We saw that Paul, using this verse in the New Testament, is conveying the message that we are deemed righteous (and saved) by our faith rather than our actions. But in Habakkuk, the verse is used to prophesize that the only people to be saved would be those who believed in God rather than those like Babylon who relied on their own strengths (please refer Para 7). Therefore surely it does not apply directly. In that case, what about its essence? Does that apply?
(15) Yes, its essence applies so beautifully. The Babylon of those days thought it could achieve anything by means of its own strengths. That was wrong. Likewise today, it would be wrong on our part if we believe we could become righteous by our own redemptive actions through our strengths. Back then, even though Babylon performed mighty acts through its army, it was ultimately destroyed. Only those who had faith in God were saved. Similarly, today even if we do mighty acts of redemption we cannot attain self-justification by ourselves. Only our faith in Christ justifies and redeems us. Notice how beautifully the essence of Habakkuk’s prophecy applies here! Praise be to God alone! We should not put our faith on fleshly acts. This was the wrong committed by numerous Jews during the times of Paul – they tried to be justified and righteous by their acts. The book of Galatians itself was to written to rebuke such people (Gal 1:6 – 12, 2:21). It is of course our duty to struggle against our sinful fleshly nature. But we should never forget the fact that we are justified only by our faith in Christ. We should never take pride in ourselves like Babylon. We are defective and imperfect. It is purely God’s Grace that we are deemed righteous. Therefore, let us give thanks to the LORD and His Son – ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel… For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”’ (Rom 1:16, 17).