Habakkuk 2 Footnotes

2:2-5 The Lord commanded Habakkuk to write the vision he was giving him clearly—literally, “so one who reads in it may run.” This could be taken in two ways: either the tablets were to be written in letters large enough that a person running by would not have to stop to read them, or the message was so clear that a messenger could run with it. This message was for all God’s people distressed by arrogant oppressors, whether aggressive foreign nations (“the Chaldeans,” 1:6) or treacherous and greedy members of Habakkuk’s own community (1:13). Its essence was “Trust, and you will be able to live!” This was the ultimate answer to both of the prophet’s complaints. God is going to deal with wickedness among his people in his own good time, as he is also going to deal with wickedness generally (Gn 3:15). Even when appearances and human reasoning contradict what God has said, his people can trust his word given through the prophetic vision.

2:4 The translation “faith” in this verse is much debated; some prefer to use the word “faithfulness” instead. The Hebrew word is ’emunah, the root of our word “amen,” and it signifies reliability and steadfastness. Ultimately it is a word that signifies loyalty to the Lord’s covenant. Thus, there is not a great deal of difference between faith, faithfulness, and steadfast allegiance to God. The person who has true faith in God will remain faithful despite outward circumstances (3:16-19), and the faithful person will not endure without faith in God (Heb 10:36-39).

Paul quoted v. 4 to support his argument that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” because “the righteous will live by faith” (Rm 1:16-17). Those who trust in what God has done through Jesus Christ—not simply as a matter of intellectual belief but as a matter of life commitment—will be saved, or delivered, from the consequences of sin and the effects of God’s wrath. Paul made an even stronger argument from Hab 2:4 in his letter to the Galatians, asserting that salvation is through faith, not through “the law” (of Moses, Gl 3:11). Habakkuk did not directly contrast righteousness based on keeping the law with righteousness based on faith; to a prophet of Israel there would have been no difference between these concepts, since the law itself was an act of God’s grace (Dt 7:6-11). But he did make faith the key element for survival when the Lord brings disaster. Habakkuk’s statement should be viewed in light of earlier prophets who stressed that offering sacrifices according to the requirements of the law was useless when a genuine commitment to live according to God’s standards of justice and mercy was lacking.