NL 113 Faith as a Way of Life

Be persistent in working toward a better world, one that reflects God’s justice

Commentary on Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-4; 3:[3b-6] 17-19

Arthur Wright

I suspect that very few churchgoers have heard many sermons on the short and obscure prophetic book of Habakkuk, tucked in the midst of the Book of the Twelve. Yet it is remarkable how relevant these ancient words continue to be for today. With its origin in the late seventh century BCE, this book reflects a challenging and tense time in the life of the people of Judah, between King Josiah’s death in 609 BCE and the first deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BCE. Habakkuk writes to a people who are profoundly anxious about the future, and for good reason.

By the late seventh century BCE, the Babylonian Empire (whom Habakkuk calls the Chaldeans) was conquering large swaths of land around the Fertile Crescent, and the Jewish people could read the writing on the wall. The small strip of territory they occupied was strategically vital to any empire seeking control of that part of the world, because of its location along the Mediterranean Sea and its connection to the wealthy nation of Egypt beyond.

There is little doubt that the prophet Habakkuk was not the only one who could anticipate that Babylon would soon conquer them. In fact, Habakkuk’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also expected Babylon’s coming conquest (for example, Jeremiah 5:15–17).

While the threat of this impending disaster looms in the background, the book of Habakkuk begins with the prophet complaining that God is silent in the face of the injustice and corruption of Judean society:

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save? (1:2)

Habakkuk laments that while “the law becomes slack” and “justice never prevails” (1:4), he has seen no evidence of a response from God.

God (through the words of the prophet) offers an unsettling answer: God is sending the armies of Babylon as an instrument of God’s judgment on the people of Judah: “For I am rousing the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own” (1:6).

God will indeed intervene in response to the injustice in Judean society, but not in the way that the prophet expects. This looming threat from Babylon is presented as divine punishment. Habakkuk protests:

Your eyes are too pure to behold evil,
    and you cannot look on wrongdoing;
why do you look on the treacherous
    and are silent when the wicked swallow
    those more righteous than they? (1:13)

How, he wonders, can God use “wicked” Babylonians to punish the “more righteous” Judeans?

The prophet takes his stand upon the watchpost to wait and see how God will respond (2:1). God does answer, and commends patience: This injustice will not last forever, for there is an “appointed time” (2:3). Then comes perhaps the most familiar verse of this obscure book, which advises God’s people how to live in the meantime: “The righteous live by their faithfulness” (2:4).

In spite of this terrible tragedy that seems certain to unfold, Habakkuk calls God’s people to patience and faithfulness. This verse may be familiar due to Paul’s citation of it in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11: The “righteous will live by faith.” This is not a passive faith, however. Neither Habakkuk nor Paul imagines faith simply as “correct belief in God.” Rather, this is steadfast fidelity and commitment to God’s purposes in the world. It is a way of life, even in the midst of a world that feels like it’s coming apart.

In the face of bleak anxiety and an uncertain future, Habakkuk urges readers to be persistent in working toward a better world, one that reflects God’s justice. Babylon may come, and things may get worse before they get better. Nevertheless, people of faith are still called to strive toward a just, loving, and nonviolent world—the same things that the prophet lamented a lack of in the beginning of this book (1:2–4).

The book of Habakkuk raises important themes for readers. It addresses times of divine silence, reminds readers of the legitimacy of lament and even complaint to God, and evokes God’s desire for a just world. But it also raises troubling questions: Is this really how God works? Did God punish Judea for their injustice by sending Babylon to violently conquer them? Or is Babylon ultimately to blame, with their greed and violence (2:6–20)? And is the world so dualistic that people can be easily separated into categories of “righteous” and “wicked”?

While Habakkuk lives with the tension of these questions, the book nevertheless calls readers to recognize human agency in the world, not only in injustice and violence, but in justice and faithfulness as well.

Through it all, Habakkuk offers readers encouragement to be patient and hopeful, even in the most anxious and difficult moments of life. Habakkuk ends poignantly, when his own context is still unsettled:

Though the fig tree does not blossom
    and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
    and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
    and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will exult in the God of my salvation. (3:17–18)

The prophet trusts in God’s faithfulness, even when the future is uncertain. Even more, Habakkuk summons God’s people to embody that sam sse faithfulness, even in the midst of such uncertainty and fear. Be patient, yes. But also be persistent in living out stubborn faith and resilient hope in the world.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Faithful God, you proved your faithfulness to your people when they cried out to you in distress. Be present in our distress, and show us how to be faithful to you in the midst of suffering. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.