God's Faithflness and Man's Faith

In contrast to the proud (see Hab 2:4a) who stand under the judgment of God, God tells the prophet Habakkuk that, ‘the righteous shall live by faith.’ Faith here indicates, at least in part, the faith that comes from God via the revelation of God’s faithfulness, where God’s faithfulness is seen as one aspect of God’s righteousness.

Habakkuk had received a revelation from God that informed him of God’s faithfulness to bring both judgment and salvation in His timing. As a result of God’s revelation to Habakkuk, his faith was increased. Habakkuk chapter three can be thought of as an impassioned poetic expression of that enlivened faith.

We see the principle here that God’s revelation of His faithfulness leads out our own faith. Want faith? Receive God’s revelation.

I hope and pray that we might all look intently at the revelation we have been given in our Bibles. For as we look upon the revelation of God’s righteousness in the gospel (17a) we, like Habakkuk, see God’s faithfulness. And God’s faithfulness calls forth our faith. And faith is God’s means to the end of our life -- life in the sense of salvation, and life in the sense of our daily walk with God.

May we look, listen and live! Look, long and hard at the Scriptures; listen, as Mary sitting at Jesus feet; and live, as the sons and daughters of God He has made us in Christ.