The Righteous Will Live By Faith

Hello everyone

We will continue our look at Galatians 3 by focusing on verse 11, where Paul quotes the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk.  Here is my translation:  "It is obvious that the Law does not make anyone righteous before God, instead, “the righteous will live by faith.” 

In verse 11, Paul uses a Greek δῆλον (dēlon). This word means, “clear to the understanding, clear, plain, evident.” In my own translation, I have used the word ‘obvious.’ The point is, it should be clear, or obvious, to us that the Law does not make us righteous.  Paul then quotes from Habakkuk 2:4, “the righteous will live by faith.” 

Hab. 2:4 is obviously an important scripture reference.  Paul quotes it twice.  Here in Gal. 3:11 and Romans 1:17.  The Hebrew writer quotes it as well in Heb. 10:38.  

In his commentary on Galatians, Moo comments on Hab. 2:4 as well, “In its original context, Hab. 2:4b, appears to be an implicit call on the faithful among the people of Israel to look beyond the confusing and depressing circumstances of their historical situation and to ‘live’ on the basis of steadfast faithfulness in the Lord and His encouraging revelation.” (Moo, 206.)  

Habbakkuk's words, and Moo's reflection on them, certainly still apply to us, here and now. So, it might be good to take a moment and reflect on Hab. 2:4. 

In earlier verses in Habbakkuk's prophecy, Habakkuk has complained to God about the abundant unrighteousness that he saw around him in Israel. God responds to Habakkuk’s complaint, saying that He was preparing the Babylonians to deal with the unrighteousness in Israel. 

Habakkuk understandably complains again.  The Babylonians are even more unrighteous than the Israelites.  Why would a righteous God allow them to have the power? God’s response is basically, you let me worry about the Babylonians.  The righteous will live by faith.  (2:4)  God used the Babylonians to accomplish His purposes and then He deals with them.  God, as always, is in control. 

The whole of 2:4 reads, “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” While God is using the Babylonians for His purposes, He does recognize their arrogance (puffed up) and their unrighteousness (not upright.)  There is a clear contrast here between the “puffed up, not upright” and the “righteous, faithful.”   We definitely, want to make sure that we are on the right side of that one.  

This principle still applies.  We may not understand how God works through unrighteous people, but He still does.  In our generation, God is at work, even when it seems that He is not. Things happen that we do not understand, and we question God.  He will listen to our complaint, but in the end, He’s got this.  Our responsibility is to trust Him.

In the end of Habbakuk, he submits to God’s sovereignty.  God has heard his complaints and responded, and not how Habakkuk would have wanted him to.  Never-the-less, in 3:17-18, he says this: 

Though the fig tree does not bud

   and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habakkuk has learned to trust God no matter what.  He rejoices in God even though we might look at his situation  and wonder what he has to rejoice about. He is faithful and God, like He did with Abraham, will credit it to him as righteousness. May we imitate such faith.