Habakkuk 2 continues the dialogue between the prophet and his God. When Habakkuk complained that the LORD wasn’t doing anything about injustice, he hoped God would send a revival. Instead, God answered that He was sending the ruthless army of Babylon to bring His justice to Judah (1:1-11). So Habakkuk files a second complaint, basically saying, “That’s not fair! Even if Judah deserves punishment, why use Babylon to punish us, when they’re worse than we are?” (1:12-17). Confident his point is valid, the prophet stations himself to see how the LORD will respond (2:1). The suspense builds when God tells Habakkuk to get his pen ready. This private conversation is about to become a public and permanent record—in the book that we are now reading! The message must be written plainly on tablets, which a messenger will carry and proclaim to others. “Wait for it,” Habakkuk is told. God’s revelation is coming, and soon! (v 2-3). Before the vision is made known, readers are reminded that “the righteous shall live by his faith.” While the ungodly boast of all they have done, the LORD expects His people to trust Him for all things, including His provision of justice. This requires both an initial attitude of faith as well as a continued dependence on Him. There is no real satisfaction to be found in life, apart from trusting in God’s purposes, which will be worked out over time (v 4-5). This phrase, “the righteous shall live by his faith,” is quoted three times in the New Testament to emphasize how people are saved and how Christians must continue to live. In the 1500s, this simple statement helped Martin Luther understand that we could never be declared righteous before God by our own efforts. It is only because Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again that we might live before God—justified by grace alone through faith alone. The kind of faith that Habakkuk describes means clinging to God’s promises, even in the darkest days. A five-fold woe is pronounced upon the wicked, as God guarantees that justice will be served in the end. No sin is hidden from His eyes, no sinner escapes His judgment, and no nation is beyond His rule. In fact, God will someday overthrow all the dimensions of evil, and the whole earth will be filled with His glory! This is where history is headed, and the believer must never lose sight of these eternal realities. The world around us may be in chaos, and your own personal life may be unraveling. “But the LORD is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him” (v 6-20). For further meditation: