The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

2:1. Like a watchman on the city wall, the prophet waits for his answer from the Almighty, awaiting not what will happen in the natural, but what God will say to him. The answer does come, SUHIDFHG ZLWK WKH FRPPDQG WR ´ W ULWH WKH YLVLRQµ FOHDUO\ understandably and very noticeable so that all who read it will remember, believe, declare and respond to its message. The message will include description of the wicked and five awesome woes.

*RG·V nd Reply: The Babylonians Will Not Escape their Judgment. Before listing the series of five woes, we must pause at the famous 2:4 reference (interjected at this point) that was such a vital concept in the writings of the Apostle Paul, inspiring also Martin Luther and the Reformation.

´%HKROG WKH SURXG [the puffed up] , His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. 13

This verse shows the great contrast between the worldly, sinful ´SXIIHG XSµ person and the one who lives a faithful life of devotion to God. It speaks not only of a conversion faith that happens at a given moment, but of a life-style of on-going faith, that both pleases God and brings wonderful blessing and solidity WR WKH EHOLHYHU·V OLIH 7KH SHUVRQ ZKRVH VRXO ´LV QRW XSULJKW LQ KLPµ LV GHVWLQHG WR D WUDJLF IDOO :LFNHGQHVV ZLOO self-destruct, bursting like a bubble; collapsing like a faulty wall. The righteous will find their strength in a continuous, exciting life of faithfulness--fulfilling the daily tasks of life by living and prospering through faithful adherence to the ways of the LORD. This is the essential message of God through Habakkuk. It is like the core muscles of your body that must be strong, so the rest of your body can be strong. 3DXO·V PHVVDJH RI ´7KH -XVWLILFDWLRQ E\ )DLWKµ LV EDVHG RQ this insight gained from Habakkuk (note Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Heb 10:38). The clear teaching of the New Testament is that a person does come to Christ in an act of faith, but there is also agreement with the message of Habakkuk that faith does indeed include the continuity of faith, the perseverance in faithfulness as a pattern of life. To read the New Testament with this in mind suddenly causes the reader to see the great concern that both Jesus and his apostles had for faithfully living the overcoming life. The great challenge to the churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3 was to be an RYHUFRPHU 7KH $SRVWOH -RKQ VDLG ´)RU ZKDWVRHYHU LV ERUQ RI *RG RYHUFRPHV WKH ZRUOG $QG this is the victory that has overcome the world ² our faith µ -RKQ -XGH·V FKDOOHQJH LQ KLV YHUVH ZDV ´WR FRQWHQG HDUQHVWO\ IRU WKH IDLWK ZKLFK ZDV RQFH IRU DOO GHOLYHUHG WR WKH VDLQWV µ This indicates a zealous pursuit of dedicated faithfulness to the truth. Habakkuk teaches that IDLWK LV ´WKH NH\ HOHPHQW IRU VXUYLYDOµ ZKHQ GLVDVWHU FRPHV

13 From the Holman Study Bible S ³7KH WUDQVODWLRQ µIDLWK¶ LQ WKLV YHUVH LV PXFK debated; some prefer to use the word µIDLWKIXOQHVV¶ LQVWHDG 7KH +HEUHZ ZRUG LV µHPXQDK WKH URRW RI RXU ZRUG µDPHQ ¶ DQG LW VLJQLILHV UHOLDELOLW\ DQG VWHDGIDVWQHVV 8OWLPDWHO\ LW LV D ZRUG WKDW VLJQLILHV OR\DOW\ WR WKH /RUG¶V FRYHQDQW 7KXV WKHUH LV Q ot a great deal of difference between faith, IDLWKIXOQHVV DQG VWHDGIDVW DOOHJLDQFH WR *RG ´

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