Scripture Reading : Habakkuk 1:12-2:20
Theme : The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
Prophet’s Second Lament (1:12-17). Habakkuk is stunned by God’s answer. God’s answer did not fit his understanding of God’s character and justice. God is a righteous God, who cannot look at evil meaning accept and tolerate evil. How can such righteous God use Babylonian, which is more evil than Judah, to punish Judah? And how can God let Babylon kill and conquer other nations forever? Habakkuk waits for God to answer a second time.
God’s Second Comfort (2:1-20). God graciously answers His servant. Even though God will use Babylon as the rod of His anger, He will not allow Babylon to kill forever. They are responsible for their sins. He will destroy Babylon because of their wickedness. They are already sinful, God simply channels their sinfulness (Prov. 21:1). For glory, Babylon seeks to conquer continuously, but such endeavor will not bring everlasting glory, value, meaning or joy. Like death, they are never satisfied. In contrast, only the glory of God, which will cover the whole earth, has everlasting value and meaning. The way of Babylon, like the way of the world, only brings emptiness and judgment from God (cf. Ps. 1). How the idolatrous and evil Babylon plundered others, it will receive the same treatment at the end. The proper behavior of God’s people is to live by faith. A faith that is grounded in the truth of God’s character and power. A faith that results in faithfulness to God (Is. 7:9). Even though God did not answer all of Habakkuk’s questions, He has given enough answers to enable him to live by faith.
Praying the Scripture
- We will not understand everything about God and how He will unfold His plans in the world because it is His glory to concealed some things (Deut. 29:29). But what God has revealed about His character, power and plan for the world (Ex. 34:6-7), that we can fully understand and trust (Prov. 3:5-6). God has given us enough answers in the Bible regarding every area of life so that we can move forward and live for Him with zeal (2 Pet. 1:3) and not be paralyzed in bewilderment. God has called Habakkuk to live by faith in His character and power, and God calls all of us to live by faith also (Rom. 1:17). It is our faith in God that triumphs over Satan and all the evils of the world (1 John 5:4; Eph. 6:16). It is not our faith that has power, it is the object of our faith that has power: God Himself (Luke 17:5-10). Faith is a commitment to God, faith is trusting His word.
- The pursuit of Babylon for everlasting greatness, value, meaning and joy will end in vanity, meaninglessness and destruction. All pursuits, apart from God, are empty (Eccl. 1:2-11). Only pursuits that are centered on the eternal God will have everlasting greatness, value, meaning and joy (Eccl. 12:13-14). All our Christian endeavors have everlasting value, meaning and joy because it will be remembered forever by our eternal God. So let us “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
经文：哈巴谷书1:12-2:20
主题：义人因信得生
先知的二次哀叹（1:12-17）。哈巴谷不料神会这么回答他。神的答案并不符合哈巴谷对神之属性与公义的理解。神是公义的，不能眼看恶行却无动于衷，可公义之神怎么能使用一个比犹大还恶毒的巴比伦惩罚犹大呢？神怎么能让巴比伦戮杀并永远占领他国呢？哈巴谷第二次等候神的答复。
神的二次安慰（2:1-20）。神恩待了祂的仆人，给予答复。虽然神会使用巴比伦向犹大倾倒祂的愤怒，祂也不会容许巴比伦永远杀害别人。他们会为自己的罪负责。祂会因着巴比伦的恶行消灭巴比伦。巴比伦已经是作恶多端的；神仅是转移了他们作恶的对象（箴21:1）。巴比伦会为自己的荣耀寻求不断征服邻国，但他们的行为不会为他们带来永恒的荣耀、价值或喜乐。如死亡一样，他们永远不觉满足。相反的，只有神的荣耀有永恒的价值和意义；这荣耀要遍布全地。巴比伦的行为，如世人的行为一样，只会带来心灵空虚及神的审判（见诗1）。淫荡邪恶的巴比伦如何抢夺他人，最终也会有同样的下场。这时候，属神的人便要因信得生。这信心必须是扎根在神的属性与大能的真理上的。这等信心将使人忠于神（赛7:9）。即便神没有回答哈巴谷所有的问题，但祂已经给予足够启示，叫哈巴谷能凭信心活着。
用经文祷告
- 我们不会完全理解神及祂对世界的旨意，因为祂为自己的荣耀隐藏了一些奥秘（申29:29）。可是，凡神对自己的属性和大能与世界之计划的启示（出34:6-7），我们可以对此全然明白并信靠（箴3:5-6）。神藉着圣经已经对我们生命的各领域给予足够答案，叫我们能热心地向前为祂而活（彼后1:3），不会困惑不已。神吩咐哈巴谷要凭着祂的属性与大能活着，也召我们凭这样的信心而活（罗1:17）。我们在神里面的信心使我们能胜过撒旦及世上的众恶（约一5:4；弗6:16）。我们的信心没有力量；力量的来源是我们所信靠的对象：神（路17:5-10）。信心就是对神的委身，全然信靠祂的话。
- 巴比伦对永恒名誉、价值、意义及喜乐的追求最终会沦落至虚空与灭亡。若无神，一切追寻是虚空的（传1:2-11）。唯有以永生神为中心的追求才为大，有永恒的价值、意义和喜乐（传1:3-14）。我们在主里的所有工作都有永恒价值、意义和喜乐，因为我们永生的神必然永远记得。因此，让我们“务要坚固，不可摇动，常常竭力多做主工，因为知道，你们的劳苦在主里面不是徒然的”（林前15:58）。
