“My righteous one will live by Faith”
37 For yet in a very little while,
the Coming One will come and not delay.
38 But my righteous one will live by faith;
and if he draws back,
I have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.
Closing up this chapter, the author quotes parts of the passage from Habakkuk 2:3-4 to encourage the believers to continue to endure in their faith,
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. 4 Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.
In this passage of Habakkuk, the Lord is speaking to Habakkuk, telling him to endure, for the Lord will arrive and intervene. The Lord will not abandon His faithful ones. “The righteous one will live by his faith.” The faith they have in the Lord will help them endure as they wait with complete assurance that the Lord will act. On the other hand, as a warning, God does not find any pleasure in those who waver: “…if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him.” In contrast to that, the author boldly declares in verse 39, “But we are NOT those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” The warning in verse 38 is well received by the author and the believers. What follows in Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith,” in which the author will cite examples of many individuals who lived by faith and were vindicated by God. So, in light of this passage, we have a straightforward lesson: live by faith, trusting that the Lord will come in His timing to save us from our trials and tribulations. We may wish for the Lord to come according to our time, but He has a plan and purpose, and the trying of our faith further grows our endurance to tackle larger obstacles in the future.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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