“I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.”
Habakkuk 2:1

In chapter one, Habakkuk could not understand how God could use the wicked Babylonians to accomplish His purposes. But he had to learn to wait patiently on the Lord and watch Him. This chapter reminds us of Asaph in Psalm 73, who also did not understand the ways of God. He did not understand why good things happened to bad people until he went into the house of the Lord and began to see things from God’s perspective. For Habakkuk, that takes place upon the watchtower. The Lord begins to show Habakkuk things from His perspective by giving him three responsibilities.

First, he was to write things down. Habakkuk had taken the role of a watchman, whose responsibility was to warn the people of danger. The revelation that Habakkuk received had an immediate application to the downfall of the Babylonians, but according to Hebrews 10:37, it also pointed forward to the future return of our Lord.

The second responsibility given to Habakkuk was to trust God’s Word. The Lord gave him a contrast between those who trust in themselves and those who live by faith. In verses 4–5, we see the results of those who are full of pride and are never satisfied. To these people, the Lord goes on to pronounce five woes throughout the rest of the chapter: woe against selfish ambition (2:6–8), woe against covetousness (2:9–11), woe against the exploitation of people (2:12–14), woe against drunkenness and violence (2:15–17), and woe against idolatry (2:18–20). Declaring this judgment was the third responsibility given to Habakkuk.

In contrast to this are those who live by faith. We know that “the just shall live by faith” is quoted three times in the New Testament: in Romans 1:17, emphasizing “the just”; in Galatians 3:11, emphasizing “shall live”; and in Hebrews 10:38, emphasizing “by faith.” This reminds us that righteousness is found only in Christ and that we are to live by faith.

The Lord sets before Habakkuk His grace in verse 4, the prospect of His glory in verse 14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” He also reminds the prophet of His government: “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (2:20). Our God is in control! How good it is to be reminded of these three things in the day in which we live!

Anchor For Today:
Let us remember what what God has said and trust His Word. Let us boldly proclaim it to all who will listen.