The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

Good day to all. Let us summarise the Book of Habakkuk. All three chapters have been covered. What are these three chapters of Habakkuk really about? Recently, I was working on courseware for a training session to teach people how to read the Bible. One very important concept is finding the key points, grasping the themes, and connecting with the context. So, let's try it out. How do we find the key points, grasp the themes, and connect with the context? Now, I will quickly walk through these three chapters with everyone.

The first chapter of Habakkuk speaks of several things. The first is Habakkuk's confusion. He thought: God, why is this happening? Why is that happening? I believe many people have the same confusion. The second thing is that God answered Habakkuk's confusion, but after reading God's answer, it seems we did not quite understand it. Did Habakkuk understand it? Conversely, if we have confusion and God answers in this way, it would be difficult for us to understand as well. So, Habakkuk seemed to understand, yet did not quite understand.

So, the second thing is that God answered this confusion, but it seems He did not really answer it! At this point, Habakkuk's reaction is normal, because he seemed to understand, yet did not quite understand. After thinking for a while, he became even more confused. So, the Book of Habakkuk speaks of these things.

What was Habakkuk confused about? It was that justice is perverted, the wicked surround the righteous, the law is slack, and justice is never upheld. The whole world is not as we imagine it to be. We thought this person is better than that person, but why is it that the good are bullied by the bad?

In the second chapter, God explained this confusion to Habakkuk in a lengthy discourse. So, the first thing is Habakkuk asking God. The second thing is God responding. The third thing is Habakkuk seeming to understand, yet not quite understanding! After a few days, Habakkuk started asking God again, wanting to see how God would explain it. You have to say, our God is quite good; He gave Habakkuk another lengthy discourse.

What is God actually saying? God said: Silly child, you wanted an answer, didn't you? You must know that the matter of the Chaldeans has its appointed time, which is sure to come and not delay. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. The Chaldeans are arrogant and haughty, and God is waiting for their iniquity to reach its full measure. That is what God is doing! This time, Habakkuk understood.

But these wicked people, like the Chaldeans, God said to Habakkuk: You despise them, don't you? Then they will surely be finished because they are arrogant and their hearts are not right, but the righteous shall live by faith. Believe that God will not be mistaken! Habakkuk's confusion came from unbelief. So, the second chapter speaks a lot about God's response to Habakkuk.

God's response to Habakkuk is quite interesting! God tells Habakkuk, The wicked will certainly be punished, and the righteous shall live by faith. This is so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea because the root of all things in this world lies in people putting too much weight on the fleeting things of this world! Actually, we are the same. If we put too much weight on the fleeting things of this world, we will often have pressure. If we know it is vanity, what pressure do you have? Then you feel it has no meaning at all!

Everything in this world returns to vanity. If people still pursue worldly things, that is a disaster. So, the Chaldeans are no exception. Don't look at how happily they are jumping around now; they will certainly suffer the consequences in the future! It is truly a tragedy when people in this world do not know God! If people take fleeting things and empty things very seriously, and take your work very seriously, you will often hear: Teacher, come and serve me; I have pressure. We must know that as long as you work, you will have pressure, exhausting yourself. This is meaningless.

Therefore, our brothers and sisters must know, what do people live for? If a person knows God and knows the glory of God, then it is easy! But here comes the problem: Habakkuk understood, but have you understood? Habakkuk understood that God is a just God, that is for sure! God will certainly save those who trust in Him, so the righteous shall live by faith!

But it is not to say that doing a few good deeds makes one righteous. I have seen many people who did a few good deeds but died miserably in the end! Because doing a few good deeds does not make one a good person. What about the many bad things they did? So, the righteous shall live by faith! I tell you, if a person has faith in God, that is amazing. God will certainly save him!

People just do not live long enough, so they do not understand the work of God. If you live long enough and understand the work of God, then you will not have Habakkuk's confusion. I ask you: If you stand in eternity and look down, looking at these five thousand years of China, or looking at the world's five thousand years, you will find that one dynasty is destroyed, and another dynasty is coming, and another is destroyed, and another is coming.

God's Wrath and God's Salvation

Dynasties change, and emperors take turns! Just like after the Liu family was emperor, the Cao family took over. After the Cao family was emperor, the Sima family took over. After the Sima family took over, people thought: Why is there only one emperor's seat? That's too few! Ka!, they split China into many small states, so there were many emperors. If you still want an emperor's seat, divide another piece! Alas, people see only these things.

But if you carefully look at it from God's perspective, you will find that this is all God's work. If you look at it from a human perspective, you will think: Oh, this person is so miserable, that person is so miserable! I tell you, the Chinese people finally concluded that the pitiable often have hateful aspects! Do not think that the pitiable are all right; if they were all right, how could they be pitiable?

The Kingdom of Judah was destroyed, and why was that? Because the Kingdom of Judah was quite bad! How could Babylon destroy the Kingdom of Judah? Not because it was good, but because it was quite evil, and God used it! So, after Habakkuk understood, he said in his heart: Wow, I understand, the knowledge of the Lord fills the earth as the waters cover the sea! Actually, Habakkuk probably only understood one drop of the sea, a drop in the bucket. Suddenly, he understood and then said: God, in these years revive your work. So, the third chapter of Habakkuk speaks of this again; it speaks of God's work.

After Habakkuk understood, he explained what God was saying. I tell you, Habakkuk explained it as God's wrath and God's salvation. So, there are two kinds of people on this earth, not one kind being men and one kind being women, but one kind being people who manifest God's wrath and one kind being people who receive God's salvation!

So, you will see the plagues on this earth. In the more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, how many people have died? These people all look like good people; how could they have died? But that is how you see them; God's view is different from yours! Didn't I tell you long ago? Whether he dies early or late, it is the same! A hospital院长(chief) was discussing with his staff how to extract money from patients' pockets.

If you have been a 科主任(department head) in a hospital, what does your 院长(chief) discuss with you? And what does the 院长(chief) discuss with the board of directors? Fortunately, the things discussed were not exposed online. If they were exposed online, everyone would feel despair! You say, people go to see a doctor when they are sick, and then they see this video, but what can they do if they do not see a doctor? There is no way!

So, let me tell you, there are many calamities in this world. Some hospital directors died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some vaccine sellers died after the pandemic. Oh, my goodness! A vaccine company made a lot of money during the pandemic, and then reporters asked them: You know this vaccine is useless, right? You know this vaccine has many side effects, right? Many people died because of this vaccine, do you know that? Oh, my goodness, the reporter kept asking, and he didn't say a word. That video was quite funny. The reporter at the time spoke in English, with a look of disgust.

Now, I tell you, God's actions include God's wrath, but the wrath far outweighs the salvation! The world's improvement of all people and cataclysmic changes are all God's wrath, which is how Habakkuk finally came to know God! So, we once again recognize God's salvation and God's wrath. Now the question is: Do you call for God's actions, to revive His works, or not revive them? This is quite a challenging question!

I have met some Christians who are very fervent in their prayers, praying for what? They pray for economic recovery. Is the economy not under God's control? I tell you, God doesn't care about this at all! Our brothers and sisters should read the Bible carefully and understand God's wrath, that God's anger strikes the nations, and God passes through the earth in fury. Why? How many people seek eternal life? None!

As a result, Habakkuk wrote down God's actions, writing a long passage. After we read it, let's think about it, is this our God? Yes! This is our God! So why does God do this? I tell you, it doesn't matter how people perish! Whether God lets you perish in His wrath or lets you perish in peace, it's the same! So why does God get angry? Chapter three says that God's will is actually to save people!

Understanding God's Actions, God Wants to Save People

People are short-sighted and cannot see God's actions! So God allows these things to happen, with the purpose of allowing His people to turn back and seek Him! As a result, people see so many disasters and do not seek God. So how many disasters do we have to experience before we are willing to seek God and know God?

The last paragraph talks about a passage of scripture that we often use. Many Christians like this passage very much, but I don't particularly like the first part, but I like the latter part. The first part is: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Can you understand these things? In fact, these things are all God's wrath, so that people can wake up and be saved. The prophet's meaning is very clear, that is God's wrath.

Therefore, our brothers and sisters must begin to know that God's plan is for us to live prosperous days, but as soon as we prosper, we forsake God. Isn't that wicked? God's plan is for us to walk steadily on high places. God's meaning is to let Him be our strength, to make our feet like the feet of a deer, and walk steadily on high places! In fact, among the nations, to be above and not beneath, to be the head and not the tail is true. This statement is also very important, but it is a bit difficult to find such people. Why? Because people's minds are full of worldly things!

So I have made a small summary for everyone. We have found all the key points of these three chapters, so can we grasp a theme? Now everyone thinks with me, what has Habakkuk been talking about all this time? Let's summarize the theme of the Book of Habakkuk in one sentence. In fact, the whole article is talking about I will rejoice in God my Savior!

Why did God send the Chaldeans to destroy Judah? We were really destroyed so that God could let us see and learn to fear God! Now there is too little fear of God and understanding of God's glory! So I want to tell you, God's glory is very powerful! God's glory is for these people to be saved, and for those people it is to be destroyed! For these people, the aroma of God gives them life, and for those people, the aroma of God kills them, so this is God's glory.

So why is the theme rejoice in God my Savior? Because Habakkuk initially did not look from God's perspective, but from man's perspective, so he was confused at first sight, and then felt that justice is perverted, justice is not evident, and the wicked surround the righteous, because Habakkuk saw what kind of person this person actually was, which was different from God's view, and then God thought: How could you ask such a question? So God answered him, and the prophet was still confused after God answered, why? Because he did not know that God wanted to save people.

Do you think God wants to destroy the things on this earth, what is He going to do? God is not destroying in order to do something, He is to save people, so that people know to seek eternal life! People live too well on this earth, living in peace and ease, and they will slip into hell, and live into destruction. So people see differently from man's perspective and from God's perspective!

So in the second chapter, it talks about recognizing God's actions, recognizing the knowledge of God's glory. God tells us: You must recognize God's glory, and you must see problems as I do. If we see problems as God does, wouldn't we not have these confusions? Therefore, everything God does is to save people, not to destroy them. People are originally in destruction, and God wants to save people. But some people are finally destroyed, so what are you surprised about?

So the second chapter talks about God manifesting His wrath, so that people can learn a lesson from history and know that these are all vanity of vanities, and there is not much meaning. People pursue those things without eternal life. God's anger will destroy, and God's non-anger will also destroy. How is it all destruction!

Then in the third chapter, the prophet feared God and knew how wonderful God's actions were! Therefore, as long as you turn to God and learn to trust in God, you will rejoice in God your Savior! So why do you rejoice when the fig tree does not bud? Because the fig tree does not bud, so that you learn to trust God and fear God. If you only look at the fig tree and cannot see God, then what is the use of the fig tree? Discovering that the vine does not bear fruit, understanding that this is God's action, I will look to God, and God will save me!

I Will Rejoice in God My Savior

God is not saving fig trees, grapevines, olive trees, grain, nor is He saving a good economy, nor is He saving more sheep or more cattle, but He is saving people. If you are a blessed person, then how can you lack food? How can you lack sheep? How can you lack cattle?

Finally, the prophet said, I will be joyful in the Lord my Savior, I will rejoice in God my Savior, doesn't this connect everything? So the final theme is rejoice in God my Savior, so the whole thing is connected, and the theme comes out. We first find the key points section by section, and then sort out the key points, and then we find the theme. Finally, we understand the Book of Habakkuk. If you take it out of context at will, you cannot understand it.

We will summarize here. Goodbye, brothers and sisters, may God bless you all!