The Righteous Shall Live by Faith: Habakkuk 2:2-5

Habakkuk 2:2-5 (ESV)

And the Lord answered me:
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he never has enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.

How Should We Read This Text?

Well, we’re continuing our journey through Habakkuk, and we’ve reached a really pivotal moment in the story. Remember where we left off—Habakkuk had just positioned himself as a watchman, saying he was going to wait and see how the Lord would answer his complaints. And now, God responds.

The first thing that jumps out is how God tells Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain on tablets. Now, in ancient times, important proclamations and decrees were written on tablets and displayed in public places. So God is essentially saying, this message is not just for you, Habakkuk, it’s for everyone. It needs to be preserved and proclaimed so that all may see it. That’s why we still have Habakkuk and his message today.

Then there’s this little phrase: “so he may run who reads it.” Some translations suggest that the message should be so clear that someone can read it while running past. Others say it means that the person who understands it will run to share it. And still, some say it means the reader will run in fear upon realizing the coming judgment. But the point is clear—the message is urgent. It needs to be spread.

Then God addresses the timing question that has been bothering Habakkuk. He says, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.”

In other words, I have a timetable, and my timetable is not your timetable. It’s the perfect timetable. God’s vision—His plan to judge Babylon and restore His people—has an appointed time. He hasn’t forgotten His people. The delay isn’t a failure; it’s part of His perfect plan.

And then we get to this paradoxical statement. If it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. Well, which is it? Is it slow, or is it not delayed? The answer is that it depends on whose perspective you’re looking from. To us, it might seem slow. But from God’s perspective, it is precisely on time.

It’s a bit like that great line from The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo is frustrated with Gandalf for arriving late. And Gandalf responds, “A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” That’s how God’s timing works. He’s never late, nor is He early. He acts precisely when He intends to.

Then we hit this key phrase: “The righteous shall live by his faith.” This is a big deal. This line is quoted all over the New Testament—Paul uses it in Romans and Galatians when talking about justification by faith. The writer of Hebrews uses it to call us to perseverance. But here, in its original context, it’s about how God’s people are supposed to live while waiting for His promises to be fulfilled.

We are to live by faith—not in pride, not in self-sufficiency, not in worshipping our own strength like the Babylonians did, but in trust and dependence on God. That’s the contrast in this passage. The Babylonians are described as puffed up, arrogant, never at rest. Their greed is like death itself—never satisfied. They just keep conquering, keep consuming, never getting enough. But the righteous? They live differently. They live by faith.

How Should This Passage Read Us?

So, what does this mean for us? Well, I think this passage speaks directly to how we handle the gap between God’s promises and their fulfillment.

Because let’s be honest—we live in an instant society, don’t we? We have same-day delivery from Amazon. We can stream movies instantly. We have access to information in seconds. We don’t like waiting for anything. And if we’re honest, we kind of expect God to operate on that same timeline.

But this passage challenges that. We, like Habakkuk, can get frustrated with God’s timing. We question Him. We wonder why He hasn’t acted yet. But God’s response to us is the same as His response to Habakkuk: If it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay.

God isn’t dismissing Habakkuk’s struggle. He acknowledges that from a human perspective, His timing feels slow. But He calls us to trust Him anyway. To live by faith, even when we don’t see how it’s all going to work out.

So, the real question is this: How are we living while we wait? Are we living by faith, trusting in God’s promises? Or are we getting impatient, trying to force our own solutions, and doubting God’s goodness?

Think about Abram. He waited 25 years for the son that God had promised him. Think about Joseph, sitting in prison for years before God’s plan for his life unfolded. Think about the early church, who expected Jesus to return in their lifetime and had to learn that God’s timeline was different from theirs.

There’s a challenge here for us: to embrace God’s not yet without deciding it means not ever. To live in the tension of already having God’s promises, but not yet seeing their full fulfillment.

So if you’re in a season of waiting right now—waiting for healing, for direction, for a breakthrough—you can take heart. God sees you. He remembers His promises. And His timing is perfect.

You may not know the timeline. It may look different from what you expected. But His timeline is never wrong. And in the meantime, He calls you to live by faith.

Write the vision. Make it plain. And if it seems slow, wait for it. And in the waiting—live by faith.

Prayer

Lord, we confess that we struggle with Your timing. It’s so easy to doubt when things don’t happen on our schedule. Please forgive us for our impatience. Help us to trust You, to wait on You, and to live by faith. Strengthen our hearts to hold onto Your promises, even when we don’t see them fulfilled right away. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Well, that’s it for today’s devotion. If this encouraged you, please share it with someone else who might need to hear it. And I’ll see you next time as we continue walking through Habakkuk.