The Righteous Man

 

“Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.”

         Habakkuk 2:4

In Habakkuk 1, the prophet asks God to explain why the Lord would use such a wicked nation, Babylon, as His instrument of justice toward His people. This does not compute! Yahweh's answer only came after Habakkuk waited a season. God's answer to the believer often comes after a season of waiting (Isaiah 40:31). He contrasts the utter wickedness of the Babylonians to the man who walks by his faith. A more accurate translation may be, The just man, or the righteous man, shall live by his confidence in God. The Lord would eventually restore the Jewish people to their land. The Bible Knowledge Commentary captures the essence of God’s answer:

Yahweh then declared that a righteous person, by stark contrast, will live by his faith (emûnah, "steadfastness or faithfulness"). A righteous Israelite who remained loyal to God's moral precepts and was humble before the Lord enjoyed God's abundant life. To "live" meant to experience God's blessing by enjoying a life of security, protection, and fullness. Conversely, an apparently victorious but proud and perverse Babylonian would die. Faithfulness (NIV marg.) and faith are related. One who trusts in the Lord is one who relies on Him and is faithful to Him.

A Foundational Statement

This clause, the righteous will live by his faith, is a foundational statement tied directly to the gospel by Paul in Romans 1:16-17, who repeated the clause in Galatians 3:11 (and also Hebrews 10:38, if you believe Paul wrote Hebrews). This expression also became the watchword of the Reformation, helping Martin Luther to appreciate the truth of justification by faith. "This text," said Luther, "was to me the true gate of Paradise." 

The Old Testament saints could not comprehend that this clause is the doorway into a higher life with God, that is, eternal life, and provides each believer a higher quality of life. His capabilities no longer limit man, but he can participate in God's life and His ability based on the believer’s willingness to trust the Righteous One, the fullness of grace. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge, the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11). The sacrifice of the Righteous One satisfies the demands of a Holy God.

Knowing Christ

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing [gnoesis – knowledge by experience rather than intuition] Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law [self-righteousness], but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.              Philippians 3:8-11

 

The Apostle Paul recognizes in the above passage that the real treasure of this relationship “in Christ” is the experience of knowing Him beyond the Law of Moses he had previously treasured. The Law was the avenue that allowed him to succeed as a Pharisee and Jewish leader since he could perform to earn recognition. He understood that all of his abilities and accomplishments through the Law were rubbish and an impediment to knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. This word gnoesis emphasizes understanding rather than sensory perception and embraces every organ and mode of knowledge (i.e., seeing, hearing, experience, etc.). This type of knowledge implies verification by the eye or other objective observation. Ultimately, it speaks of the deepest kind of relationship, a connection to the righteousness which comes from God based on faith.   

Out of Faith Into Faith 

Paul further explains in Romans 4:4-5 that the righteousness of God cannot be earned but must be received as a gift based on faith. Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. It is God that justifies or declares the believer righteous; man's role is to accept God's standards of living. God’s righteousness produces a life defined by integrity and blameless conduct. According to Romans 1:17, For in it [the gospel], the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." The original Greek could be better translated as “by or out of faith into faith.”  When the believer exercises his faith in a given situation, it leads to another opportunity to trust God.  

Consider Abraham when God called him to offer his promised son to the Lord. Genesis 22:1-3 tells us that it was a test. Abraham passed the test by rising early in the morning without complaint and taking Isaac up to Mount Moriah, to the very spot where Jesus would be offered for the sins of the world nearly 1,900 years later. In Hebrews 11:17-19, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Since God had made all kinds of promises related to Abraham’s seed through Isaac, Abraham was convinced that God would need to raise Isaac from the dead. 

Security in the Lord

Trust [batach - the feeling of safety and security when one can rely on someone else] in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness [friendship]. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit [entrust] your way to the Lord; trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest [damam - the absence of emotional distress and churning, the ability to relax] in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.               Psalm 37:3-7, 11

In Psalm 37, David is communicating the various aspects of the ability of faith and trust; it takes the believer on a journey to believe God for more. In his preoccupation with God’s life, the humble believer finds his security in the Lord and His provisions and finds delight in His friendship. He can wait for God to give him what the Lord wishes him to have at the proper time. The passage connects this trust to a righteousness that defines his new life in the Lord. The believer shares in the Lord's righteousness, having set aside his desires. The result is rest and the ability to relax in any situation. Jeremiah 17:8 tells us that the man who trusts the Lord will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. 

A Right Path

One of the most quoted Scripture passages is Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight [yasar – smooth, upright]. God removes obstacles, making the way smooth or right. It begs the question: what role does the believer play in directing his own path? Proverbs 16:9 clarifies this issue, the mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs [kun – makes firm, establishes] his steps. The believer may have specific ideas about what he should do, but he defers the final decision to the Lord.

This principle plays itself out in many different ways. For example, I recently needed to purchase a new vehicle for my wife after her car was “totaled” in an accident. We did not believe we should take on a new car payment, so we were restricted to what we could afford based on the amount we would receive from the insurance company. We started looking and found a used car at a local dealer and went to check it out. We wanted something else, so they showed us a different make of car that we both liked. The dealer was pressuring us to take out a temporary loan to purchase the vehicle that day, but we believed that if God wanted us to have it, it would be available when we had all the funds.

On the way to purchase the car about one week later, we found out about a newer car of the same make and model that another dealer offered for much less than the one we planned to purchase. It turns out it had more features for less money and was available because we were willing to wait and trust God. Walking by faith has incredible benefits.

Lord of All 

The decision to trust God for every detail of life is not based on some feeling that overwhelms the believer to do the right thing, but a choice to let God be God and accept whatever happens as His right. If Paul was right when he declared that the believer is no longer his own, he was bought with a price, then allowing the Lord to be Lord is its reasonable conclusion. Hudson Taylor is quoted as saying, “He is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.” Faith in God is a decision of the heart and takes courage. It is the doorway into the believer’s promised land. Paul said to his shipmates as the ship was ready to run aground, Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told (Acts 27:25). 

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.            Psalm 25:8-10