“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” (v.4)
Back in chapter 1, the prophet Habakkuk had complained about the violence and injustice around him. It seemed to him as if the wicked were swallowing up the righteous. So he asked the question, “Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?” (Hab.1:13).
After patiently waiting, God now responds to Habakkuk by saying that His people were to be "just" and were to live by faith. They were not to be like the one who is "proud" and "not upright" (v.4). A proud and self-sufficient person will rationalize his faults and imperfections. He doesn't want to admit that he needs God, though his ways are not upright.
Even today when wickedness seems to prevail in our world, God still urges us to live our lives in faith, taking to heart His assurance to Habakkuk that there will be a day of reckoning for the wicked - a day when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord" (v.14).
Therefore, in spite of all the ugliness, the wrongs, the schemes and evil doings of men, we must live by faith and wait for the final verdict from our LORD, who rules the universe from “His holy temple” (v.20).
The Truth: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
