Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words you and righteous.
Reading
Habakkuk 1:12–2:4—Living by Faith
Keys for kids
- Habakkuk didn’t like God’s answer to use Babylon to punish Judah.
- He voiced his concern to his covenant God.
- God’s answer was: Live by faith.
Questions
- What was Habakkuk’s concern with God punishing Judah with Babylon?
- What was God’s answer?
- How can we live by faith today?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors. )
Habakkuk continues his conversation with God. Wait a minute, God, I must have misunderstood you. You, the eternal God, holy and pure, have appointed Babylon to punish your people? How can that be? How can you look on and use such wicked people?
Notice that even in this complaint, Habakkuk is speaking to the covenant God, his God, his LORD, his Rock. Currid reminds us that Habakkuk is a true believer in covenant with the Lord.
After voicing this complaint, Habakkuk, perhaps recognizing the seriousness of his complaint to God, commits himself to stand and wait for God’s answer. And God’s answer is, perhaps to Habakkuk and also to us, less than intellectually satisfying. But it is spiritually satisfying. God’s answer is the righteous shall live by his faith (2:4).
The just always have and always will need to live by faith. And all who live wickedly will be punished. Judah was going to be punished by Babylon, but Babylon will be punished as well. The One who will come to bring judgement will indeed come. We may long for that and pray for that (Rev 22.20). While we wait, we endure because Jesus will come back and He will set it all right—and so we live by faith. Having been justified by faith, live by faith.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 27d, 57b
Prayer
- Ask for God’s help to live by faith.
- Pray for the hearing of God’s word preached this Lord's Day.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.