OT Illustrations of the Just Living By Faith

Having seen the connection between Habakkuk and the theme of Romans "the just shall live by faith" we were challenged and have a greater understanding of the book of Romans, but our information does not end there.  On this side of the story we have the privilege to read of the saints who endured the captivity, the story of the remnants release, and the stories of their journeys home.  In other words, we get to see exactly how it all played out with the “just” lived “by faith.”  We read the stories and laments of Jeremiah, the prophet who stayed back in Israel, the stories of Ezekiel who was the prophet carried away, the four who refused to eat the meat of Nebuchadnezzar—three of which were thrown into a fiery furnace where four appeared and the other who was thrown to the lions, all without any harm.  We can read the story of Esther.  All of these stories were direct fulfillments of the prophecy put forth in Habakkuk 2:4 and can be carried into our understanding of Romans. 

The connection may not be so obvious at first, but if we keep Habakkuk in the back of our mind as we read Romans we will so more and more how it relates.  The structure of the epistle is such that justification and faith are defined in a prolonged explanation.  Indeed, this is what most of the first eleven chapters tell us.  To have in mind the real life examples given to us puts flesh to the bones of what would otherwise simply be doctrinal statements.  They are the life behind the definitions.  They are the stories that help us connect the dots and make direct applications to our personal lives.

It goes beyond this though too.  When we look at the end of Romans 8 we can scarcely make the connection between Paul’s words and those of Habakkuk 3.  Romans 8:33-39 (NASB)

33Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36 Just as s it is written,“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
         WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  May we each have the faith of these Old Testament saints.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/users/churchoflittleton   FW # 66