Grammatical Theology
Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4 ESV
By his faith – Paul made this verse one of the most important citations in the New Testament when he quoted the prophet Habakkuk as the summary of the letter to the Romans (Romans 1:17). This statement has become the centerpiece of Christian thinking about grace (and, of course, it is also at the heart of Jewish thinking about grace which is why Paul used it). But what it actually says isn’t quite so obvious, unless we read the Hebrew text first.
Here’s the problem. The Hebrew text literally says, “and the righteous by his faith shall live.” But without intonation and punctuation, we might read this in two different ways. It could mean that the righteous man will live by faith, that is, he will operate in the world on the basis of trust, or it could mean that as a result of his faith the righteous man will live, that is, he will continue to exist because he acts righteously. English translations assume one view or the other, so they aren’t much help. And the Greek text doesn’t help us much either since the LXX translates Habakkuk’s Hebrew as “but the righteous will live by my faithfulness.” Tim Hegg attempts to clear up this confusion when he says, v’tzadik b’emunato yicheyih [the Hebrew transliterated] in which the bet [the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet] functions to identify the means by which the righteous shall live. . . . Thus Paul understands the construction of the Hebrew text to be teaching that Israel, soon to be defeated by her enemies, has the choice of relying upon herself (proud, puffed up) or trusting in God. The one who is righteous will trust in God. Out of this trust the righteous one will live, that is, be preserved. The text clearly teaches that the one who is righteous lives on the basis of faith. Faith is the means by which the righteous draw near to God and find in Him a safe refuge.”[1]
What does this mean for us? It means that the second of the two possible meanings is supported by the Hebrew text. That is to say, the one who trusts in God and acts according to that trust will be preserved – and this is what the Hebraic idea of faith is all about! Faith is not something that I have in my heart (or head), a sort of spiritual formula that allows me access to God. Faith is the result of living by God’s instructions regardless of my circumstances. For example, Daniel exhibited Hebrew faith when he refused to eat the king’s food even in captivity and when he continued to pray each day in spite of the king’s edict. Daniel was preserved because he acts according to God’s will. Faith was his trust to live in a particular way regardless of the outcome.
In Western thinking, faith is often defined as a certain set of theological beliefs or as a particular special relationship. This is static. It is as if “faith” were some sort of possession that I acquire. But in Hebrew, faith is the result of what I do, not the prize I put on the shelf. I have faith only when I am living in a certain way, walking in a certain path. Yeshua could say to Peter when he began to sink in the water, “What happened to your faith?” He didn’t mean, “Have you changed your mind?” He meant, “Why did you stop walking?”
The righteous live because they trust YHWH. They rely on Him. They count on Him no matter what. Oh, by the way, reliability is the proper definition of the Hebrew word emunah, a word that carries the ideas of both “faith” and “truth.”
So, today, how’s your faith? It’s easy to tell. Just look at what you’re doing and ask if it reflects relying on God no matter what.
Topical Index: faith, emunah, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17
[1] Tim Hegg, The Letter Writer, pp. 99-100, footnote 207.
~ and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly-diligently-fervently-sincerely seek Him ~ (Hebrews 11.6)
~You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with *all* your heart ~ (Jeremiah 29.13)
~ and the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul ~ (Deuteronomy 4.27-29)
~Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength ~ (Deuteronomy 6:5)
~But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him (to cleave unto the LORD) and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes ~ (Joshua 22.6)
Where does “faith” come from? Our faith has a Source. The written word of God. ~ It is written ~
Remember these three words? They were spoken by our LORD Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times when He was tempted by the Tempter in the wilderness. Three times the Son of Man, (God the Incarnate Word) said unto the Serpent, the very same thing you and I may say and should say today: ~ it is written ~
The ten words (commandments) were written at first by the finger of God, and then the second time by a man, Moses. The Word(s) of God abide forever. These ten commandments were given by our Creator for our instruction in rightly -related (righteous) living. The Law was (and is) our Schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, for He has said ~ without Me, you can do nothing ~. It is Christ, the Messiah within us that empowers and enables and gives unto us (even) the desire to live according to the Book of God, our Bible.
Are these ten commandments the only commandments God has given unto us? No, not at all.
~ (for) Every word of God is pure ~ Yeshua (Himself) said ~ the words I speak unto you, they are breath and they are life ~ (John 10.10) ~ Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? ~ Who is He that He may speak in this way? Yes, Who is this King of glory? (the best question ever!)
How did God create this world? (how easily we forget). By speaking: “let it be..” – and? it was so. When the Son of God and the Son of Man was here with us, did He speak? and do His words remain with us unto this very day? Are His words found to be “true, faithful, life-giving, life-imparting?” Does He speak peace unto His people and unto His saints, even unto this day? Is He Who He says He is? Who is Jesus of Nazareth? What was it His own mother said unto the servants? ~ Whatever He says unto you- do it ~
~and what did James, the half-brother (same mother) of our Savior say? ~ faith without works is dead ~ What good is an orange tree that does not produce oranges? ~ You shall know them by their fruits ~ Faith and love toward God must be demonstrated. ~ and they will know that we are Christians by our love ~ We love (abad) God by loving (abad/serving) people. ~ He (our Savior) went about doing good ~
But where (again) does “faith” come from? (it is written!) Yes, what does the word of God, our Bible, say? Remember? ~ Faith comes by hearing.. (shema, O Israel) and hearing (shema, O Israel) by the word of God ~ Friends, (of all stripes and colors), God has spoken. He has given unto us, (we who are His children) His Word, ‘both’ written and Living.
His promise? (it is written!) ~ If you abide in Me, and my words abide/remain in you, you shall ask what you will and it will be done for you ~ (John 15.7)
~ Today, if you will hear His Voice, harden not your heart ~ Welcome the Word. Is this also His “command?” ~ Receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save your souls ~ (James 1.21)
Faith is our right-response to the word(s) of God. And that right-response is? obedience. The will of God (what pleases Him), the ways of God, the wisdom of God, “all” are ‘both’concealed and revealed within the word(s) of God!
What a precious gift our Father has given unto us! ~ Again, what do the scriptures say? Oh, how we (all) ~ do err, -not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God ~ (Matthew 22.29)
That is soooooooo enriching, Skip! Amein!
May YHWH open up our understanding to grasp what HE is saying to us, as in the original language,
and through folks like you, Skip.
Appreciate your input on this vital ‘trust’ translated as ‘faith’, which is mild comparatively, versus the concrete meaning.
Thank you!
Joyful Hanukkah to you, and all here!
Please don’t stop making this point. It takes a little while for a new paradigm to take root.