Yesterday we read quite a bit about how the law, or Torah, demonstrated the sinfulness of both the Jews and the Gentiles – the Gentiles for not having it, and the Jews for not being able to keep it. So, if the promised “blessing” of God is that God himself would be the reward of a new people descended from Abraham (Gen 12 and 15), then the law demonstrates that everyone is “cursed” because of sin.
For Paul the answer to this curse is “faith/faithfulness.”
Today we’ll read a key passage in Habakkuk that is quoted three times in the New Testament. First Read Habakkuk Chapters 1 & 2. Then compare it to Gal 3:11, Rom 1:17, and Heb 10:38.
Questions for reflection:
- What is going in in Habakkuk? What is the context in which God says, “The righteous will live by faith [or faithfulness]” (Hab 2:4)?
- How does this context of Habakkuk compare to the three passages in the NT where it is quoted? That is, what do they share in common?
- We’ve talked about how the Hebrew mind didn’t make a distinction between “faith” and “faithfulness” the way Western Greek thinking does. How do these passages help you bring these concepts together?
denise on 
jenell on