2:1
Verse 1 of Chapter 2. is so instructive. Habakkuk has observed the situation, he is acutely aware of what is going on, and now of God’s plans. He is horrified by them, but he still has faith in God. He cannot believe that what he perceives the situation to be is all there is. So he stands watch. When we see things going on in our society that are clearly against God’s will our response should be to watch and pray. And Habakkuk looks to God and expects to get an answer from God. We should never be fooled by events in thinking that God is not in control.
2:2
The “revelation” (NIV) is translated “vision” in ESV and others. The Hebrew word used refers specifically to a vision given to a prophet. God is going to give Habakkuk some understanding, ie revelation. But this revelation is not for Habakkuk alone, he is to write it down and make it plain “so that a herald may run with it” (NIV). Literally it says “so that he who reads it may run with it”. God gives understanding to people so that they can make the word of God clear to many.
It was to be written on tablets. The Babylonians normally wrote on tablets, the Israelites far less so, though there are obvious exceptions such as the Ten Commandments.
2:3
The revelation would certainly come to pass. It might seem to take a long time, but it most definitely would not prove false. “It waits an appointed time”. There is a definite order to history. Time is linear. Many civilisations thought of time as being cyclical, with events recurring, just going round in circles. The Bible reveals that there is a definite end in view. However, the route to the end, and the time it takes will often not fit with our preconceived ideas. This was the case with Habakkuk. The current events did not make sense to him, as the first chapter shows, and God giving Babylon so much power on purpose did not seem the best answer. Moreover, there would be a considerable delay before Babylon was destroyed. Yet God’s answer will come at exactly the right time.
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