Behold, his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Ver. 4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up] Ebulat, protuberat, which swelleth like a bubble, and reaketh through its own weakness; he that by unbelief or carnal security withdraweth from God, and confideth in the creature; υποστειληται , Heb 10:38 seeking to shift and save himself some other way, as he is a proud and presumptuous person, so let him know that,
His soul is not upright in him] That is, it is very corrupt and crooked, stark naught; and God's soul can take no pleasure in him; but he will punish him as a runaway, as one that hath fled from his colours, forsaken his captain, revolted to the enemy, Hebrews 10:37,38. Transfugas ubicunque inventi fuerint, quasi hostes interficere licet, was the old law of arms. What God will do to such, see Psalms 125:5 .
But the just shall live by his faith] This is an answer to those that would ask what shall we do till the vision speak? how shall we hold out till it come? till the seventy years of captivity be expired? "The just shall live by faith," saith he, and shall make a good living of it too; he shall live and be safe by the same faith whereby he is just. He shall feed upon faith, as some read that Psalms 37:3. And whereas we find in those Apocryphal additions to Daniel, that Habakkuk brought a mess of pottage to that prophet in the lions' den; as it seems to be but a Jewish fable, so the Jew that invented it, grounding his conceit upon this text, would express thus much, that as pottage (that succus benignus, as Keckerman calleth it) preserveth this natural life from perishing, so doth faith's acting upon the promises, and extracting nourishment from the same, maintain life spiritual; and thereby it was that Daniel stopped the mouths of the lions, Hebrews 11:33. How Habakkuk taketh out his own lesson of living by faith, and not by sense. Although the flg tree shall not blossom. Hab 3:17 See here the life of faith, in the fail of outward comforts, so true is that of Solomon, Proverbs 2:7, "The Lord layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous": when he is in greatest straits, then he hath such quietness, soundness, and presence of mind, as bears him up above all troubles; like as blown bladders do the body aloft all waters. Faith furnisheth him with strongest and most satisfying joys; such as the flames cannot dry up, nor rivers of blood drown; faith, actuated upon the promises, maketh the believer walk above the middle region of the air (as it were) in a continual serenity, as Enoch did; and sealeth him a double charter of privative and positive privileges. See it set down 1 Corinthians 3:21,23. Faith makes him live in the mouth of death, by strengthening him against the horrors of it, Psa 23:4 Romans 8:38 Hebrews 11:31 1 Corinthians 15:55,57, and by showing him heaven beyond it, Hebrews 11:13, and therein freedom from all evil, fruition of all good.