Habakkuk 2:6-20
Many of us have seen the TV game show, “Family
Feud.” Here are some actual, but not so good,
answers from contestants who have appeared on
that game show:
Name something a blind person might use: a sword
Name a bird with a long neck: a penguin
Name something that floats in the bath: water
Name a number you have to memorize: 7
Name something that flies that doesn’t have an
engine: dishes
Name a famous bridge: the bridge over troubled
waters
Name a continent: Italy
Name an animal you might see at the zoo: a dog
Name a kind of ache: a pancake
and, finally…
Name a part of the body beginning with ’N’: knee
Last week we looked at the first 5 verses of Habakkuk 2.
We saw Habakkuk waiting on God’s response to his
second question. God told Habakkuk to write down the
vision and make it plain. God promised that He would
keep His word.
The emphasis was that the righteous shall live by faith.
Even though God is going to use the Chaldeans to
discipline Judah, God will have the last word.
As we study these verses, I’m going to use Chaldeans
and Babylon interchangeably since Babylon was the
capital of the Chaldean empire.
In verses 6-20 that we will be looking at this morning we
are going to see 5 woes that are pronounced on Babylon.
Let’s take a moment to pray and ask God to speak to us
through His word this morning and help us understand it
so we can apply it to our lives.
Let’s take a look at the first three verses.
Habakkuk 2:6-8
Woe to the Extortioner
“All these” refers to everyone that Babylon has
oppressed.
The Lord indicates that the ones who were dominated will
take up the taunt against their enemies.
The word woe means impending judgment that is certain
to take place.
God is going to judge the greedy who use their power to
extort money from others. The word debtor can also
mean biters.
The ones who were bitten by the greedy extortioner will
have the same thing done to them.
Those who plunder will be plundered.
Think of Babylon as a loan shark, taking advantage of its
customers. They were not practicing fair lending. They
were extorting the people of Judah.
The pledge refers to collateral. In those days, borrowers
would offer common items like their cloak as collateral for
the money they borrowed. When they ran out of
collateral they would sometimes offer themselves as
collateral. They would become enslaved to their lenders.
Today collateral is houses and cars and other items of
value.
Babylon would take advantage of Judah, but that isn’t
how it would end.
God promises in verse 8 that those that Babylon
plundered will punish Babylon.
A prelude to this is found in Daniel 5. It predicts that the
Medes and the Persians will overthrow Babylon in 539
BC.
Again we see the concept from Galatians 6:7; we reap
what we sow.
Habakkuk 2:9-11
Woe to the Arrogant
This woe describes Babylon as one who builds his house
by exploiting others.
It’s an attitude of covetousness. Do not covet is the 10th
commandment. Covetousness is a form of arrogance
because it stems from the belief that you are better than
others and you deserve what they have more than they
deserve it.
The Hebrew reads “Woe to the one cutting off an evil cut
for his house.”
Think about getting a piece of fabric but the salesperson
cuts it off a yard short. That is what was happening with
Babylon. They have done evil in order to protect
themselves.
They think that they will be able to avoid the righteous
judgment of God’s right hand. They are sorely mistaken.
This is like the parable Jesus told about the greedy man.
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is
required of you, and the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21
Those who cheat others sin against their own soul.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole
world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36
We see the use of personification in verse 11.
If the people are not able to give witness to the evil that
has been done to them, the stones will serve as a witness
against what has been done.
Evil can never avoid the righteous hand of God’s
judgment.
Habakkuk 2:12-14
Woe to the Violent
Babylon has gotten rich by building their city by killing
their innocent enemies.
Numbers 35:31 tells us that the crime of shedding blood
in murder can only be expiated with the blood of the
murderer.
Those who build their kingdom at others’ expense
will be judged by God
Anything we do against God’s will is futile.
The words of the Psalmist ring true in this situation.
“Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Psalm 127:1
Both Jeremiah and Revelation describe the impending fall
of Babylon.
The good news is that God is going to reign over all the
earth. The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the Lord.
The Bible promises that one day at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What a glorious day that will be!
Habakkuk 2:15-17
Woe to the Shammers
The Chaldeans were known to use alcohol to take
advantage of their enemies. Alcohol alters your mind and
when you have too much you often end up making
unwise decisions.
They would get them drunk in order to shame them.
But God will not allow their deeds to go unpunished.
The shamers will be exposed to public shame.
God saw the violence that was inflicted on His people in
Lebanon. He promises to bring utter shame upon them.
God is righteous and He will punish Babylon for their
violence.
Habakkuk 2:18-20
Woe to Idol Worshipers
The Hebrew word for idol is elilim and it means nongods
or non-entities. The question is what profit is an idol
when it’s maker shaped it.
How can something made by man speak, think, move,
give guidance.
These idols are lifeless and useless.
Similar to the gods of the worshipers of Baal at Mt.
Carmel.
They called on their god from morning until noon but
there was no answer. Elijah mocked them saying, maybe
he is relieving himself or on a journey or maybe he is
asleep.
Elijah knew their god had no power to save them.
But he knew that his God had the power to burn up the
wood that had been drenched in water.
In a similar way God promises that
Idol Worshipers will be mocked
Idols have no power to breathe or teach.
But God is alive and He is in His holy temple.
Psalm 11:4-7
“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is
in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the
children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but
his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves
violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and
sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of
their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves
righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”
Aren’t you thankful that God is alive?
These woes should direct us back to verse 4.
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.”
This leads us right to our application.
APPLICATION
Each of these woes are related to doing things in our own
strength and not trusting God to do what He has
promised.
We must trust Him and
Live by Faith
We aren’t always going to see what God is doing or know
His plans for the future, but we can surely trust Him to
guide us and lead us where He wants us to go.
What does it look like for you to live by faith?