Habakkuk 2:5-20
Notes
Transcript
Habakkuk
Habakkuk
It has been a month since we were in Habakkuk.
Outline
Habakkuk has gone to the Lord with a problem
The Lord has responded with judgment is coming in the form of Babylon. This is in accordance with the covenants of God.
Habakkuk then responds trying to reconcile the truth he knows and believes about God with what is coming in judgement and asks the Lord for help.
Finally where we were last time, the Lord has told Habakkuk specifically to write this down in a way that is understandable. He has then pointed that the response to what comes isn’t dependent upon Habakkuk’s understanding, but on how he responds to the Word of the Lord.
Hab 2:2-4 - From this point forward, there is great deviance of opinion.
We’re covering a lot of verses today, so we will need to move quickly.
Let’s Pray
As we dive into Habakkuk 2:5-20, there is much debate over the speaker. I hold that this is still the discourse of Yahweh because of how directly it is tied to verses 2-4 which is clearly Yahweh speaking. At the same time, we want to recognize that Habakkuk, a man, has recorded this. As such, Habakkuk is trying to communicate something specific; he is not just recording information for information’s sake. The admonition given to him, specifically, in verse 2:2 is to make things clear and understandable.
4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.
38 But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.
The Proud and the Righteous are the same person
This person has faith
One chooses to live in accordance with it, one does not.
5 “Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.
Furthermore - we want to read this verse as an extension of the previous statement. This is not a natural break in the passage
Websters says “haughty = blatantly and disdainfully proud”
It is associated with arrogance
The LXX renders it one who “despises understanding”
In some early manuscripts, wine is translated as wealth
NEVER satisfied. Death is conquered, not satisfied. It will cease to exist.
Wine/Wealth, I would propose to you the world, outside of living by faith, will not satiate.
We’ve discussed the duality of this passage regarding the two responses to the vision. However, there are clearly links to Babylon in this discourse. Yet this discourse is also applicable to Judah. So while we recognize that this is about the vision and how to respond to it, we also recognize the duality of Habakkuk’s intent in the passage knowing that he has Babylon in mind.
Habakkuk 1:9b (NASB95)
9 They collect captives like sand.
Moving on we are going to encounter 5 “woes” or warnings.
What I believe to be occuring here in Habakkuk 2 is an exposition on the law of the covenant given to Israel, using Babylon, the proud one who is not living by faith, as a negative example to show the truth of what Judah already knows and understands.
Woe… increases what is not his
Woe… puts his nest on high
Woe… builds a city with bloodshed
Woe… make your neighbors drink… poison
Woe… says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
The Lord, through Habakkuk’s writing, lays out the negative characteristics of the response to the vision. In doing so, the positive side, though not stated, is portrayed clearly. So as we walk through each of these oracles, we’re going to be reading the negative, and recognizing how its corollary positive is a characteristic and promise of Yahweh. Furthermore, what each of the actions is seeking to prevent is what comes upon them.
6 “Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, Even mockery and insinuations against him And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his— For how long— And makes himself rich with loans?’
7 “Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, And those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 “Because you have looted many nations, All the remainder of the peoples will loot you— Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.
6 “Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him, Even mockery and insinuations against him And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his— For how long— And makes himself rich with loans?’
First warning passage.
“all of these” - the exiled nations, the people having been collected.
Parallel of Isa 14:8-20 as a taunt song
“Woe to him who increases what is not his”
7 “Will not your creditors rise up suddenly, And those who collect from you awaken? Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
There is not a word for creditor or debtor used in this verse. There is a translation decision because the word deals with interest on a loan.
Who will “rise up suddenly”? Some say creditors, some say debtors, many translations leave it at “they”
8 “Because you have looted many nations, All the remainder of the peoples will loot you— Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.
Verse 8 clarifies, “the remainder of the peoples”
Because of violence, the very cry of Habakkuk of both Judah and Babylon
Justice is coming to those who take what is not theirs
Versus, living in trust of the provision of the Lord
2 “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. 5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity!
10 “You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself.
11 “Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity!
Where the last one dealt with gain, this one deals with the application of the gain. In verses 6-8 the plunderer will be plundered. Judgment is promised. Here, evil gain is applied to security of oneself at the expense of others.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house To put his nest on high, To be delivered from the hand of calamity! 10 “You have devised a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against yourself.
There is a play on words here in Hebrew where this could be interpreted “Woe to him who gets his cut… by cutting off many peoples.
The very action sought to prevent will come down upon them. The shame is brought about by their application of their gain. Therefore the sin the perpetrate against others will ultimately be sin against themselves.
11 “Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.
The very structure cries out against it.
What they sought to prevent, judgment and destruction, lies in the power of the Lord.
7 “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence!
13 “Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?
14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with violence!
We have passed over a lot of Old Testament references today for the sake of time, but there are a few here that we simply cannot avoid.
This 3rd woe, marks the center of the warning structure. It is unique in that this one does not hold a consequence. It also features the vertical orientation of the offenses of those not living by faith.
What is the first city in Scripture?
17 Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Genesis 4:15b (NASB95)
15And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
So this city building, marks offense against the provision of God.
13 “Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?
Verse 13 marks the building of cities outside of God’s provision is one done in vain. A contemporary of Habakkuk, Jeremiah marks it well:
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire.”
14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
Our second OT reference deals with verse 14. This is a quote from Isaiah 11, and for us to understand we must look at the context of the quotation.
9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
10 Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.
This root of Jesse speaks of the coming King, whom we know is Jesus.
This is what our text in Isaiah 60 spoke of last week.
14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness!
16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 “For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, And the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them, Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.
15 “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness! 16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
This imagery of drunkeness and nakedness should be familiar to us in our study of Scripture.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts; “And I will lift up your skirts over your face, And show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
3 “Your nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame also will be exposed; I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked.
15 “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness! 16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
The allusion here is multifaceted. The phrase for venom could be rendered venomous rage. Often times prisoners of war were led away naked, women were raped and abused, naked. Nations’ shame was revealed in metaphorical and literal nakedness when laid bare by Babylon.
What is most striking about this though is the use of the word neighbor, or it could also be rendered friend. Habakkuk continues to make clear, the Law of the Lord.
18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Habakkuk 2:17b (NASB95)
17 Because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.
Exact phrase repeated from 2:8
Difference between human bloodshed and violence.
Violence is a character opposed to God.
So what is violence done to the land?
10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.
34 ‘Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
Avoidance of observing the Lord’s command
18 “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.
19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside it.
18 “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols. 19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside it.
Like the first woe, this one begins with a rhetorical question before actually pronouncing the warning. Of the warnings, this one is perhaps the most straightforward. It seems to say idolatry is dumb. Gods that you make are not alive. This is the taunt or intention of the passage. However, let us not read past how this fits in the context.
Everything that has taken place up to this point has resulted from actions an individual has taken to better or protect himself. Though there is a statement of false gods here, I would propose to you that the idolatry condemned is not just physical idols made with hands, but the idol of self sufficiency.
“For its maker trusts in his own handiwork.” Everything we’ve seen so far has been a statement of one’s own handiwork, and as such it has been an affront to God.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
Yahweh, is in His holy temple.
There is quite a bit of argument as to whether holy temple refers to the temple in Jerusalem, somewhere in the heavens, or something else. But this argument misses the point.
God has not left His people, nor has God lost control.
Interestingly, Habakkuk’s initial complaint is of the Lord’s silence, His inaction. Yet here, Habakkuk recognizes the need for his silence before the Lord.
This section of chapters 1 & 2 is bookended by silence.
Though we clearly see Babylon in these verses, remember these are responses to the Law of the Lord.
4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.
So to review the woes:
Woe… increases what is not his
Woe… puts his nest on high
Woe… builds a city with bloodshed
Woe… make your neighbors drink… poison
Woe… says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
We can contrast these to what is unspoken but still communicated and understood of God’s law:
Blessing comes from following the Lord
There is safety in dwelling with the Lord
We can trust that whatever comes is best for us
God’s kingdom will be established
The King is coming
You are to Love your neighbor
You are to Love your God