Habakkuk 2

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk pictures himself as a watchman over Judah. Wiersbe says, “In ancient days, the watchmen were responsible to warn the city of approaching danger, and if they weren’t faithful, their hands would be stained with the blood of the people who died (Ezek. 3:17-21; 33:1-4). It was a serious responsibility.” [1] Commentators generally do not see this as an actual perch on the ramparts. They see it more as a state of mind and heart awaiting an answer from God. Habakkuk was involved in a deep spiritual watch for the sake of the Lord’s people (cf. Psa. 73:16-17).

“Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it’” (2:2). The Babylonians had popularized the use of clay tablets that were indented with ancient script. It is a good thing they wrote in this manner since these imprinted clay tablets would last through the ages, while other materials would rot or fade. So, we have here the setting of a very important proclamation given to the Lord’s people. The readers must be able to see it clearly and comprehend it quickly. Phillips sees this as tablets set up in public places for all to read. [2]

To sum up, “Habakkuk made a record of his vision on a clay tablet, which he brought to the attention of many persons.” [3] Even those who were in a hurry would be able to read it.

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (2:3). Guzik says, “Habakkuk spoke to an age beyond his own.” [4] Clearly, this is a prophecy that concerns the end of the age. Utley comments, “However, man never sees the entire pattern of salvation, so that events may seem delayed and disappointing from his perspective…One of the best evidences for a uniquely inspired Bible is predictive prophecy.” [5]

It is amazing that John, in the New Testament Book of Revelation, deals with the fall of Babylon. We see this in Revelation, chapters 14, 16, 17, and 18. He thus treats it as one of the major events of the end days. It must surely be important to God’s people.

We can immediately understand that Babylon is far more than just a biblical city or just the locale of the Hebrew exile. It is a spiritual symbol representing a problem deep within the human heart. Babylon is used as a code word for spiritual bondage and defilement of holy things. We can see from the Book of Daniel that the city of Babylon has political implications as well. It is the golden head that has directed the Gentile world governmental system from the fall of Israel in 586 BC until the present hour (Dan. 2:31-45). Mystery Babylon is somehow the religious side of this Gentile world governmental and economic system. However, in the last days, the whole system will apparently turn upon her and destroy her (Rev. 17:16).

The natural kingdom of Babylon would be destroyed because of its great evil. Today, that important city is a pile of rubble. However, the religious principle of Babylon lives on in the many forms of its idolatry. It still infects the church in the 21st century. That part of Babylon lives on but will be judged and brought down in the last days. We need to understand this.

The Faith Principle

See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright – but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness – Habakkuk 2:4

We come now to one of the most important passages of the whole Bible. Babylon was puffed up with its pride and with its idolatry. However, God’s people would live by their simple faith in him. The Hebrew reads ve-tsa-dik be-emuna-to ye-he-yeh. It is translated, “and the righteous by his faith shall live.” The NIV has it “by his faithfulness.” However, several translations render it “will (or shall) live by his faith” (ASV, ESV, KJV, NAS, NKJ). Those who are righteous will live by their faith. What a theological breakthrough! Biblical professor Charles L. Feinberg comments: “There have been many attempts to interpret the word faith as faithfulness or right dealing, but the sense must be trust in God in this context.” [6]

It was this verse that Martin Luther discovered as he studied in the Augustinian monastery. Later it was this same verse that came to his mind as he laboriously climbed the Lateran staircase in Rome on his knees. He was vainly trying to gain acceptance by God. When these words of the prophet Habakkuk came suddenly to his mind, he ceased his vain activity, returned to Wittenberg, and made “the just shall live by faith” the foundation of all his doctrine. [7] Soon the great Protestant Reformation was in full bloom.

This verse had been picked up and preached by the gospel writers many centuries earlier. Paul uses it in Romans 1:17, and again in Galatians 2:16 and 3:11. The author of Hebrews in 10:38 uses it. In fact, it became the foundation for the great evangelical outreach to the whole world. Our religion can get messy and useless if we are caught in the trap of trying to please God with our works. We are saved by faith in Jesus. The popular evangelist Billy Graham often put it simply, “God said it; I believe it; and that settles it!” The Bible says “…Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31). Salvation is still just that simple. Phillips says, “The just shall live by his faith…is the key to the book of Habakkuk and the key to God’s dealings with men. God is simply saying, ‘Trust Me!’” [8]

Taunting The Enemy

The prophet began verse 4 with a description of wicked Babylon. He now continues with his charges that began with “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright.” He continues saying, “Indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples” (2:5). We realize in this verse that Babylon had a big problem with wine. We know from the Book of Daniel that Babylon’s leaders were involved in a big drinking party when the hand of God wrote the nation’s death decree on the wall (Dan. 5:1-31). That very night, the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon.

The judgment of God was surely coming for this destroyer of nations and peoples. English Bible scholar Peter Pett says, “And when God would bring his judgment on men and nations, he does so as through wine (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-16). So the wine man drinks is symbolic of his coming judgment (see Habakkuk 2:16).” [9] The prophet Jeremiah called Babylon the “hammer of the earth.” (Jer. 50:23). He also called her “a destroying mountain. (51:25). She, like a hungry monster, gobbled up nations and peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’” (2:6). Boice introduces this section saying: “In 2:6-20 we find what scholars call a ‘taunt song.’ It is the kind of song that a once-oppressed people might direct against the former oppressor…taunt songs begin with the word ‘woe’ or ‘alas.’ In this case, there are five occurrences of the word ‘woe,’ each of which marks a stanza within the song. The first woe is in verse 6; the stanza it introduces is in verses 6-8. The second woe introduces verses 9-11. The third woe introduces verses 12-14. The fourth woe introduces verses 15-17. The final stanza encompasses verses 18-20. But the woe comes in the middle, in verse 19. The five stanzas show the misery of the person or nation that thinks it can do without God.” [10]

Verses 6-8 focus on Babylon’s greed and selfish ambition. Her vast warehouses were filled with stolen goods from poorer nations and helpless people. The prophet says, “Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. (2:7-8). Babylon, which made prey of the nations, will now become prey. Babylon, which plundered others, will now be plundered. She who shed blood and destroyed will receive the same.

It would be good if our own nation and world could understand this biblical principle. It is found in Genesis 9:6, and it reads: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Gen. 9:6). Nancy Pearcey writes, “For the rise of secularism did not lead to ever-increasing liberty. On the contrary, it turned the twentieth century into a bloodbath of death and destruction.” [11]

Then we could consider the murder of abortion. “The World Health Organization states that there are 73,000,000 abortions globally per year. This means a stunning 200,000 are killed daily.” [12] We can see how this evil turns back upon itself. “A woman who gets an abortion is six hundred times more likely to kill herself than a woman who gives birth.” [13]

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it” (2:9-11). Here, the prophet cries out against covetousness and greed. People throughout the ages have faced this problem. We particularly face it in this postmodern world. Fourth-century Saint Basil said, “The bread that you possess belongs to the hungry. The clothes that you store in boxes belong to the naked. The shoes rotting by you belong to the bare-foot. The money that you hide belongs to anyone in need. You wrong as many people as you could help.” [14]

I like what the Jewish Rabbi, Daniel Lapin has to say about this. “Earning a living requires making money, not taking money…Profit comes from connecting with God’s other children and serving them. We were in fact, created for this very purpose – to connect with one another… Money is what comes to us when we focus on serving all God’s other children.” [15]

I think one Christian missionary by the name of Charles Thomas (C.T.) Studd had the right idea about money. He inherited 25 million dollars from his father. Rather than spending it on himself, he invested it in his own foreign mission work. His work spread out into China, India, and Africa. He spent all his fortune in the Lord’s work. He even helped other needy ministries like George Muller’s orphanage and the China Inland Mission. When Muller died in 1931, some two thousand Congolese came to his funeral. He left us with these little lines: “Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” [16]

It is very interesting, as I have mentioned before, that on the night Babylon fell, the stones of the wall cried out to the king and all the leaders with him: “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Dan. 5:25-28).

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?” (2:12-13). What we have expressed in these verses is the exploitation of people. A city could not be built by bloodshed. Actually, bloodshed brings a curse upon the earth. In Numbers 35:33, we read, “Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.” Bloodshed is very important, and this is the second time the prophet has dealt with it.

There are many ways to oppress people. James speaks of a financial oppression: “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter” (Jas. 5:4-5). Utley feels like this section refers to the Neo-Babylonians and their use of slave labor to build their homes and fortifications. He declares that this will be destroyed by fire. [17]

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (2:14). Like verse 2:4, this is another powerful theological statement. David Garland, in his commentary, says, “Without any doubt, Habakkuk here prophesies the inauguration of the universal kingdom of Yahweh upon the earth.” [18] Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “Many have considered this verse to be a prediction either of the Gospel era or of the Millennial kingdom of Christ.” [19]

Unfortunately, the church today is transfixed on the Greek idea of a bodyless eternal existence somewhere in a heavenly setting. We have the idea that we will sit forever on a cloud and strum a harp. However, the firm biblical concept is that of a renewed heaven and a renewed earth. The Bible says plainly that we will reign with Christ on that new earth (Rev. 5:10). It will begin with Christ’s coming and the thousand-year reign on the earth. When he comes, we will reign with him in our newly resurrected and glorified bodies.

We need to be faithful in praying the Lord’s Prayer every day. We should say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). We do not pray, “Your kingdom go…” but “Your Kingdom come.” Along with this daily prayer, we should also pray, “Let the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as waters cover the sea.”

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory” (2:15-16). In a 2008 study published in the journal Adolescence, it is noted that approximately 25 percent of college students reported that they had recently engaged in binge drinking. [20] According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 178,000 people die each year from excessive alcohol use in the US. Even by 2010, the economic cost of excessive alcohol use was 49 billion dollars. That amounts to $807 for every person in the US. [21]

“The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them” (2:17). From early times, it was customary for conquerors to cut down the lush forests of Lebanon. [22] The forests were often cut to provide siege equipment for the conquests (Isa. 37:24). At the same time, much of the animal life was also destroyed.

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it” (2:18-19). Making and having idols is surely one of the dumbest things that humans have ever done. How could a piece of metal or wood ever help us or save us? In idolatry, we surely see the devil at work to deceive and destroy people. Yet, psychologist David Powlison says, “idolatry is by far the most frequently discussed problem in the Scriptures.” [23]

Of course, we no longer worship blocks of wood or stone. Our idols are much more subtle and sophisticated today. “We will be tempted, therefore, to create for ourselves gods who will not threaten us with transcendence, gods who will be manifestly useful in a world of confusing voices, and gods who will conform to the contours of our individualistic desires.” [24]

Sallie McFague, in her award-winning book, Models of God – Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age, said: “What we need today is a ‘holistic view of reality,’ and thus she proposes new models of God as Mother, Lover, and Friend. Who God really is, in other words, shouldn’t concern us; what matters is finding an image of God that will be useful.” [25] So, in our postmodern age, idolatry is still with us, but it has gotten a lot fancier.

One thing we should not miss is that Babylon was the undisputed mother of idolatry throughout the world. Since Babylon has a deep spiritual side to it and still exists, we should not be surprised that idolatry is still with us in its refined and deeply spiritual sense. Babylon’s idols have certainly infiltrated the church in our day. The church building, money, the pastor, the Virgin Mary have all become idols for many. [26]

“The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (2:20). Coffman says, “This, of course, is the most widely known and quoted verse in the whole prophecy of Habakkuk, being usually utilized to induce quiet upon religious assemblies and to inspire reverence at religious services and in places of assembly.” [27] While all that may be true, there is a deeper and more majestic understanding of this verse. God is holy, and there must be a holy hush before him. Lamentations 3:26 says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Footnotes

1. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1472.

2. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 211.

3. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 876.

4. Guzik, The Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Haggai, vs, 2:2-3.

5. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Habakkuk, vs. 2:2-3.

6. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 212.

7. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 409)

8. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 212.

9. Peter Pett, Commentary on the Prophecy of Habakkuk, v. 2:5 https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/pet/habakkuk-2.html

10. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 412.

11. Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth (Colorado Springs: David Cook, 2015), p. 134.

12. James L. Garlow, Reversed: From Culturally Woke to Biblically Awake (Well Versed Publishing, 2024), p. 247.

13. Matt Walsh, The Unholy Trinity, Blocking the Left’s Assault on Life, Marriage, and Gender (New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2017), p. 161.

14. Ross Douthat, Bad Religion, How We Became A Nation of Heretics (New York: Free Press, 2012), p. 289.

15. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Business Secrets From The Bible (Hoboken: Wiley, 2014), pp. 45-46.

16. David Green, Giving It All Away…And Getting It Back Again (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017), pp. 141-43.

17. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Habakkuk, v. 2:13.

18. David Garland, Broadman’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972), p. 258.

19. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 878.

20. Donna Freitas, The End of Sex: How Hookup Culture Is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy (New York: Basic Books, 2013), p. 40.

21. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/excessive-drinking-data/index.html

22. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 215.

23. Pearcey, Finding Truth, p. 37.

24. Donald W. McCullough, The Trivilization of God: The Dangerous Illusion of a manageable Deity (Colo. Springs: Nav Press, 1995), p. 24.

25. Ibid., p. 30.

26. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 215.

27. Coffman, Commentary on Habakkuk, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, v. 2:20.