Habakkuk 2

Habakkuk questions the LORD’s use of evil Babylon in judging evil Judah.  He is concerned that there will be nothing left; even more he is concerned God is blessing a nation greater in evil than His own people.  Here is God’s answer.

First the LORD says, it’s going to happen just as I said; I will use Babylon for My purposes.  The one thing that Habakkuk must do is trust the LORD: the just shall live by his faith.  These words are quotes twice in the New Testament.

·        Rom. 1:16-17: Having spoken of the gospel, Paul then says that the righteousness of Christ revealed in the gospel is only accessible by faith because the just shall live by faith.

·        Heb. 10:37-38: The writer here, speaking of the return of Christ, speaks like God does to Habakkuk.  The revelation of Christ will happen; count on it. The just shall live by faith.

It is clear that the life of the righteous is a life of faith; and faith is believing what God said.  We must believe the gospel, trust Jesus’ promise to return, and Judah needed to trust God that judgment by Babylon was coming soon.

Does God have any more to say in answer to Habakkuk’s concerns?  Yes He does!  It comes in a series of five woes pronounced on Babylon.  The fact that God is speaking of evil Babylon and not evil Judah is seen in v5.  Babylon is the one who seeks to enlarge his desires and heap up nations for himself.  But he is a proud man.  Thus …

·        2:6-8: woe to the thief who increases by taking what is not his.  How long?

·        2:9-11: woe to him who covets evil gain for his own house.  This may refer to one’s home or to the idolatrous temple; in Scripture the term is used of both.

·        2:12-14: woe to the bloody or violent man.  The Babylonians will consider what they are doing as their work; but in fact it is God’s work.  Someday all the world will understand what God was doing in His punishment of Israel (Ezek. 39:21-24); at that time all the earth will glorify Him.

·        2:15-17: woe to the immoral man.  This is a description of a phenomenon in our day in the USA.  Finally society is waking up to this kind of immoral behavior that has gone on in corridors of power: Hollywood, Washington DC and many other places.  What we call sexual abuse of women is shameful.

·        2:18-20: woe to the idolatrous man.  This is the bottom line.  Habakkuk had noted this in 1:15-17.  God knows it too.  Men worship their idols but this changes nothing about the LORD.  The LORD is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth keep silence before Him.  

No evil can stand against God.  Certainly not the evil of Judah; and God will judge them by the Babylonians.  Not the evil of Babylon; God will remember them as well.  What evil concerns you today?  It also will not stand!  God is not unaware; He is not remiss; He is patient, however giving time to repent.