1 Commentary by Charles Box Questions by John C. Sewell Write the Vision Plainly Habakkuk 2:1-20 1
2 Write the Vision Plainly Commentary by Charles Box Text: Habakkuk 2:1-20, 1. I will stand at my watch post; I will remain stationed on the city wall. I will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me and can know how I should answer when he counters my argument. 2. The LORD responded: Write down this message! Record it legibly on tablets, so the one who announces it may read it easily. 3. For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass it will not arrive late. 4. Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness. 5. Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples. 6. But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?) he 2
3 who gets rich by extortion! 7. Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you. 8. Because you robbed many countries, all who are left among the nations will rob you. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. 9. The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. 10. Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. 11. For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back. 12. The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead he who starts a town by unjust deeds. 13. Be sure of this! The LORD who commands armies has decreed: The nations efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing. 14. For recognition of the LORD s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea. 15. You who force your neighbor to drink wine are as good as dead you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, so you can look at their 3
4 genitals. 16. But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup of wine in the LORD s right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory! 17. For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. 18. What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things? 19. The one who says to wood, Wake up! is as good as dead-he who says to speechless stone, Awake! Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life s breath inside it. 20. But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence! (NET) Introduction: I. The book Habakkuk records several brief conversations between the prophet and God concerning the spiritual state of God s people. A. Habakkuk learned that he must wait in faith for God s judgment against the Chaldeans. 1. Let us learn never to be impatient with God. 4
5 2. He will deal with all things in His own time. 3. Those that serve God faithfully will never be disappointed by the final outcome. 4. The just shall live by faith, holding on to the promises of the Creator, even though the performance of those promises may be deferred. B. Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted three times in the New Testament. 1. Romans 1:17, For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, The righteous by faith will live. (NET) 2. Galatians 3:11, Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. (NET) 3. Hebrews 10:38, But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him. (NET) 4. Those that live by faith persevere to the end because of this strong relationship with the Creator. C. Habakkuk recognized the doom of those that rebel against God. 1. Israel was led captive because of her personal sins. 2. Now the Chaldeans would face their own punishment. a. They were filled with pride and drunkenness. 5
6 b. They were a violent and dishonest nation. c. Their ill-gotten wealth and their violence caused their spiritual journey to be slowed and the people to be dirty inside. II. The Chaldean people had concern for getting wealth, saving it and spending it for selfish purposes. A. They gave no thought to others or to their accountability to God concerning their wealth. 1. God s law says, Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows. (Galatians 6:7) (NET) 2. They failed to remember that what is gotten by violence from others is often taken away by violence by others. 3. Covetousness and greed bring God s curse upon us. 4. What is gotten by fraud and injustice will bring poverty and ruin to us. 5. When we wrong others we do much more harm to ourselves. B. At the close of Habakkuk chapter two, God again pronounced a severe woe against both drunkenness and against the folly of worshipping idols. 6
7 Commentary: Habakkuk 2:1-11, 1. Habakkuk wrote, But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence! (Habakkuk 2:20) (NET) 2. Literally the message was, Hush and listen to God. Woe To Those That Are Greedy and Covetous 1. I will stand at my watch post; I will remain stationed on the city wall. I will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me and can know how I should answer when he counters my argument. 2. The LORD responded: Write down this message! Record it legibly on tablets, so the one who announces it may read it easily. 3. For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass it will not arrive late. 4. Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness. 5. Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples. 6. But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead (How long will this go on?) he 7
8 who gets rich by extortion! 7. Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you. 8. Because you robbed many countries, all who are left among the nations will rob you. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. 9. The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. 10. Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. 11. For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back. (NET) I. After Habakkuk spoke his second message, he said he would stand guard on the watchtower and wait for the Lord s answer. A. He would stand boldly before God, hear God s response to his complaint; then he would answer again. 1. Habakkuk was asking God, Where are you? B. God answered by saying, I am here raising up a wicked nation to punish Judah. 1. Habakkuk responded by asking, How can you do that? 2. God told Habakkuk that he would use the wicked nation to punish his people, but he would judge the Chaldeans also. 8
9 a. God s justice will come upon those wicked people as well. b. God is always fair in his dealings. c. It is not man s place to question the Sovereign God of the universe! II. God wanted what he had to say plainly understood. A. He told Habakkuk to Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 1. In other words he said; write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. a. The vision is this little book that we know as Habakkuk. B. The prophet s concern was that God delayed his judgment. 1. God assured Habakkuk that in the end he would set the matter straight. 2. Five times in Habakkuk two, God pronounced a woe upon those guilty of transgression. C. The first two woes had to do with greed and covetousness. 1. But all these nations will someday taunt him and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as 9
10 dead (How long will this go on?) he who gets rich by extortion! (Habakkuk 2:6) (NET) 2. The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster. (Habakkuk 2:9) (NET) D. Those that had made their families rich at the expense of others were doomed. Habakkuk 2:12-14, 1. Woe is a word of coming calamity. 2. It seemed that these wicked people were winning, but they still had to face their judgment and the consequences of their own sins. 3. If we ask, Does your God punish evildoers?, then the answer is a strong, Yes. 4. God pronounced these woes upon the Chaldeans because of their pride and their self-seeking ambitions. Woe To Those That Use Violence 12. The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead he who starts a town by unjust deeds. 13. Be sure of this! The LORD who commands armies has decreed: The nations efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing. 10
11 14. For recognition of the LORD s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea. I. The Chaldeans were doomed because they built their nation on violence and bloodshed. A. They would conquer a nation, kill its people and take any possession they desired. 1. They used violence to accomplish their own means. 2. They terrorized other cities and nations with their brutality. 3. A statement from Solomon in Proverbs 4:1 well describes the Chaldeans. a. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. b. They would have done well to remember that, The LORD approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence. (Psalm 11:5) (NET) 4. To the Chaldeans God said You are doomed! You built a city on crime and violence. B. The All-powerful God sends up in flames what nations and people work so hard to gain, especially those things that were gained through wicked means. 1. Those that are covetousness or the ones that are eager for worldly pursuits labor in the very fire. 11
12 2. The labor for such things is all in vain when the Lord sends punishment upon them for a lack of godliness. II. Habakkuk wrote, Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor the LORD. A. The earth would see the destruction that God brought upon the powerful Chaldean nation. 1. God would be honored as being impartial in his judgment and irresistible in his power. 2. Job said that God would show his furious anger against all that are proud and evil. They would all be thrown down and crushed. (Job 40:11-12) a. Job 40:11-12, Scatter abroad the abundance of your anger. Look at every proud man and bring him low; Look at every proud man and abase him; crush the wicked on the spot! (NET) B. One purpose of the gospel and the preaching of it is, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) (NET) 1. God created the world for his glory and in every situation God s glory will be seen. 2. It may not happen on man s timetable, but rest assured that it will happen. 3. Righteousness in all things is what accomplishes that which God had in mind when he created the world. 12
13 Woe To Those That Seek Pleasure At The Expense Of Others Habakkuk 2:15-17, 15. You who force your neighbor to drink wine are as good as dead you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, so you can look at their genitals. 16. But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The up of wine in the LORD s right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory! 17. For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them. (NET) I. God told the Chaldeans, You are doomed! You get your friends drunk, just to see them naked. Now you will be disgraced instead of praised. The LORD will make you drunk and when others see you naked, you will lose their respect. You destroyed trees and animals on Mount Lebanon; you were ruthless to towns and people everywhere. Now you will be terrorized. (Habakkuk 2:15-17) A. At a party these people would get their neighbors drunk so they could exploit and use them as objects of pleasure. 1. Observe the vivid picture of the sins of (1)Drunkenness, (2) Sexual perversion and (3) Immodesty. 13
14 II. Drunkenness was one of the major things that led to the fall of Babylon. A. In Daniel five we see one such drunken party. 1. King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all. While under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father had confiscated from the temple in Jerusalem so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. So they brought the gold and silver vessels that had been confiscated from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together with his wives and concubines, drank from them. As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king was watching the back of the hand that was writing. (Daniel 5:1-5) (NET) 2. The message written on the wall for Belshazzar had three parts, (1) God hath numbered This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL,and PHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene God has numbered your kingdom s days and brought it to an end. (2) As for teqel you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. (3) As for peres your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians. (Daniel 5:25-28) (NET) B. Drunkenness opens the doors for many other evils. 14
15 Habakkuk 2:18-20, Woe To Those That Worship Idols 18. What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things? 19. The one who says to wood, Wake up! is as good as dead he who says to speechless stone, Awake! Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life s breath inside it. 20. But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence! (NET) I. The Chaldeans were a pagan nation. A. They were deeply involved in idol worship. 1. God again warned about the foolishness of idolatry. a. He said an idol is merely a false god. b. He asked the people why they would trust in speechless images that had been made from wood or metal by human hands. 2. What could they learn from such idols? a. The idols were covered with silver or gold, but they could not even breathe. 15
16 B. God said, You people of Israel, listen to what the LORD has to say to you. The LORD says, Do not start following pagan religious practices. Do not be in awe of signs that occur in the sky even though the nations hold them in awe. For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you. (Jeremiah 10:1-5) (NET) Conclusion: I. The reality that all must grasp is, But the LORD is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence! (Habakkuk 2:20) (NET) A. God s message to Habakkuk and to us is basically, Hush, and listen to God. B. Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout! Let the fields and everything in them celebrate! Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy before the LORD, for he comes! For he comes to judge the earth! He judges the world fairly, and the nations in accordance with his justice. (Psalms 96-11-13) (NET) C. God will exonerate himself someday and people will know that he is God! II. Those that serve God are blessed and those that rebel are punished. A. Is it your desire to honor God? 16
17 Questions Habakkuk 2:1-20 1. Patience is a virtue. How did Habakkuk learn this lesson? 2. Where in the New Testament is Habakkuk 2:4 quoted? What are its applications there? 3. Habakkuk was to be written down on so that a could run with it. 4. Exactly who were the Chaldeans? When did disaster overtake them? 17
18 5. Do we always look to see what God will say to us? Once we know what God says, do we always comply with his commands? 6. Of what sins were the Chaldeans guilty? Describe their condition morally and religiously. List all evils mentioned in verses 4-19. 7. What price would be exacted for these sins? 8. How does our society by way of righteousness compare with the ancient Chaldean society? Answer seriously. 18
19 9. On whom are woes pronounced in Habakkuk 2? 10. They the of, and of. The ties the : but the and him that his. You are! You built a on and. 11. Give examples to show that those who rebel against God will, in due time, be doomed! 12. What was Habakkuk s reaction to the news that God would use the Chaldeans, wicked people, to punish Judah? 13. How can we learn to wait on the Lord? When do we need to wait on the Lord? 19
20 14. Substance abuse and idolatry remain problems in today s world. In what ways do they present themselves now? How can these sins be overcome? 15. God s vision for today s world is written in the New Testament. As God s heralds, how can we better declare this vision to the world? 20