Habakkuk 02
Habakkuk 2:1 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.
A watch post, or watch tower, was placed in the middle of the Israeli agricultural fields. Guards would sit on top of the watch towers and make sure that no one would steal the crops. Habakkuk was sitting over his watchtower, watching his crops of complaints, and waiting for God to answer his questions.
2 The Lord responded: “Write down this message! Record it legibly on tablets, so the one who announces it may read it easily.
God answered Habakkuk’s complaints. He asked Habakkuk to write God’s response on stone tablets so that everyone could read it and share it with others.
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.
A reliable message will eventually come to Habakkuk at God’s appointed time.
4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness.
The unrighteous will die. The righteous will live by faith. God was going to use the Babylonians to punish the Jews. Habakkuk will have to trust God in what He is doing.
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.
The sin of the Babylonians was drunkenness. Drunkenness will eventually bring down the Babylonian Empire. Drunkenness possesses a large appetite that would devour many other nations. Zenophon and Herodotus were two Greek historians who recorded the excesses of Babylonian drunkenness. Daniel recorded the fall of Babylon on the night of a drunken feast.
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 who gets rich by extortion!’
God predicted that one day other nations would sing taunting songs about Babylon. Verses 6-20 recorded the lyrics of this song.
The first verse of this taunting song recorded that the nation of Babylon was a thief who plundered other nations. However, Babylon was as good as dead. Babylon would be plundered as well.
7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; those who terrify you will spring into action, and they will rob you.
Those nations who paid tribute to Babylon will combine and commit a surprise attack on Babylon. These combined nations will defeat and plunder Babylon, just as Babylon had plundered other nations.
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.
Since Babylon had plundered and killed many people from other tribute nations, God would now allow these tribute nations to plunder and kill the Babylonians.
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.
Babylon was using violence to build up a dynastic house which would collapse.
10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house. Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct.
Babylon destroyed many nations, so they will be destroyed.
11 For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back.
The dynastic house that Babylon was building will cry out.
12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead— he who starts a town by unjust deeds.
Babylon was building their city with the blood of slaves.
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.
The slaves will build the city of Babylon with their labor, but the city will eventually burn down to the ground.
14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea.
Babylon must be destroyed, because some day the Millennial Kingdom will fill the whole earth with the knowledge of God from Jerusalem. Babylon will be rebuilt during the Great Tribulation by the Antichrist. Babylon and Edom will be destroyed during the Great Tribulation. These two evil cities will become a dwelling place of demons during the Millennial Kingdom.
Habakkuk’s prophecy was dual, in that it was blending the destruction of Babylon of the past with Babylon of the future. Earlier, he had spoken of Babylon of the past. Now, he was speaking of Babylon of the future. The final kingdom will not be Satan’s Kingdom of Babylon, but the final kingdom will be the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem. Just as Jerusalem is the city of God, Babylon is the city of Satan.
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.
Babylon would be destroyed by the sin of drunkenness. Babylon also seduced other nations into their drunken habits. Once these nations were intoxicated, the Babylonians would induce them to walk around naked.
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!
Since Babylon forced other nations to drink and walk around naked, Jehovah would do the same thing to them. Babylon would drink the cup of wrath which was in Jehovah’s right hand. Jehovah would force them to walk around naked. All of the other nations would see that they were uncircumcised.
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.
When Babylon went to Lebanon, they destroyed the forest kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the human kingdom. God will judge Babylon for their acts of violence.
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?’
Idolatry is useless. The demons behind these idols give misleading oracles. Idolatry will not save Babylon.
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.
Idols are not alive. They cannot wake up and accomplish anything. They cannot speak. They have no breath inside of them.
20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”
Jehovah sits in His heavens in great power. The whole earth is speechless in His presence. God will allow Babylon to be God’s rod against Israel, but Babylon will be judged as well. There will be a New Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom, but no Babylon. Babylon will exist as only a holding place for demons. Those who live by faith will enter into the New Jerusalem. Those who do not live by faith will not enter into the city.