Habakkuk 2 Bible Study Lesson: Five Woes Against Society

Habakkuk Bible Study Commentary: The Book of Habakkuk - Then & Now

Habakkuk Chapter 2: The Five Woes Against Society

by I Gordon

Chapter 1 ended with the prophet perplexed that God could use the wicked nation of Babylon to judge an ungodly Judah. Habakkuk had reminded God of Babylon's actions in destroying other nations and questioned how God could use such a wicked people. The 2nd chapter of Habakkuk gives God's answer to these questions. In doing so it lists 5 'woes' against any nation or society that descends to the level that will eventually bring the judgment of God. Yet it also tells us the most important key to living in this age and gives a glimpse into the age to come. There is plenty to look at so let's do just that!

When perplexed... Stop, wait and listen!

Habakkuk 2:1-3 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. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with 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.

The actions of Habakkuk in these verses show what a godly man he was. He took time out to separate himself from others and quiet his own soul so that could await and hear God's response. It is essential that when you don't understand something and it is causing you concern that you did as Habakkuk did. When we look at these verses we find that Habakkuk did the following:

1. Inquired of God concerning his problem
2. Was expectant to hear an answer
3. Gave time to wait upon God for that answer  [1] 

Now in this busy world of ours those three simple points are often far easier to write, read and think about than do! But the need to 'wait' upon God is still critical for spiritual enlightenment and growth.  [2]  So God says that the revelation will come but it awaits the appointment time... Wait patiently for it will certainly come  [3]  . This revelation that God gave Habakkuk has a partial fulfillment for the days of Habakkuk and the coming defeat and exile into Babylon. But it goes MUCH further that that! When you read the revelation (which is summed up in the song of Habakkuk in chapter 3) we see that it takes us right to the very end of this age and the return of Jesus Christ! That is why God says that the revelation 'speaks of the end'  [4]  . And look at how the New Testament makes use of this verse in Hab 2:3:

Heb 10:36-37 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.'

In quoting this verse from Habakkuk, the writer of Hebrews shows us that the Habakkuk's 'revelation' is not a thing... it is a person. Thus the 'it' of Hab 2:3 becomes a 'He' in Heb 10:37 for the true revelation to Habakkuk is the coming of the Messiah - the person of the Lord Jesus. We await Him.

The ONE great need

Habakkuk 2:4-5 See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith-- 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.

In verses 4 and 5 the true need of God's people is seen while they wait for the coming of the Messiah. In these verses the Lord contrasts the attitude of the coming Babylonians with the one great need for His people. The Babylonians (and those in the world in varying degrees), are said to be 'puffed up' and arrogant. Their greed and discontentment leads to an unceasing unrest and dissatisfaction. They always must have 'more'. In contrast with this, the righteous live by faith.  [5]  Those in the world are never at rest. Those in Christ can rest though all fall about them. Now in light of the coming destruction of Judah in the times of Habakkuk and the 'perilous times' that have been prophesied to occur before the return of the Lord, this word and reminder about living by faith is all the more important. The Bible tells us the God will shake both the heavens and the earth. He will do this so that the incidental things that are not eternal and clutter our lives will cease to be important while the things of faith will remain and strengthen (Heb 12:26-29) . Without faith it is impossible to please God so just as you received the Lord Jesus, continue to live in Him (Col 2:6 )... by a living trusting faith that takes God into account and says 'Thank you - You are all that I need!'

Habakkuk's first woe - Theft and a Lust for Control

Habakkuk 2:6-8 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?' (7) Will not your debtors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their victim. (8) Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed man's blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

The rest of the chapter consists of five 'woes' against the Babylonians. But we shouldn't just think that it speaks to them alone. These same 'woes' that were brought against Babylon could easily be applied to Judah  [6]  at that time as well. And more than that, they could be applied to any world power or ruling class that has dominance and seeks to use that control to exploit, intimidate and steal from those below them. So we note that the first woe from God upon such people involves just that - theft and extortion. Babylon was said to have destroyed lands, cities, nations and people for the resources that they could gain. Sound familiar? What Babylon, the world power at that time does, so have all world powers done throughout the age... and it still goes on  [7]  . Time moves on but the unconverted human heart remains the same. But, as we read in the passage above, '  because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you.'  In other words, the age old truth applies to any powers that operate this way - 'you will reap what you sow'. There is only one exception to this rule and it is found in one place only. It is in the forgiveness that God provides 'in Christ'.

Habakkuk's Second Woe - Greed and Unjust Gain

Habakkuk 2:9-11 Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin! (10) You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. (11) The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

The second woe involves greed and unjust gain. That is, there is a woe against those that would seek to feather their own nest by exploiting others thinking that they would be so high that they would be beyond the reach of problems or ruin. The imagery is that of an eagle that has built its nest so high there is no chance of any predators.  [8]  And yet the scripture tells us that those that have been exploited will eventually rise up against those feathering their own nest at the expense of others. Is this not what we see in our day as protests against corrupt regimes continue in the Middle-East and Northern Africa, while in the West they march and form sit-ins against the bankers and top 1%. Well it is true to say that the greed and unjust gain will not go un-judged. The book of James says:

'Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.    Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen 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. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.' (James 5:1-6 )

Eventually all will be brought down to the same level.

'Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!' (Revelation 6:15-16 )

Habakkuk's Third Woe - Violence (yet with a small glimpse of a better time to come!) 

Habakkuk 2:12-14 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime! (13) Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people's labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? (14) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The third woe involves those who establish their 'kingdoms' through violence, bloodshed and crime. McGee rightfully comments:  

'This was the method of destruction that built Babylon. They became rich by warfare. My friend, if you stand back and look at the history of mankind, you come to the conclusion that he must be insane the way that he has lived on this earth. And, actually, he is insane - insane with a sinful nature so that he can't even direct his path. He thinks he is right in what he does. People have never waged war without thinking they were doing the right thing. We see here God's condemnation of Babylon, but it can be stretched out and brought up to date and fitted like a glove on any modern nation you choose.' 

And yet from God's view, 'the nations exhaust themselves for nothing.'  [9]  The people's labour will just go up in flame and come to naught. In contrast to this, a far greater day is mentioned here. A day when exploitation, violence and injustice are no more! It is a day when the whole earth is filled with the knowledge and glory of God! Yay... Fantastic. It is fair to say that if all we had to look forward to were 'woes' and 'judgment' it wouldn't take long before we were all pretty down and despondent! But that is far from the truth. The earth's most glorious day is still to come!  [10] 

Habakkuk's Fourth Woe - Drunkenness, Lust & Corrupting Others 

Habakkuk 2:15-17 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. (16) You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the LORD's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. (17) The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed man's blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

The fourth woe involves the corrupting of others. The specific sins mentions are getting others drunk for the purpose of lust and sexual sins. In verse 17 it gives another result from drunkenness - violence. Drunkenness always leads to other immorality and society is filled with its corrupted fruit. In many ways drunkenness, lust and sexual sins and violence sum up where our society is at unfortunately. It is quite scary. It is on our televisions, in our magazines, in the movies, littered over the internet and in our families. For these sins, God was going to judge Babylon. They were known for their drunken orgies and violence and now they were perverting other nations to be like them. And as mentioned earlier, it was right in the midst of one of these 'parties' that God brought down the Babylonian empire as recorded in Daniel 5. Today these acts of immorality have spread everywhere across the world. So when God comes to judge in the last days, the judgement will be worldwide.

With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!.. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. (Revelation 18:2-5 )

Habakkuk's Fifth and Final Woe - Idolatry

Habakkuk 2:18-20 Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. (19) 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. (20) But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."

The fifth and final woe brought against Babylon is for idolatry. In many ways idolatry is worse than the other sins mentioned in this series of woes for it is an abandoning of God to a false religion and trying to replace the irreplaceable with something that can never satisfy. In the west, at least, we may not have wooden idols carved by man but we still have idols that we worship in place of God. Pleasure, wealth and materialism are all common idols. In fact anything that dominates your life taking the place of God is an idol. The section is introduced with the question 'of what value is an idol?' The answer is of course 'none' but it is far easier to see the stupidity in having a 'wooden' idol than it is a modern example. The result is the same however. False religion, in whatever forms it takes, ends in deception and worthlessness. God's reply? Let the whole earth be silent before Him. In others words, God is saying 'stop the idolatry. Stop all the running to and fro looking for 'the next thing' to find pleasure or wealth or spiritual fulfilment. Stop all the hustle and bustle of modern day life that separates you from God. 'Be still and know that I am God.'' (Psalm 46:10 )

Conclusion

Habakkuk chapter 2 is pretty heavy going. The woes contained within this chapter spelt difficult times for Habakkuk's generation and even more so for the days leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. Habakkuk had previously thought that God was inactive, blind to the sins being committed in his day. Oh how wrong he was! In laying out the five 'woes' God outlined specific reasons for the coming judgement of both Judah and Babylon, and as we have seen, these reasons apply just as well for the world today as they did 2600 years ago. If the days ahead get darker, the key verse in this chapter will become all the more important. That is, 'the righteous shall live by their faith'. It will become critical that the believer has a close walk with the Lord and can trust Him and His sovereign will despite all that occurs on this planet. And, as always, our hope is in the return of the Lord so...

 "...when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28 ) 

 '...wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.' (1 Thess 1:10 )