Hab. 1:1 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
“burden” = a doom, an utterance, a prophecy
Habakkuk was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. His name means “he that embraces; a wrestler.”
Courson: “Habakkuk is interesting because of all the prophets, he is the only one who, in his book, is not being initiated by God into the ministry but rather he is initiating a dialogue with God about the ministry. He’s the initiator and God is the respondent.”
Hab. 1:2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Evidently Habakkuk has been praying to God and feeling like He is being ignored. He wants God to act against those who are unjust, cruel and unrighteous (all from the Hebrew for violence).
“how long” – The phrasing indicates that he has been crying out to God for a while. If he is anything like me in impatience, his “how long” could represent weeks or months instead of years.
Hab. 1:3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
Habakkuk doesn’t understand why the LORD is allowing wickedness and idolatry (iniquity); misery; sorrow and trouble (grievance); robbery, oppression (spoiling) and cruelty; injustice and unrighteousness (violence); and those who cause controversy, strife, and quarreling to continue to abound in Judah, the nation of His/his people. Why isn’t God punishing sin?
Hab. 1:4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.
The people are acting as if there is no law of God; the wicked are acting with impunity. Those who are righteous are outnumbered and have no authority; they are intimidated by the wicked. It sounds like he is saying that wrong prevails over right and is accepted as the norm by the people.
Boy, does that sound like this world today. More and more, especially in America, the wicked are acting with impunity. The “righteous” are being muffled (if they speak out at all); and God’s word is being declared as false, a book of half truths, a book that doesn’t mean what it says.
Smith: “When a body gets so sick that it can no longer purge itself of its poisons, that body will soon die. When we’ve become so weak in our judicial system that we cannot purge our society of the poison within the society, you can be sure that that society hasn’t long to live.”
Hab. 1:5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
Hab. 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
In His good time, God speaks to Habakkuk. God directs Habakkuk to watch with wonder and amazement as He works among the heathen, the Gentile nations. God is going to raise up the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, a discontented and rash people who are eager to conquer other nations.
It should be noted that God said he would act “in your days,” in Habakkuk’s lifetime; he would see this prophecy fulfilled.
The key point here is that God is the one who is raising this nation to power and using their lust for power and dominion to His purposes.
Hab. 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Hab. 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle thathasteth to eat.
Hab. 1:9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
Hab. 1:10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
God continues to describe this nation on the rise:
They instill fear into their enemies.
They will enforce their own laws according to their own will.
Their horses are very fast and are ferocious in battle.
The warriors on the horses are proud as they cover great distances.
They will attack with the fierceness of a hungry bird of prey.
They oppress through violence.
Their great army will come from the east and will take God’s people into captivity as easily as the wind blows the sand.
They have no fear of those who rule other nations; they are confident in their skills and sure of their victory.
Hab. 1:11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
Here God seems to be singling out the leader of the Babylonians. He will become filled with pride in himself and his “god.” I couldn’t help but think of Nebuchadnezzar and the words he spoke that are recorded by Daniel.
Daniel 4:30 “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”
Hab. 1:12 Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
After the LORD spoke, Habakkuk began to question the God concerning the way He was going to answer his prayer. (Isn’t that so typical of how we respond when the LORD answers our prayers. We want Him to respond according to our expectations.)
Habakkuk recognized YHWH as his God, his Holy One—the God of eternity. He knew that according to God’s word, His covenant with Abraham, God’s chosen people would not be completely destroyed. He realized that God had determined that His people were in need of punishment and correction.
Hab. 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Still, Habakkuk didn’t understand. How can a holy God keep silent as He watches an evil and wicked nation destroy a nation that, even in its sin, is more righteous than its conqueror. All of a sudden the sins of Habakkuk’s people don’t seem that bad to him—at least not in comparison to the Babylonians.
Wiersbe: “Like Habakkuk, the doubter questions God and may even debate with God, but the doubter doesn’t abandon God. In contrast, unbelief is rebellion against God, a refusal to accept what he says and does. Unbelief is an act of the will, while doubt is born out of a troubled mind and a broken heart.”
Hab. 1:14 And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
Hab. 1:15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Hab. 1:16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.
Hab. 1:17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
Habakkuk continues to question God. Are You really going to allow the Babylonians to run rampant over the other nations? Are You going to let them flaunt their power and wickedness? Are You really going to let them become prosperous in their pride and disdain of You? Are they going to be allowed to conquer nation after nation after nation?
Hab. 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
Habakkuk has spoken boldly to the LORD and expects to be reproved for his words. He is sincere in his desire to know God’s heart and positions himself to be patient and listen as he waits for an answer from God. The key truth is that Habakkuk was confident that God would answer him; faith is the key to answered prayer. The writer of the Hebrews affirmed this truth.
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Ironside: “God will not leave His servant without instruction if there be a willing mind and an exercised conscience.”
Courson: “Notice Habakkuk’s isolation….He got away from all the distractions that would otherwise bombard him…If you really want to hear from the Lord, there is no alternative to a quiet time, a quiet place, and a quiet heart.”
Hab. 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Hab. 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
It seems that Habakkuk didn’t have to wait so long this time for God’s answer. God instructs Habakkuk to write down his vision, his message from God. He is to be very clear in explaining the prophecy. God wants the prophecy to inspire a response from the people. Although the prophesied events won’t happen right away, they will happen. What God purposes will come to pass.
Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand….”
Hab. 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
The soul that is lifted up, swelled with pride, is not pleasing before God.
Guzik quoting Spurgeon: “Pride is a strange creature; it never objects to its lodgings. It will live comfortably enough in a palace, and it will live equally at its ease in a hovel. Is there any man in whose heart pride does not lurk?”
The soul in right standing before God will live according to his faith in God. We know that relationship to God is being referenced, because of the grounds on which Habakkuk approached God in His response to God’s plan for punishing and correcting His people.
It is this truth, “the just shall live by faith,” that made such an impact on the life of Martin Luther.
Wiersbe: This truth “is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). The emphasis in Romans is on the righteous, in Galatians on how the righteous should live, and in Hebrews on faith. It takes three books to explain and apply this one verse! And since faith in Christ is the central means of transformation in each life, Habakkuk has something priceless to say to each one of us.”
My heart resonates with Ironside: “So today. Much there is to dishearten and discourage. But dark though the times may be, the man of God turns in faith to the Holy Scriptures, there to find the mind of the Lord. He acts on what is written, let others do as they may. His path may be a lonely one, and his heart be ofttimes sad; but with eager, glad anticipation he looks on to the day of manifestation, and seeks to walk now in the light of then.”
Hab. 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
The “he” being referenced here is continuing the thoughts about the man of pride. It seems to be referencing the king of the Babylonians in particular. He is being described as a man who is emboldened in his actions by the influence of wine—a restless man. His desire to grow his kingdom is compared to Sheol/Hell, the place of departed spirits, a place that never gets full—there’s always room for more. This man wants to rule the world.
Hab. 2:6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!
Hab. 2:7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
Hab. 2:8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
Because of his reputation, the prideful king of Babylon will become the subject of taunts and stories—much as we think of Nero, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, etc. They are not described in heroic and admiring terms by those who are not their followers.
Even as these stories emerge, those who have been conquered and made a part of his kingdom wonder how long he will be able to stay in power. How long will it be before there shall rise up one or more of those whom he has conquered to strike back and take back what is theirs—and more. From the nations that have fallen victim to his enormous desire to expand his kingdom and been robbed by him will arise a “remnant” who will be bent on revenge. This prophecy was fulfilled by the Medes and Persians.
Hab. 2:9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
Hab. 2:10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.
This king has been deceived into thinking that he can protect himself from evil by making sure he rules from a well-protected position. He has taken what belonged to others for himself and his family, not realizing that he was assuring his own destruction.
There is a verse in Job that applies here: Job 4:8 “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.”
Hab. 2:11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Hab. 2:12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!
This verse seems to be saying that the stones and timber that make up the walls are witnesses to the king’s actions. What do they testify? Woe/Alas (This is not a term of good things to come.)—Woe to the king that builds his empire through the shedding of blood and his own wicked, evil schemes.
Hab. 2:13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
I’m having a hard time with this verse. It seems to be reminding us that God is the One working through this people (the Babylonians) who are eventually going to see their kingdom destroyed. God in His sovereignty allows men to “prosper” in their sin according to His greater purpose (in this case the punishment and humbling of His people), but He will also see that they reap what they sow. The sin was still their choice; they will suffer the consequences.
Truly that is one of the most amazing things to me about God. He created man with a will of his own, with the ability to choose. Even before the first man was created, His plan was in place; He wasn’t “surprised” when man chose to sin. His plan included those who reject Him as well as the man who follows Him in faith. His plan utilized man’s choices in accomplishing His purpose. Only Almighty God, the One Who knows all, could create such a plan in advance, allow man to function with the power of choice, and foretell the future through the ministry of the prophets to affirm that He has been in control all along.
I’ve always struggled with an upcoming verse in my study of Isaiah, but I begin to get a glimmer of what God is saying when I think about the happenings on earth in view of His sovereignty.
Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
Hab. 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
One day the earth will be full of the knowledge of God. All people will recognize His hand, His purpose, at work in and through all that happens on planet earth.
Hab. 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
Hab. 2:16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.
It seems that from the very earliest times, man has had a problem with wine. I immediately think of Noah getting drunk and leaving himself exposed in a shameful position at some point after the flood (Genesis 9:20-21). The Babylonians were different in that they not only shamed themselves, they encouraged others to partake with them. Why did they encourage others? For their own selfish purposes—to put others in a position of shame in order to satisfy their own lustful desires. In spite of the fact that they seem powerful and invincible, God’s right hand of judgment will fall.
When Babylon was conquered by the Medes and Persians, they came in without opposition while Belshazzar and his princes were having a drunken celebration. In their pride they did not consider it possible that an enemy could penetrate their defenses (Daniel 5).
Constable: “Nakedness involves vulnerability as well as shame. The Lord pictured Babylon as a contemptible, naked drunk who had lost his self-control and the respect of everyone including himself.”
Hab. 2:17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.
I just don’t get this verse. The only thing I’m pretty sure of is that it is repeating the “you will reap what you sow” principle.
Hab. 2:18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
Hab. 2:19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
These two verses are speaking of the uselessness of idols. These lifeless statues are made by men, and then men presume to look to them for help and guidance. An idol is just a piece of wood, a piece of stone; sometimes it is covered with gold and silver. It can’t breathe; it can’t speak. How stupid can you get!
The Psalmist expresses the truth quite clearly: Psalm 135:15-18 “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”
Hab. 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
YHWH, on the other hand, is a living, breathing being that dwells in His holy temple in the heavens in sovereign control over His creation.
Psalm 11:4 “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.”
He is YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God. He has the power to act on behalf of those who trust Him. He can provide truth and guidance for those who seek Him. He is deserving of our awe, fear and respect.
Psalm 76:6-8 “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still….”