We have looking at the book of Habakkuk as a means of trying to understand what is going on in our lives and in the world when we do not understand what God is doing. Habakkuk has prayed to God about how he does not understand what God is doing and God has given some hard answers about what he is doing in the world. In Habakkuk 2 God is in the midst of delivering his second answer to Habakkuk’s questions. The first part of God’s answer was looked at in the last lesson in verses 2-4. The proud and self-sufficient live by their own understanding. The righteous will live by their faith. Now God is going to show the observable fruit of those who are proud and who harbor a spirit of self-sufficiency. These pictures are going to help us understand what it means and does not mean to live by faith. Then God is going to give us a final word that is to give hope to all of the faithful.
The Problem of Greed (Habakkuk 2:5)
The Lord begins by observing the problem of greed and being discontent. Greed reveals pride and do not show living by faith. The Lord proclaims that wine betrays and the arrogant never rest. Why are they never at rest? They lack contentment. They are never satisfied. They are greedy. In fact, the Lord says that they are like death which is never satisfied. That is a helpful picture. Has death ever been satisfied? Has death ever said that it was content and did not need any more people? No! God says that people act like this. They always want more. They are never satisfied. When is enough, enough? A lack of contentment reveals that we are not living by faith and putting our hope in God. We are trying to trust in what we have. If we have more, then we will be secure. So if we have enough money, enough possessions, enough power, and enough accomplishments then we think we can rest. But there are two problems to this thought process. First, we are never satisfied if this is our perspective. There is never enough to think that you have enough to trust in yourself. Second, as God is going to show in the rest of chapter 2, you can never have enough to insulate you from the power of God. God is in charge, not us. It does not matter what we do or how much we have, God rules and all our greed cannot keep us from losing everything if that is God’s will. A lack of contentment shows we are not living by our faith in God.
The Symptom: Taking Advantage of Others (Habakkuk 2:6-17)
Taking What Is Not Theirs (Habakkuk 2:6-8).
The Lord describes that a great reversal is coming against these people who have this greed and this lack of contentment. God proclaims a woe of disaster that is coming against those who amass what is not theirs. Disaster is coming on those who care about taking from others rather than caring for people. Now I want us to think about how serious God was about this. If a person were to put themselves into debt with you and you took their cloak (heavy outer garment) as collateral, you were to give the cloak back to that person each night so that they could use that garment as a blanket (cf. Exodus 22:26-27). Money was always to be earned honestly and was not to be taken from others. Money is not to be obtained ruthlessly or deceptively. Living by faith means that we do not try to take other people’s money. We need to be careful that just because something bad happens to us or we go through a natural disaster that we do not see this as a right to take from good-hearted people.
Taking To Have More (Habakkuk 2:9-11).
Verses 9-11 continue this picture. The Lord describes people who are taking advantage of others so that they can have more for themselves. Walking by faith means that we do not try to take advantage of others. We are trusting in God to provide for us, not our own schemes to try to accumulate money for ourselves. In fact, God says that all the money you get from this method will be a testimony against you on the day of judgment. In verse 10 God says that this will be your shame one day. In verse 11 God says that your possessions are a monument to the coming judgment against you and your perpetual sins. The proud who trust in themselves take from others and take advantage of others so that they can have more.
Taking Without Regard For Life (Habakkuk 2:12-14).
God now proclaims a woe of disaster that will come on those who do their work through injustice and bloodshed. Yet again God is proclaiming that people are more important than buildings and cities. God says that doing things for glory is pointless because all of our works will ultimately be fuel for the fire. Eventually all the creation will be burned up and there will be nothing left when the Lord returns (cf. 2 Peter 3). But anything we try to do in this world will not last. What is left of the great empires of the world? What is left of the power of Greece? Just a few ruins of buildings that you can take a tour to see. What is left of the power of the Roman Empire? Just a few ruins of buildings that you can take a tour to see. We go and see the Colosseum in Rome and think how exciting it is to see it. But the power of the Roman Empire is gone. All of their buildings are monuments to their vain efforts. It is all fuel for the fire. But notice verse 14. Glory is pointless because there is only one glory that will fill the earth. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God’s glory, not ours. When we see glory and we are willing to do anything and hurt others to be elevated in the eyes of others, we are not walking by faith.
Taking For Sexual Purposes (Habakkuk 2.15-17).
The Lord now condemns the greed that is revealed by taking advantages of others for sexual purposes. God condemns getting people to drink so that you can look on their naked bodies. God says that if you expose others, God is going to expose you and will fill you with shame. Look at verse 17. God does not tolerate the exploitation of his creation. He does not tolerate the exploitation of animals. He does not tolerate the exploitation of the land. He does not tolerate the exploitation of people. God cannot stand when we take advantage of others in the various ways humans try to put themselves overtop of others.
Don’t Believe the Lie (Habakkuk 2:18-19)
The Lord now sums up the problem in verses 18-19. The problem is ultimately idolatry. Idols are lies that are telling you that you have control. Idols lie and tell you that you will not be held accountable for your actions. Idols teach you that you are right and everyone else is wrong. I recently heard a preacher state from the pulpit that he has never had an idolatry problem. I think I almost fell out of the pew because he has a failed understanding of idolatry. We like to think that we are so sophisticated that we never rely on something other than God. We would never worship idols. But the whole chapter is picturing that it is all idolatry. You are worshiping the work of your hands. You harm people and take advantage of others so that you can have glory and wealth. You are worshiping you! You are trusting in you. This is the whole point of the second chapter. The arrogant and the spirit of self-reliance worship themselves and do not trust in God or others. Now here is the big point: when you worship you, then exploitation is the outcome. When we choose to do what we want rather than what God says, then you are worshiping you. You are trusting in you. You are not living by your faith. You are living by what you see and understand. Exploitation shows the darkness of our souls. When we lie to get, when we harm to take, or do anything for us that negatively impacts others, we are revealing the darkness within us.
The Lord Is In His Holy Temple (Habakkuk 2:20)
But what about those who have been taken advantage of and harmed? Notice that God’s final word for this book is in Habakkuk 2:20. “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” What does this mean? How is this the final answer for when we do not understand what is happening in our lives or what God is doing? Please think about the power of this visual. God is in his temple. God is on the throne. God is not on vacation. God is not out of the office. God is not asleep in the bedroom. God is in his temple. God is right where we need him to be. This means that God sees and he will act. The Psalms use the same picture and give a fuller explanation of what this means. Look at what the Psalmist says in Psalm 11:4.
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD — his throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his gaze examines everyone. (Psalm 11:4 CSB)
Friends, if you have been hurt by other people and been taken advantage of through their sins against you, God’s final word to you is that he is in his holy temple. He is on his heavenly throne. His eyes watch and he examines everyone. Sometimes we question God and do not understand because we are going through things that are clearly wrong, clearly sinful, and clearly evil. But in those moments God is telling us that he sees and he examines everyone. He knows what has happened. He knows when you have been the victim and have been taken advantage of and have been wronged. God hates those who harm and exploit. Imagine how you feel when someone does something wrong against your child. Then remember that you are God’s child. He sees. He is on throne. Judgment will issue from his throne against all who hurt others.
But there is one more message in what God is teaching in his final word from verse 20. The Lord is in his holy temple. So what else is supposed to happen? God says that all the earth must keep silent before him. What does this mean? First, living by our faith means that we put an end to our complaining. God is in his temple. The complaining and grumbling about life and about people must stop. The apostle Paul gave this warning in 1 Corinthians 10:8-9 where he reminded these Christians about Israel’s time in the wilderness and how they fell because they were grumbling. It is okay to not understand what God is doing. God said that he would act in a way that no one would understand even if he were to explain it. But our lack of understanding does not mean we complain.
Second, living by our faith means an acceptance about what God is doing. If we believe that God is in his holy temple, then what else is there to say? What else do I have to say to God once I have offered my prayers to him? He is on his heavenly throne. God’s answer is to ask us if we trust him. What else do I need to say in response? What will I tell God? You might remember that Job in the midst of his suffering petitioned for forum with God to present his case and make his point to God. When God gave him the chance, do you remember what Job said? Did Job have much to say? Did Job present his case and tell God the way things need to be? When given the chance to speak, here is what Job said:
Then Job answered the LORD and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” (Job 40:3-5 ESV)
There is a time when we stop our words and acknowledge that God is God. Friends, we give into our anxieties and fears when we fail to see God in his holy temple. Would you please hear this answer to your prayers everyday? The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. When you are looking for God’s answers in your life today, please hear this answer. God is on the throne. When you pray tomorrow looking for more answers, let this be one of God’s answers to you. He is in his holy temple. Let God be God and rest in the fact that he is not asleep. He sees and he reigns. What you are going through today is God’s answer today. What you will go through tomorrow is God’s answer for you tomorrow. What you go through next week is God’s answer to you next week. God is in his holy temple. You can sleep tonight knowing this truth.