Habacuque 2
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Habacuque 2
Constable - The stones and woodwork taken from other nations to build the Babylonians’ fortresses and palaces would serve as visual witnesses to the sinful invasions that brought them to Babylon. They would testify to the guilt of the Babylonians in the day that Yahweh would bring Babylon to judgment. Ostentatious buildings and cities make statements about their builders (Expository Notes) NET Note - The house mentioned in Hab 2:9–10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this "house" (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others. Rafter (03714)(kapiys) refers to a wooden beam or support in a royal building. Some commentators feel that Habakkuk was speaking not just to the wickedness of Babylon but also to the evil of Judah (Hab 1:2-4-note). In that regard it is interesting to note that the houses in Palestine were constructed of stone and wood (cp rafters). In Babylon brick replaced stone as the primary element of construction, although clearly Babylon is in view also in this context. Jeremiah issued a similar warning specifically to King Jehoiakim… Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice, who uses his neighbor's services without pay and does not give him his wages (Jehoiakim used forced labor), who says, 'I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, and cut out its windows, paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.' (Jer 22:13-14) Ryrie comments (Read Jer 22:13-19): Jeremiah predicted that the normal form of lament would not be used when Jehoiakim died and that he would not be buried, but simply dragged out of the city and dumped on the garbage heap (the absence of "and was buried" in 2 Kings 24:6 is significant!).
Habacuque 2
Constable - The Babylonians could expect distress because they had built their cities at the expense of the lives of their enemies. We speak of “blood money” as money obtained by making others suffer, even shedding their blood. Babylon was built with “blood money” and the blood, sweat, and tears of enslaved people. It was a town founded on injustice; without injustice it could not have become what it had become. (Expository Notes) Gaebelein writes that the next verses (Hab 2:12-14) are "of special interest, for they give us a picture of a godless civilization and its appointed end (Ed: In other words yes, it pictures the Babylonians demise, but their demise foreshadows the demise of all ungodliness at the Second Coming of Christ, Whose glory will fill the whole earth!). (Babylon's) cruel oppression, their ungodly gains, had built up a magnificent city. Excavations have shown what a marvelous civilization was in force when Babylon was mistress of the world. But the foundations of it all were iniquity and the blood of victims. Is it any better today? We have seen the top-notch of a boasted civilization, steeped in iniquity and defiance of God, suddenly collapsing and producing a war of horrors and cruelty which makes the conquests and atrocities of the Chaldeans pale into insignificance. Judah's King Jehoiakim (see comment on Hab 2:11) was subject to this woe for he had squandered state funds and used forced labor to build a new palace for himself. The prophet Micah accused Judah of this same sin… Who (see Mic 3:9) build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent injustice. (Mic 3:10) Habakkuk 2:13 "Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts that peoples toil for fire, and nations grow weary for nothing?: Is it not: Ge 11:6-9 2Sa 15:31 Job 5:13,14 Ps 39:6 127:1,2 Pr 21:30 Isa 41:5-8 50:11 55:2 Jer 51:58,64 Mal 1:4 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The NLT helps understand the sense of this passage… Has not the LORD Almighty (follows the Lxx kurios pantokrator = "Lord Almighty") promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! Is it not indeed… ? - This is a negative rhetorical question which (with the interrogative) conveys the sense of a strong positive declaration. This passage emphasizes the futility of “getting and spending” without depending on the Lord. Solomon's psalm Ps 127:1 illustrates the principle of the ultimate vanity in all labor that does not co-labor with the LORD (See Ge 11:4, 7 for illustration of this principle fulfilled in the history of a people group at the Tower of Babel, the predecessor of the nation of Babylon)… Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. (Ps 127:1-note) Gaebelein comments"how true it is today (that) "The peoples labor for the fire, the nations weary themselves for vanity." The day is approaching when this civilization will be swept away, and before the better things come, the kingdom is established and He reigns whose right it is, there will be the fires of judgment. And after that it will be true, as it cannot be true before, "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." It is surprising that the NAS does not translate the Hebrew particle of interjection (hinneh is present in the original Hebrew text) which means "Behold", pay close attention to what follows. Jeremiah 51:58 records a similar prophecy… Thus says the LORD of hosts, "The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed, And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire." LORD of hosts - This is the name Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts (of armies). This is the only other use of a specific Name of God by Habakkuk other than Hab 1:12. Peoples toil for fire - In other words the "glory" of the Babylonian cities built by bloodshed were only fuel for the fire and like fuel would vanish in a moment, whereas the glory of the LORD would endure forever. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was Babylon's famous Hanging Gardens, but where are those gardens today? And if there are any remains of the great architectural feats of the City of Babylon, they are but a few residual pieces or small models in museums! Barker reminds us that… All work not serving God’s purposes is futile work good only for the flames of history forgotten. God causes plans and peoples who are opposed to Him to fail. (Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers) GOD STILL RULES - As the year 1999 came to a close, great leaders of the century were remembered, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt. During World War II, they led Great Britain and the United States to defeat Nazism and Fascism. Did you know that both men nearly lost their lives before the war began? In December 1931, Churchill was struck by a car as he crossed Fifth Avenue in New York City. In Miami in December 1933, an assassin’s bullet barely missed Roosevelt and killed the man standing beside him. Both leaders could have died, but they survived. Why? I believe God wanted these two men alive to lead their respective nations to victory over the enemy. The Bible teaches that God causes nations and their leaders to rise and fall (Daniel 2:21; 4:32-35; 5:21). When Habakkuk complained that it didn’t seem right for God to use wicked Babylon to discipline Israel, the Lord assured the prophet that this did not mean evil would triumph. God was still in control and would one day bring about perfect justice (Habakkuk 2:13-14). We too can be sure that our times are in God’s hands. No matter what may happen in this world, God still rules!— by David C. Egner This is my Father's world— Oh, let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. —Babcock God's sovereignty overrules any calamity. Habakkuk 2:14 "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.: The earth: Ps 22:27, Ps 67:1,2 Ps 72:19 Ps 86:9 Ps 98:1-3 Isa 6:3 Isa 11:9 Zec 14:8,9 Rev 11:15 Rev 15:4 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE COMING GLORY OF THE LORD Then the GLORY of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 40:5) A nd then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great GLORY . (Mt 24:30) "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His GLORY ." (Isaiah 6:3) WORSHIP THE GLORIOUS ONE… SING IT OUT… O Glorious Day For - This is a term of explanation, which always begs the question "What is God explaining?" Hab 2:12-13 says that those who build a city with bloodshed and violence engage in an empty, futile effort, because that temporal "glory" would be eclipsed, indeed replaced, by the greater glory of the LORD. God explains to His perplexed prophet Habakkuk (and to all His children who have suffered injustice over the ages) that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD! The antithesis of bloodshed and violence used to build a city (Hab 2:12) is the the justice and glory of the LORD filling the earth! What a striking contrast between the self-glorification of the Babylonians and the abiding glory of God! Play the song - Barker explains the "for" this way… Shame on those who build a city with bloodshed! (Hab 2:12) Their labor will come to nothing (Hab 2:13), but God is at work doing a great thing: spreading the knowledge of Himself. “The Lord declares that all punishment results as part of His plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of Himself… Because God is righteous and sovereign, no sin can go unpunished lest God’s glory be diminished and [His] name sink in esteem.” (Ibid) This great prophecy of the coming glory of the Glorious One is given five times in the OT! Clearly God desires that His Name be exalted above all names. See Nu 14:21 Ps 72:19 Isa 6:3-note Isa 11:9-note Hab 2:14. A C Gaebelein writes that… The day is approaching when this civilization will be swept away, and before the better things come, the kingdom is established and He reigns whose right it is, there will be the fires of judgment. And after that it will be true, as it cannot be true before, "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Although some writers spiritualize this prophecy, one could hardly say that the earth in Habakkuk’s day was filled with much glory, nor is it today. This prophecy clearly awaits a future fulfillment at the Second Coming when the King of glory (Ps 24:7-10) returns to take His rightful Throne in Jerusalem. Jehovah was buoying up His prophet's faith, emphasizing that the glory of God would one day fill this world now filled with evil, violence and corruption. We can begin to comprehend how Habakkuk was being transformed in his heart and mind, from an attitude of worry to one of worship! The righteous Habakkuk was living by faith, trusting in God's promises to right all wrongs. Dear reader, struggling with "How long God?", "Why God?", may the Spirit of Truth bring about the same supernatural transformation in your heart and mind as you meditate on and receive this truth implanted which is able to deliver your soul from doubt and worry, from sighing or sobbing to singing and shouting that His glory will one day fill this entire earth! You can stake your life on this truth! The earth - This earth belongs to God as David declared… The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. (Ps 24:1-note) When will this prophecy be fulfilled? Following the fall of "Babylon" (Rev 17-18) the Messiah will return "with power and great glory" [Mt 24:30 Mt 16:27) and every eye will see Him (Rev1:7) and the Land of Israel will be restored to the Jews at the beginning of the 1000 year reign in fulfillment of God's covenant promises to Abraham (Ge 17:8). And so amid all the woes, the prophet catches a glimpse of the glorious Messianic Kingdom in which the tide of evil will be stemmed and the knowledge of the Lord shall flourish (Isa 11:9-11). Henry
Habacuque 2
Constable - God would judge Babylon because the Babylonians had deceived their neighbor nations with the result that they were able to take advantage of them. The Babylonians had behaved like a man who gets a woman drunk so she will lose her self-control and he can then undress her. That the Babylonians took advantage of their victims sexually is implied in the illustration as is their love for wine. (Expository Notes) Habakkuk 2:16 "You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor. Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness. The cup in the LORD'S right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will come upon your glory.: Filled: Pr 3:35 Isa 47:3 Ho 4:7 Php 3:19 Drink: Ps 75:8 Isa 49:26 51:21-23 Jer 25:26,27 51:57 Rev 18:6 Expose: Isa 20:4 47:3 Na 3:5 Cup: Jer 25:27-29 Disgrace: Isa 28:7,8 Ho 7:5 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Gaebelein - For this they will have to drink the cup of fury from the hand of the Lord, and shall be covered with vile shame, so that their glory will be blotted out.
Habacuque 2
Constable - As they had made their neighbors drunk, so the Lord would give them a cup of judgment that would make them drunk. Yahweh’s right hand is a figure for His strong personal retribution, giving back in kind what the person being judged had given (cf. Isa. 51:17–23; Jer. 25:15–17; Lam. 4:21; Matt. 20:22; 26:42; 1 Cor. 11:29). Having swallowed the cup’s contents the Babylonians would disgrace themselves rather than honoring and glorifying themselves as they did presently. Their future disgrace contrasts with Yahweh’s future glory (v. 14). They would expose their own nakedness as they had exposed the nakedness of others (v. 15). Nakedness involves vulnerability as well as shame (cf. Gen. 9:21–25). The Lord pictured Babylon as a contemptible, naked drunk who had lost his self-control and the respect of everyone including himself. (Expository Notes) Habakkuk 2:17 "For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, And the devastation of its beasts by which you terrified them, because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, To the town and all its inhabitants.: Violence: Zec 11:1 Because: Hab 2:8 Ps 55:23 137:8 Pr 28:17 Rev 18:20-24 Town: Jer 50:28,33,34 51:24,34-37 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries For - This is term of explanation begs the question "What is God explaining?" Why does utter disgrace come? Reason - the violence done to Lebanaon. Constable - Babylon"s violence (ethical and moral injustice) would come back to cover him because he had rapaciously stripped Lebanon of its vegetation and animals. However bloodshed in Lebanon"s main town and the slaughter of its inhabitants was an even more serious crime. "Lebanon" is probably a synecdoche for Israel, as it is elsewhere (cf. 2 Kings 14:9; Jeremiah 22:6; Jeremiah 22:23), and "the town" most likely refers to Jerusalem. (Expository Notes) Ryrie comments on the violence done to Lebanon - The violence done to Lebanon by several rulers in cutting down its great forests and killing its cattle would be done to Judah (see Isa 14:7-8). Habakkuk 2:18 "What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.: Profit: Isa 37:38 Isa 42:17 Isa 44:9,10 Isa 45:16,20 Isa 46:1,2,6-8 Jer 2:27,28 Jer 10:3-5 Jer 50:2 Ro 6:21) Teacher: Jer 10:8,14,15 Jonah 2:8 Zec 10:2 Ro 1:23-25 2Th 2:9-11 1Ti 4:1,2 Rev 13:11-15 Rev 19:20) Handiwork: Ps 115:4-8 Ps 135:15-18 Isa 1:31 Isa 44:14-20 Speechless idols: 1Co 12:2 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE FIFTH WOE: IDOL WORSHIP! In Hab 2:18-20 the Babylonians are described as idolaters who worship inanimate objects. What profit is the idol - Good question. Isaiah describes the "profit" of idols... Isaiah 41:24 Behold, you (IDOL) are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination. Isaiah 44:9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. Idol (graven image) (06459)(pesel from pasal = to hew, cut as in Ex 34:1) is a noun that refers to something carved (graven) or cast image - normally carved from wood or chiseled from rock, but it can also be poured or cast (Isa40:19; 44:10). Isa40:19 describes the “casting” of an idol that is then plated or overlaid with gold. The first use of pesel is Ex 20:4 (Lev 26:2-note, Dt 5:8)which is God's command "You shall not make for yourself an idol." In the Septuagint (Lxx) the Greek word used for pesel in Ex 20:4 is eidolon (from eídos = that which is seen, what is visible, figure, appearance) is primarily a phantom, form, image, shadow or likeness. Note that other uses of pesel, including the use here in Hab 2:18, are translated with a word found only in the Septuagint (Lxx), the adjective gluptos which means a thing carved or a graven image. In Dt 4:23-note the result of forgetting the Mosaic covenant is that they make a graven image. Dt 4:25-note is a prophecy saying Israel would make idols. In Dt 27:15 God says the man who makes an idol is cursed! The concentration of uses of pesel in Judges 17:1-13-note and Judges 18:1-33-note shows the defiling, abominable effect of forgetting the LORD their God (Judges 3:7-note) as summarized in the tragic statement " In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Jdg 21:25-note). Gaebelein - They worshiped wood and stone. Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image in the plain of Dura (Da 3:1-note) and demanded worship for it… Finally the age ends in idolatry, for the image of the beast of Revelation 13 (see Rev 13:14-note, Rev 13:15-note, see also topic = Image of Beast) is still future, making its appearance at the end of this age, specifically at the mid-point of Daniel's Seventieth Week), which marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation, cp Mt 24:15, 21) (See also Rev 9:20-note, Rev 21:8-note, Rev 22:15-note) Speechless idols - Paul writes to the saints living in the idol filled city of Corinth, many of whom had been idol worshipers… You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb (aphonos from a = without + phone = voice > voiceless) idols, however you were led. (1Co 12:2) Habakkuk 2:19 "Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, 'Awake!' To a mute stone, 'Arise!' And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is no breath at all inside it.: Five woes Hab 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19)(Who says to a piece of wood: 1Ki 18:26-29 Ps 97:7 Isa 44:17 Jer 51:47 Da 3:7,18,29 Da 5:23 Jonah 1:5 It is overlaid: Isa 40:19 46:6 Jer 10:4,9 Da 3:1 Acts 17:29 Rev 17:4 No breath: Ps 135:17 Habakkuk 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Woe #5 – Extreme Idolatry – The Worshipers of Idols Will Be Mocked (Paul Apple) Piece of wood "Awake!" To a mute stone "Arise!" - How much more foolish could one be than to speak to an inanimate object! Such is the incredible power of idolatry to ensnare and deceive! This reminds one of Elijah's mockery of the false gods of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in First Kings… And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” (1Kgs 18:27) Jeremiah also issued a bit of biting sarcasm against God's chosen people who had been ensnared by the deception of idolatry describing them… Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ (Jer 2:27) James Montgomery