Habakkuk 2:6-20
 

Let’s recap! We know that Habakkuk is crying out to God wondering why the people of Judah have strayed from Him. God answers Habakkuk that judgement is coming in the form of their worst enemy, the Babylonians! This did happen in 586 BC. God answers Habakkuk that His people will persevere by faith. Hab. 2:4 “…the righteous shall live by faith.” This brings us to the rest of chapter 2. Habakkuk basically asked God, “Why do the unrighteous, the Chaldeans or Babylonians, prosper?” God assures Habakkuk in chapter 2 that the Chaldeans will suffer His wrath through a series of five warnings. These warnings are divided into two parts. The first part of the warnings is: 1) A description of what’s wrong with the Chaldeans. (vv. 6-14) The second part is: 2) A declaration of their coming judgement. (vv. 15-20) At the end of each part God declares the greatness of His glory in verses 14 and 20! What we learn here is that although the wicked seem to prosper, judgement awaits them too! Only those in Christ will be saved. We see this throughout the meta-narrative in scripture don’t we? Noah, only those who lived by faith were saved! Moses, they escaped slavery. Joshua, they came into the “Promised Land!” Today the same is true, all who see and live for “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” through Jesus Christ will be saved! The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written in 1646. It ask a series of questions for the Christian to reflect upon. The first question is: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. God tells Habakkuk that this will be done!

 

The Warning to the Wrong (Habakkuk 2:6-13)
 
There are five warnings total, but two are mentioned as impending judgement as a result of the Babylonians’ actions. We’ll see that in verses 15-19.
 
a. They were greedy (vv.68)
b. They put their trust in earthly treasure (vv. 9-11)
c. They were violent and unjust. (vv.12-13)
 
The Worship of the One Who is Worthy (Habakkuk 2:14)
 
Although there is a lot wrong with the world today, God is still worthy of all praise! In fact He will receive it! I love what Paul tells the Philippians in 2:10-11, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” So all will worship Christ, some with rejoice-fullness and some with regret that they didn’t.  In the darkest of times even the smallest light shines the brightest. In a godless society, how will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord? God will cause this to happen! There is and will be a thirst among the nations to proclaim God’s glory! It’s stated in Psalms 67:4 and again in Psalm 96:10. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.” Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
 
How will God accomplish this? Through His people. We’ve seen it before in Acts. In chapter 2 the Holy Spirit gave them power to proclaim God’s glory and in chapter 7 persecution caused them to disperse, to leave their comfort zone and be witnesses for Christ. How do you cause the people of God to proclaim the glory of God today? God makes it emphatically known that we must be outside the walls of a building! The good news of the gospel is a “go tell message,” but we’ve made it into an act of “come here maintenance.” May the Great Commandant and the Great Commission thrust us into filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord!
 
The Warning of the Coming Wrath (Habakkuk 2:15-19)
 
This is a continuation of the promised wrath of God upon the Chaldeans.
 
a. Their coming wrath is because of their irresponsibility. (vv.15-17) They wasted their life on getting drunk, fornication, and other shameful acts.
b. Their coming wrath is because of their practice of idolatry. (vv.18-19)
 
The Wisdom for Worship (Habakkuk 2:20)
 
God is comparing the false worship of idols in verses 18 and 19. Their idols are man-made, lifeless, and their idolatry leads to the way of death. The wisdom of worshiping God on the other hand is the way to life and His reverence is commanded. He is worthy of it, for He is the giver of life!
 
Silence before the Lord is a sign of showing God’s His worth through reverence. Zephaniah 1:7 says: “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.”
 
Application:
 
  1. All people will be judged, only those in Christ will be saved!
  2. God will make a way for His glory to be proclaimed to all the earth. The people of God have a great privilege to be a part of this glorious endeavor.
  3. God is ultimately worthy of all our worship.