Habakkuk 2:6–20 - Justice and Deliverance Has Come

Are you ever discouraged at the things people seem to “get away with” each day? Some months ago, I was working here in the office and a police detective stopped by. He said there was a burglary at a business down the street, and he thought that the thieves may have parked their getaway car in our parking lot. So he asked if he could see our camera footage. We previously had months and months of otherwise useless footage, but I had to tell the officer that, unfortunately, our camera batteries had recently died! The crooks got away with their crime.

Of course, that goes on a lot. I’m sure criminals like it. But it frustrates law-abiding citizens, doesn’t it? We want to see justice served. Scripture teaches that justice will be served by God – finally and completely – but sometimes it appears that justice isn’t served at all. Many victims don’t get justice for the wrong they endure. That may include you. Perhaps someone has “gotten away with” something at your expense.

We naturally struggle to trust that every wrong will be made right, that every trespass will be accounted for, and that no injustice will be ignored. But in His Word, God assures us that justice is certain.

Now we learned last week that it may seem slow, but God’s justice will be right on time. In today's passage, we learn that His justice will also be right on target. It will be absolutely sufficient and completely fitting. Wherever punishment is due, it will be delivered, and it will fit the crime.

Christmas is a reminder of this. Have you ever thought of Christmas in that way? If not, you should. As you imagine Christ the Lord lying in the manger, you should understand that His birth was a pronouncement of joy and judgment. The birth of Jesus is evidence that every sin will be paid for down to the last penny. No one’s debt to God will be waived.

How does this relate to Habakkuk ch. 2? Well, Habakkuk’s words here in chapter 2 address his immediate circumstances, but as is often the case in the OT, they foreshadow or point to greater biblical realities. Notice the outline for you on page 6. In verses 6-20, the realities foreshadowed are that Jesus Christ is the incarnate fulfillment of divine justice and the incarnate arrival of divine deliverance.

And so it’s only as we look to Christ – knowing, understanding and worshiping Him – that we can rest in the assurance that total justice will be served. These verses help us know, understand, and worship Him.

Now, this section of Habukkuk is often referred to as “the five woes.” The English word “woe” means “distress” or “trouble.” There’s another Hebrew word which is normally translated as “woe,” but that isn’t the word used here. The word used here is perhaps most literally translated “Ah!” or “Ha!” It’s exclamatory. The sense is that Babylon will not “get away with” anything. They may believe like they are, but really, they aren’t.

Scholars agree that Habakkuk’s tone here is a taunting tone. Some call this a “taunt song.” The Chaldeans are being mocked. What came to my mind is what we typically call “talking trash.” There’s a sinful, immature, ego-driven component to competitive trash-talking. That’s not what’s going on here at all. This is not sinful. It’s God-glorifying.

You could think of it like this: Habakkuk is not trash talking before or during the game; he’s taunting after the outcome has already been settled.

But wasn’t this written before the Chaldeans conquered Judah? Yes, but even before their victory, their defeat was already sure. Even before their awful crimes, their downfall was certain. History proves this to be true. The Babylonians conquered Judah in 586 B.C., but then they fell to the Medes and Persians in 539, not even 50 years later.

You may have noticed as I read this aloud earlier that Habakkuk says that the things the Babylonians do to others will be done back to them. That’s the common theme in verses 6-17. Palmer Robertson calls it “reciprocal justice.” For example, see verse 6, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—for how long?—and loads himself with pledges!” This refers to heavy debts the Babylonians demanded from their captives. Verse [7] “Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble?” Then you will be spoil for them.” The Babylonians took money and possessions from the people they conquered. But one day, it would be the Babylonians' turn to pay.

And notice verse [8], “Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you.” It’s reciprocal justice – punishment to match the crime. Verse [9] “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!” Ancient kings always wanted to establish a dynasty. They wanted their name and fame to live on even after their death. The way to do this was to establish their “house.” In other words, their lineage. They wanted to keep the power in their family line.

This was – and still is – often done through sinful means. Kings would harm others to preserve their own life and their name. But notice verse [10] “You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life.” Through their evil deeds, though they seemed to be succeeding, they were actually failing.

You may remember back in 2011 when the actor Charlie Sheen gave a TV interview in which he famously and humorously proclaimed that he was always “winning.” Charlie exuded confidence. He claimed he had “tiger blood.” But he was deep in debauchery, immorality, and addiction. His public behavior was erratic. His mental state was broken. But he said he was perfectly fine – better than most people in fact – and no one could tell him different.

Just this year, though, he gave another interview, and when he was shown the footage of that 2011 broadcast, he regretted it, even saying, “I don’t know who that is.” He thought he was “winning” when, in reality, he was “losing.”

This was the case for the Babylonians. If they didn’t repent and turn to Yahweh after their evil deeds, they would be destroyed just as they had destroyed others. Habakkuk continues, look at [12] “Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!” Towns and cities were built in homage to a king’s great power. It was a demonstration of wealth and influence to establish a city. And it was prestigious to name one.

The Babylonians built their cities through sin and bloodshed. But their self-centered work would be in vain. Look at verse [13] “Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?” What does this mean? Habakkuk is saying that because of the reciprocal justice of Yahweh, their hard work would burn up and turn to nothing.

Have you ever worked hard to accomplish something, then someone comes along and quickly undoes all you did? It can be maddening. That’s the fate of anything built or done apart from the will of the one true God. It will not last. It doesn’t matter how good it looks at the moment. It may provide pleasure now, but it will produce pain later on.

All the Babylonian labor was an effort to perpetuate their own fame and glory – so that people would know about them and revere them. That may happen for a little while, but not long. See verse [14] “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” This is Yahweh’s world. In the end, people will know and revere Him, not Babylon.

And look at 15-17. [15] “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!  The Babylonians treated their captives in a sadistic manner. Robertson says, “The Babylonian king is not satisfied with making himself drunk; he can rest contentedly only when he has forced his degradation on others.” Both drunkenness and sexual perversion are in view here.

The Babylonians were godless, and they spread their godlessness far and wide. But see verse [16] “You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.” Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!” This cup of Yahweh is His wrath toward sins. This is His divine retribution. “Uncircumcision” is a nod to the Babylonians' separation from the one true God. They don’t know Him, and it shows.

Does your life demonstrate that you know and follow Christ? Do your words and actions glorify the one true God or yourself?

Now, the final verse in this section refers to Lebanon. Lebanon was a rich land, famous for its beautiful cedar trees. Robertson compares these to the majestic California redwoods. The Babylonians were happy to destroy the beauty of any land they conquered, and they would even kill not only people but defenseless animals as well. Look at verse [17], “The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.” This is reminiscent of the end of the book of Jonah. At the end of the book, God expressed compassion for the Ninevites and their cattle. The Babylonians showed compassion for no one.

Now, as I said earlier, these events are typological in redemptive history. They point to greater realities. Greater justice was yet to come. Here’s why this is significant for us today. It could be argued that what was later done to the wicked Babylonians would not be sufficient for all they had done to others. You may feel this way about some injustice done to you.

If you’ve lost something or endured something severe, what would it take for you to feel that reciprocal justice was truly served? What would it take for you to believe that your offender paid sufficiently for their sins? Even if you could design their suffering in this life, it won’t give you back what you lost.

This is why revenge is useless. Revenge feels like “winning,” but it’s really “losing.” The only way to feel whole is to recognize and revere Jesus Christ as the incarnate fulfillment of divine justice.

You have to put all your hope in Him to serve absolute justice. When we think of Christmas, we usually think only of the result for God’s people: peace with God, joy, hope. But there was also a result for God’s enemies: His wrath for their sins. Christmas is consolation for the redeemed, but it’s a warning for the wicked.

God the Son came to earth in human form, born as a baby, and grew to be a man to impute perfect divine righteousness to those who trust in Him and to deliver perfect divine justice to those who reject Him.

How did Jesus fulfill divine justice, and why was his incarnation necessary? The answer is rooted in the OT book of Genesis. In Genesis 15, God bound Himself to His covenant with Abraham through a death oath. God pledged to bear the curse for covenant breaking. He bound Himself to pay the price for the sins of His covenant people.

So, divine justice wouldn’t be ignored – it would be satisfied. That satisfaction came through the incarnation, humiliation, and exaltation of Christ, because God Himself had sworn to pay the debt, and because only as a true man could He bear the judgment that justice required. It was at the cross that Christ fulfilled the covenant oath made by God long before. Therefore, God dealt justly with the sins of His people. Christ paid for them.

However, for God’s eternal enemies – those who don’t trust in Christ – their sins are not paid for. They must pay for their sins themselves. Jesus justly acquits those who trust Him, and justly condemns those who reject Him.

Now look at these final verses. The focus of the fifth and final “woe” is a bit different. This really gets to the heart of all the previous sins described. Verse [18] “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! The Babylonians believed that if they pleased their gods, they would be successful. And when they succeeded, they would say, “See, we told you so!”

But their success was simply the fulfillment of the plan of the one and only true God. Their downfall would be as well. Their idols were never actually helping them, even when they thought they were. That’s part of the deception of idolatry. We think it’s working for us. We think we're “winning” but really we’re losing. See verse [19], “Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.”

The same is true of anything we would trust in other than the one true God. The same is true for all the ways we hope in that are contrary to His ways. The same is true of every single path that is not the Lord’s path for us. And the same is true of every vain source of righteousness that is not Christ alone.

All other gods are powerless. We may foolishly bow our hearts to our false god, but they won’t help us in the end. However, there is one God who is able to help. Notice where Habakkuk says this God resides, verse [20], “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” False gods are mute. The one true God speaks.

Hebrews 1 says, [1] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

The Babylonians trusted in false gods who would appear to be trustworthy – but not for long. False gods would not deliver them the destruction they deserved. But Christ can deliver. He can save. God came to earth to save His people from sin and death. He is the incarnate arrival of divine deliverance.

Of course, like His fulfillment of divine justice, this deliverance occurred in a completely opposite manner from what humankind would anticipate. That small child who brought justice and deliverance was not born into a powerful family, and he wasn’t raised to be a great military leader.He didn’t gather riches and resources during his earthly campaign. But He accomplished the justice we long for and the deliverance we need.

His name is Jesus Christ. He is both fully God and fully man. Have you trusted in Him to give you peace with God today? Do you rely on Him to make you right with God, sinful as you are? Do you believe that He is sufficient for you to be forgiven? Are you confident in Him to provide that grace of God which is enough for you?

Believe in Him, turn from your sins and follow Him. Don’t let the reciprocal justice you deserve fall on you; let it fall on Christ. As we go to His table now, we’re reminded again of what He did for us.

Let’s bow in prayer.