Woe to the Wicked
He is a proud man,
And he does not stay at home.
Because he aenlarges his desire as hell,
And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,
He gathers to himself all nations
And heaps up for himself all peoples.
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with1 many pledges’?
Will they not awaken who oppress you?
And you will become their booty.
All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,
Because of men’s1 blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.
That he may aset his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the1 power of disaster!
That the peoples labor1 to feed the fire,
And nations weary themselves in vain?
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
1Pressing him to your abottle,
Even to make him drunk,
That you may look on1 his nakedness!
You also—drink!
And1 be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you,
And utter shame will be on your glory.
And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid,
Because of men’s blood
And the violence of the land and the city,
And of all who dwell in it.
The molded image, a teacher of lies,
That the maker of its mold should trust in it,
To make mute idols?
To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet in it there is no breath at all.
| << Habakkuk 2:5 | Habakkuk 2:7 >> |
What Does Habakkuk 2:6 Mean?
Habakkuk 2:5-8
First Woe: Dishonest gain by oppression. This breaks the eighth commandment particularly; the Chaldeans were stealing. They were oppressing people and plundering what was theirs as they advanced through the conquered nations. Notice that verse 5 begins with the cause of this sin: drunkenness (a figure of both addiction and muddled thinking) and pride, resulting in covetousness.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Habakkuk
Habakkuk 2:5-20
This section is part of God's answer to the prophet's second question, and it is primarily directed at the particular circumstances of Habakkuk's day regarding the Chaldeans. Obviously, we can derive symbolic spiritual meaning regarding ourselves and modern-day Babylonians. The passage, verses 5 through 20, is a series of five woes that God pronounces on the Chaldeans for their particular sins. The five woes are five particular infractions of the commandments that God promises to punish them for, and in the end, this consoles Habakkuk. Knowing that the Chaldeans would not get away with their depradations of Judah, he is reassured that this was indeed the God he knew and understood. The Chaldeans would get what was coming to them.
These five woes succinctly describe modern society, which in the church we call Babylon. God chooses to describe these particular sins of Babylon, and their primary theme is gain, filthy lucre. It is no coincidence that our modern society is founded on the same shaky foundation. Everybody wants to get his "due" however he can. He will get it by oppressing others, by plotting and coveting, by promoting violence, by promoting debauchery and getting other people in trouble and shaming them, and so forth. Their idol, of course, is gain.
This passage, then, has present-day implications. Just like Habakkuk, we can be comforted that, though the wicked seem to have the upper hand now, God is not blind to what they are doing. He has seen their wickedness, and they will have to give a full account for their evil deeds.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Habakkuk
| << Habakkuk 2:5 | Habakkuk 2:7 >> |
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