The LORD Answers Again
“I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the ramparts. I will watch to see what He will say to me, and how I should answer when corrected. Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it. For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end, and will not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and not delay.
Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright — but the righteous will live by faith — and wealth indeed betrays him; an arrogant man is never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
Woe to the Chaldeans Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their prey.
Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers. Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster! You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life. For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.”
Habakkuk is becoming impatient! Why isn’t God taking care of these horrible people? Has Habakkuk made a mistake; has he not heard God correctly? “Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it. For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end, and will not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and not delay.” No, Habakkuk, you have heard God correctly. But God’s timing and yours are different. Exercise patience, but record this vision so that it may be distributed widely at the appropriate time. Don’t give up! God will still fulfill His promises.
Now God begins calling out wrong-doers. “Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright — but the righteous will live by faith — and wealth indeed betrays him; an arrogant man is never at rest.” “Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their prey.”
When God gave Moses the Law for the Israelites, usury among Israelites was forbidden. Israelites were allowed to charge non-Israelites interest on loans, but not their fellow Israelites. And even if someone issuing a loan took a man’s cloak as surety, the cloak had to be returned to the owner at nightfall so the man could wrap up in it to go to sleep. Israelites were to be compassionate to foreigners, remembering that they had been slaves in Egypt and fugitives for forty years.
Leviticus 19:35-36: “You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 24:6, 10-15:”Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.”…v. 10 – 15 “When you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect security. You are to stand outside while the man to whom you are lending brings the security out to you. If he is a poor man, you must not go to sleep with the security in your possession; be sure to return it to him by sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and this will be credited to you as righteousness before the LORD your God.”
Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”
“Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers. Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster! You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life. For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.” “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!” “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
One of the principles of God’s kingdom is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. Americans say, “What goes around comes around.” The Chaldeans have plundered their way across the Middle East; now the nations that are left will turn and plunder the Chaldeans. “For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.” Although we might think that inanimate objects have no feelings, that is not necessarily true. God’s creation responds in ways we might not anticipate. Evil acts have repercussions.
APPLICATION: I am splitting the chapter into two parts because there is so much to consider. “For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end, and will not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and not delay.” Through the years, countless believers have received comfort and encouragement from these verses. Most of us share Habakkuk’s impatience, wishing God would act rapidly rather than forcing us to wait. God has used these verses to encourage us to wait for HIS timing rather than demanding He follow ours.
“Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright — but the righteous will live by faith — and wealth indeed betrays him; an arrogant man is never at rest.” “The righteous (just) will live by faith” is another major encouragement. As I was writing this study this morning, two different television preachers from different countries used this verse as the foundation for their messages. In a world dominated by the rich, famous, noteworthy, and corrupt, we need reminding that God sees things much differently than we do.
‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their prey.” God does not like cheaters, thieves, and manipulators. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, was fond of saying that “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply. We should view any resources we have as belonging to God; this means we should seek God’s will in allocating those resources. If we are careful to follow God’s leading, God will continue to provide.
For nearly thirty-six years, my husband and I have worked in missions. During those years, we have repeatedly seen God’s hand of provision just when we needed it. The key to receiving is giving – as long as we give out to others as God guides us, God will continue to pour resources into our hands. But we must make sure that nothing sticks to our fingers. John Wesley was fond of saying, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Those tenets continue to challenge us today. May we continue to look to God for His guidance as we strive to share His resources.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust in Your timing and Your provision, even when the vision seems to take too long for its fulfillment. Thank You for helping us to be patient. In the mighty and precious name of King Jesus. Amen.
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