According to the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Habakkuk means (embrace). This book would be the eighth, in order, of the Minor Prophets. Of the facts of the prophet's life, we have no certain information.
Habakkuk lived in the final decades of Judah, Israel’s southern kingdom. It was a time of injustice and idolatry, and he saw the rising threat of the Babylonian empire on the horizon. Unlike the other Hebrew prophets, Habakkuk doesn’t accuse Israel or even speak to the people on Yahweh’s behalf. Instead, all of his words are addressed to Yahweh. The book of Habakkuk tells us about Habakkuk’s personal struggle to believe that Yahweh is good when there is so much tragedy and evil in the world.
Habakkuk sees the darkness of the world as an invitation to have faith in Yahweh’s promise to one day set things right. Living with such faith means trusting that Yahweh loves this world and works to one day eliminate all evil forever.
In this chapter 2 we have an answer expected by the prophet (verse 1), and returned by the Spirit of Yahweh, to the complaints which the prophet made of the violence’s and victories of the Chaldeans in the close of the prior chapter. The answer is,
I. That after Yahweh has served his own purposes by the prevailing power of the Chaldeans, has tried the faith and patience of his people, and distinguished between the hypocrites and the sincere among them, he will consider with the Chaldeans, will humble and bring down, not only that proud monarch Nebuchadnezzar, but that proud monarchy, for their boundless and greedy thirst after dominion and wealth, for which they themselves should at length be made a prey (verses 2-8).
II. That not they only, but all other sinners like them, should perish under a divine woe.
1. Those that are jealous are greedy of wealth and honors (verses 9, 11).
2. Those that are harmful and oppressive, and raise estates by wrongful acts and the violent seizure of someone’s property (verses 12-14).
3. Those that promote drunkenness that they may expose their neighbors to shame (verses 15-17).
4. Those that worship idols (verses 18-20).
We continue with verse 11
11. This is poetic language, describing how even their habitations would cry out because of Yahweh’s judgment and destruction. A rafter from wood will answer it: There is (even) unity between these building materials. At that time, the walls of the houses were built from stone, and roofs were made of wood. Using poetic language, the writer is revealing to us that even the wood and stone cried out a warning to the people. These inanimate objects realized that the sinfulness of the people was going to be ultimately judged by Yahweh. The Babylonians were not smarter than the stone and the wood of their homes. Those who lived in these houses paid no attention to what their future truly held.
12. Yahweh was not only displeased with the greedy man, He also pronounced a woe against the violent man.
This was the foundation of the Babylonian mindset. They built up their cities, their empire, by shedding the blood of others. They incorrectly thought that this activity was going to ultimately make them strong and secure. This was not the case.
13. Note: This verse is a question. The grammar here always implies a negative answer.
14. Note: This verse is a verse of contrast. The other verses have dealt with the Babylonians. In this verse we see that Yahweh shows a contrast between the Babylonians and their idols and Himself – the only true Yahweh, the Yahweh of Israel.
Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!
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