Bible Mountain Essay on Habakkuk 2:9-11

It is common and somewhat natural for humans to be greedy. We are wired to constantly want more. We also tend to be envious, so when someone else has more possessions than we do, that motivates us to work for more possessions. This desire for wealth can also lead us to pursue wealth using immoral and sometimes illegal methods. 

Habakkuk wrote a woe against those who are greedy for evil gain. He stated that pursuing wealth using sinful methods is actually self-defeating. This is a warning to us to resist the temptation to pursue money at all costs. 

Watch the video to learn more or scroll down to read the transcript.

Transcript:

It is common and somewhat natural for humans to be greedy. We are wired to constantly want more. We also tend to be envious, so when someone else has more possessions than we do, that motivates us to work for more possessions. This desire for wealth can also lead us to pursue wealth using immoral and sometimes illegal methods. 

Habakkuk wrote a woe against those who are greedy for evil gain. He stated that pursuing wealth using sinful methods is actually self-defeating. This is a warning to us to resist the temptation to pursue money at all costs. 

Habukkuk lived during a time when the Israelites were very sinful and idolatrous. Habakkuk was one of many prophets who were sent by Yahweh to speak against the sins of the Israelites.

At the beginning of his book, Habakkuk asked Yahweh why Yahweh was not doing anything about the wickedness and violence of the Israelites. Yahweh told Habakkuk He was doing something. He was raising up the Chaldeans to judge the sin.

Next, Habakkuk asked Yahweh why He was using a nation even more wicked than Israel to judge the sin of Israel. Yahweh reassured Habakkuk that eventually the Chaldeans would also meet justice. The nations which the Chaldeans had taken as spoil would take the Chaldeans as spoil.

Major Break

At this point in his book, Habakkuk inserted a major break. 

In English we use punctuation and space to organize text. Biblical Hebrew did not have punctuation and writing materials were expensive so they put as many words on a page as they could. Instead, they used letters to organize text. They had a letter indicating a major break and another letter to indicate a minor break.

The major break at this point of the text draws our attention to the verses that follow and sets it apart as a statement we need to notice.

Hab. 2:9 ¶ “Woe to him who is greedy for evil gain for his house

To put his nest on high,

To be delivered from the hand of evil!

In verses 2-8 of chapter two, Habakkuk was quoting Yahweh. It appears Yahweh is still the speaker in verse 9. 

In verse 5 Yahweh had said the Chaldeans did not stay home, they enlarged their appetite, and like death they were never satisfied. In verse 6 He revealed they were taking things which didn’t belong to them and were essentially making themselves rich by taking out loans. In verse 8 He accused them of using violence and bloodshed to accomplish their goals.

Now in verse 9 Yahweh pronounced a woe against him who is greedy for evil gain. The Chaldeans were pursuing evil gain. They were using violence to place themselves above other nations.

Hab. 2:10 You have counseled a shameful thing for your house

By cutting off many peoples;

So you are sinning against your own soul.

While it appeared to the nations that the Chaldeans were successful because of their military accomplishments, the reality was that since they were using wickedness to reach their goals, they were actually sinning against themselves. 

Hab. 2:11 Surely the stone will cry out from the wall,

And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

I have often heard the expression, “If the walls could talk”. The idea is we would be shocked if we knew what people say and do behind closed doors. Some couples appear to be happy, but if the walls could tell us what happens between them when they are in the privacy of their own home, we would know they are anything but a happy couple. 

That is essentially the expression Yahweh used in verse 11. Yahweh said even the stones and rafters would cry out regarding the wickedness of the Chaldeans. It may have appeared to the nations that the Chaldeans were good and benign, but Yahweh knew they were wicked and violent. 

Major Break

Habakkuk placed a major break at the end of this section, to set apart these couple verses that are a woe against those who are greedy for evil gain. This tells us this is a message Yahweh wants us to notice.

Humans are naturally greedy. Sometimes greed causes individuals to pursue wealth using immoral or illegal methods. Nations get greedy and use violence to expand their power. 

This passage in Habakkuk tells us we are actually harming ourselves if we pursue wicked gain. If a person breaks the law to gain wealth, he may go to jail. If a nation resorts to violence to gain territory, it may be attacked by a stronger nation, and the leaders who perpetrated the violence may be brought to justice. Ultimately, anyone who resorts to wickedness faces the wrath of Yahweh. Even if a person gets away with sin during their life here on earth, they will not escape justice when they stand before Yahweh at the end of time. Just as the walls, stones, and rafters hear everything, so too Yahweh knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him.

There is nothing wrong with working hard and accumulating money. However, if we become greedy and resort to immoral or illegal methods to gain wealth, then we are actually harming ourselves. Even if everyone around us is pursuing evil gain, we must resist the temptation to pursue wealth at all costs. 

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc.  LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”