How Long, Lord? #2

 

Read Habakkuk 2

Background: We saw yesterday in chapter 1 that Habakkuk lives in the very evil days in the years leading up to Judah's exile.  The idolatry, immorality, and injustice causes Habakkuk to cry out to God: "How long until You do something about this, Lord?" God answered, telling him that He was about to use Babylon, the powerful and evil empire of that day to wipe out and take Judah away. That caused Habakkuk to cry out with another question: "How long until You do something about them? They are even more evil than we are!"  Chapter 2 gives God's answer to that question.  

Key verses: “Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Thoughts: God was going to tell Habakkuk what was going to happen to Babylon, but he wanted to make a few things clear.  First: It was a scary message, and you wouldn't want to be there when it came.  Second, it was not yet time, so they had to be very patient.  Third, Babylon would fall because of pride, and the last thing that God's people needed was to follow in the same path.  No matter what happened, or how long it took, God's people are humbly live by faith in Him and not fall into the same path of pride. That, in fact, is why they were in the predicament they were in.

After that, God does give a detailed description of the fall of Babylon. All the nations they had crushed and taken away into exile would cheer at their falling.  Babylon would pay for their cruelty and plundering. Most of all God would show that their idols were worthless, with no power to save.  By contrast: 20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”