Habakkuk 2:1-11

Woe to those that are greedy and covetous -- Habakkuk 2:1-11: After Habakkuk spoke his second message he said he would stand guard on the watchtower and wait for the Lord's answer. He would stand boldly before God, hear God's response to his complaint then he would answer again. Habakkuk was asking God "Where are you?" God answered by saying "I am here raising up a wicked nation to punish Judah." Habakkuk responded by asking, "How can you do that?" God told Habakkuk that He would use the wicked nation to punish His people but He would judge the Chaldeans also. God's justice will come upon those wicked people as well. God is always fair in His dealings. It is not man's place to question the Sovereign God of the universe!

God wanted what He had to say plainly understood. He told Habakkuk to "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." In other words He said; write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. The vision is this little book that we know as Habakkuk. The prophet's concerned was that God delayed His judgment. God assured Habakkuk that in the end He would set the matter straight. Five times in Habakkuk two, God pronounced a "woe" upon those guilty of transgression. The first two woes had to do with greed and covetousness. "Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his!" (Habakkuk 2:6) "Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house." (Habakkuk 2:9) Those that had made their families rich at the expense of others were doomed. "Woe" is a word of coming calamity. It seemed that these wicked people were winning, but they still had to face their judgment and the consequences of their own sins. If we ask, "Does your God punish evildoers?" Then the answer is a strong "Yes." God pronounced these woes upon the Chaldeans, because of their pride and their self-seeking ambitions.