Persuading Others to Sin
April 1, 2020
Commentary
Two more woes are pronounced on the Babylonians:
– This fourth woe is pronounced upon them because of their treatment of their neighbors. “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink.” (vv. 15-17).
– This fifth woe is pronounced upon the Chaldeans because of their idolatry. “Woe unto him that saith to the wood, awake; to the dumb stone, arise.” (vv. 18-20).
The thoughts portrayed in this passage are that the Babylonians are going forth to conquer and entice other nations to join them in their sinful activities. Not only did they take advantage of the ones they conquered, but also of those they could persuade to join in an alliance with them.
Such deceit on the part of the Babylonians caused them to be held in contempt by all. Those who gloated over the shame of their drunken victims would someday be filled with shame. The Babylonians had caused others to drink and be shamefully exposed (v. 15); later the tables would be turned, and they would be drunk and naked (v. 16). One big shame was the violence done to Lebanon as they cut down the forests and killed their wild animals (v. 17).
The final woe emphasizes the utter futility of idol worship. It is futile because it is a product of man’s own hands (v. 18). Man makes it and man worships it, but the idol is dumb. It cannot hear or speak as it is lifeless (v. 19).
Application
Idolatry is not just bowing down to idols; it is trusting in one’s own power. If I say I worship God but put my trust in my bank accounts or my home, I am really an idolater.
Habakkuk 2:15– 20 (NET)
15 “Woe to you who force your neighbor to drink wine — you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger so you can look at their naked bodies.
16 But you will become drunk with shame, not majesty. Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand is coming to you, and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. You have shed human blood and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
18 What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things?
19 Woe to the one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’— he who says to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it.
20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”
Illustration: Statue Which Couldn’t Look After It’s Own Temple
Hideyoshi, a Japanese warlord who ruled over Japan in the late 1500s, commissioned a colossal statue of Buddha for a shrine in Kyoto. It took 50,000 men five years to build, but the work had scarcely been completed when the earthquake of 1596 brought the roof of the shrine crashing down and wrecked the statue. In a rage Hideyoshi shot an arrow at the fallen statue. “I put you here at great expense,” he shouted, “and you can’t even look after your own temple.” (Today in the Word, MBI, August 1991, p. 23).