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Commentary on Habakkuk 2 verses 15–20
The three foregoing articles, upon which the woes here are grounded, are very near akin to each other. The criminals charged by them are oppressors and extortioners, that raise estates by rapine and injustice; and it is mentioned here again (Hab 2:17), the very same that was said Hab 2:8, for that is the crime upon which the greatest stress is laid; it is because of men's blood, innocent blood, barbarously and unjustly shed, which is a provoking crying thing; it is for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein, which God will certainly reckon for, sooner or later, as the asserter of right and the avenger of wrong.
But here are two articles more, of a different nature, which carry a woe to all those in general to whom they belong, and particularly to the Babylonian monarchs, by whom the people of God were taken and held captives.
I. The promoters of drunkenness stand here impeached and condemned. Belshazzar was one of those; he was so, remarkably that very night that the prophecy of this chapter was fulfilled in the period of his life and kingdom, when he drank wine before a thousand of his lords (Dan 5:1), began the healths, and forced them to pledge him. And perhaps it was one reason why the succeeding monarchs of Persia made it a law of their kingdom that in drinking none should compel, but they should do according to every man's pleasure (as we find, Est 1:8), because they had seen in the kings of Babylon the mischievous consequences of forcing healths and making people drunk. But the woe here stands firm and very fearful against all those, whoever they are, who are guilty of this sin at any time, and in any place, from the stately palace (where that was) to the paltry ale-house. Observe,
1.Who the sinner is that is here articled against; it is he that makes his neighbour drunk, Hab 2:15. To give a neighbour drink who is in want, who is thirsty and poor, though it be but a cup of cold water to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, to give drink to weary traveller, nay, and to give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that are heavy of heart, is a piece of charity which is required of us, and shall be recompensed to us. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. But to give a neighbour drink who has enough already, and more than enough, with design to intoxicate him, that he may expose himself, may talk foolishly, and make himself ridiculous, may disclose his own secret concerns, or be drawn in to agree to a bad bargain for himself - this is abominable wickedness; and those who are guilty of it, who make a practice of it, and take a pride and pleasure in it, are rebels against God in heaven, and his sacred laws, factors for the devil in hell, and his cursed interests, and enemies to men on earth, and their honour and welfare; they are like the son of Nebat, who sinned and made Israel to sin. To entice others to drunkenness, to put the bottle to them, that they may be allured to it by its charms, by looking on the wine when it is red and gives its colour in the cup, or to force them to it, obliging them by the rules of the club (and club-laws indeed they are) to drink so many glasses, and so filled, is to do what we can, and perhaps more than we know of, towards the murder both of soul and body; and those that do so have a great deal to answer for.
2.What the sentence is that is here passed upon him. There is a woe to him (Hab 2:15), and a punishment (Hab 2:16) that shall answer to the sin. (1.) Does he put the cup of drunkenness into the hand of his neighbour? The cup of fury, the cup of trembling, the cup of the Lord's right hand, shall be turned unto him; the power of God shall be armed against him. That cup which had gone round among the nations, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, and a hissing, which had made them stumble and fall, so that they could rise no more, shall at length be put into the hand of the king of Babylon, as was foretold, Jer 25:15, Jer 25:16, Jer 25:18, Jer 25:26, Jer 25:27. Thus the New Testament Babylon, which had made the nations drunk with the cup of her fornications, shall have blood given her to drink, for she is worthy, Rev 18:3, Rev 18:6. (2.) Does he take a pleasure in putting his neighbour to shame? He shall himself be loaded with contempt: "Thou art filled with shame for glory, with shame instead of glory, or art filled now with shame more than ever thou wast with glory; and the glory thou hast been filled with shall but serve to make thy shame the more grievous to thyself, and the more ignominious in the eyes of others. Thou also shalt drink of the cup of trembling, and shalt expose thyself by thy fear and cowardice, which shall be as the uncovering of thy nakedness, to thy shame; and all about thee shall load thee with disgrace, for shameful spewing shall be on thy glory, on that which thou hast most prided thyself in, thy dignity, wealth, and dominion; those whom thou hast made drunk shall themselves spew upon it. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts (Hab 2:17); thou shalt be hunted and run down with as much violence as ever any wild beasts in Lebanon were, shall be spoiled as they are, and thy fall made a sport of; for thou art as one of the beasts that made them afraid, and therefore they triumph when they have got the mastery of thee." Or, "It is because of the violence thou hast done to Lebanon, that is, the land of Israel (Deu 3:25) and the temple (Zac 11:1), that God now reckons with thee; that is the sin that now covers thee."
II. The promoters of idolatry stand here impeached and condemned; and this also was a sin that Babylon was notoriously guilty of; it was the mother of harlots. Belshazzar, in his revels, praised his idols. And for this, here is a woe against them, and in them against all others that do likewise, particularly the New Testament Babylon. Now see here,
1.What they do to promote idolatry; they are mad upon their idols; so the Chaldeans are said to be, Jer 50:38. For, (1.) They have a great variety of idols, their graven images and molten images, that people may take their choice, which they like best. (2.) They are very nice and curious in the framing of them: The maker of the work has performed his part admirably well, the fashioner of his fashion (so it is in the margin), that contrived the model in the most significant manner. (3.) They are at great expense in beautifying and adorning them: They lay them over with gold and silver; because these are things people love and dote upon wherever they meet with them, they dress up their idols in them, the more effectually to court the adoration of the children of this world. (4.) They have great expectations from them: The maker of the work trusts therein as his god, puts a confidence in it, and gives honour to it as his god. The worshippers of God give honour to him, by offering up their prayers to him, and waiting to receive instructions and directions from him; and these honours they give to their idols. [1.] They pray to them: They say to the wood, Awake for our relief, "awake to hear our prayers;" and to the dumb stone, "Arise, and save us," as the church prays to her God, Awake, O Lord! arise, Psa 44:23. They own their image to be a god by praying to it. Deliver me, for thou art my God, Isa 44:17. Deos qui rogat ille facit - That to which a man addresses petitions is to him a god. [2.] They consult them as oracles, and expect to be directed and dictated to by them: They say to the dumb stone, though it cannot speak, yet it shall teach. What the wicked demon, or no less wicked priest, speaks to them from the image, they receive with the utmost veneration, as of divine authority, and are ready to be governed by it. Thus is idolatry planted and propagated under the specious show of religion and devotion.
2.How the extreme folly of this is exposed. God, by Isaiah, when he foretold the deliverance of his people out of Babylon, largely showed the shameful stupidity and sottishness of idolaters, and so he does here by the prophet, on the like occasion. (1.) Their images, when they have made them, are but mere matter, which is the meanest lowest rank of being; and all the expense they are at upon them cannot advance them one step above that. They are wholly void both of sense and reason, lifeless and speechless (the idol is a dumb idol, a dumb stone, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it), so that the most minute animal, that has but breath and motion, is more excellent then they. They have not so much as the spirit of a beast. (2.) It is not in their power to do their worshippers any good (Hab 2:18): What profits the graven image? Though it be mere matter, if it were cast into some other form it might be serviceable to some purpose or other of human life; but, as it is made a god of, it is of no profit at all, nor can do its worshippers the least kindness. Nay, (3.) It is so far from profiting them that it puts a cheat upon them, and keeps them under the power of a strong delusion; they say, It shall teach, but it is a teacher of lies; for it represents God as having a body, as being finite, visible, and dependent, whereas he is a Spirit, infinite, invisible, and independent, and it confirms those that become vain in their imaginations in the false notions they have of God, and makes the idea of God to be a precarious thing, and what every man pleases. If we may say to the works of our hands, You are our gods, we may say so to any of the creatures of our own fancy, though the chimera be ever so extravagant. An image is a doctrine of vanities; it is falsehood, and a work of errors, Jer 10:8, Jer 10:14, Jer 10:15. It is therefore easy to see what the religion of those is, and what they aim at, who recommend those teachers of lies as laymen's books, which they are to study and govern themselves by, when they have locked up from them the book of the scriptures in an unknown tongue.
3.How the people of God triumph in him, and therewith support themselves, when the idolaters thus shame themselves (Hab 2:20): But the Lord is in his holy temple. (1.) Our rock is not as their rock, Deu 32:31. Theirs are dumb idols; ours is Jehovah, a living God, who is what he is, and not, as theirs, what men please to make him. He is in his holy temple in heaven, the residence of his glory, where we have access to him in the way, not which we have invented, but which he himself has instituted. Compare Psa 115:3, But our God is in the heavens, and Psa 11:4. (2.) The multitude of their gods which they set up, and take so much pains to support, cannot thrust out our God; he is, and will be, in his holy temple still, and glorious in holiness. They have laid waste his temple at Jerusalem; but he has a temple above that is out of the reach of their rage and malice, but within the reach of his people's faith and prayers. (3.) Our God will make all the world silent before him, will strike the idolaters as dumb as their idols, convincing them of their folly, and covering them with shame. He will silence the fury of the oppressors, and check their rage against his people. (4.) It is the duty of his people to attend him with silent adorings (Psa 65:1), and patiently to wait for his appearing to save them in his own way and time. Be still, and know that he is God, Zac 2:13.
(Verse 18.) What profit is there in a carved image, because the maker thereof hath carved it, a molten and a false image? because the maker thereof hath trusted in his own workmanship, to make dumb idols. LXX: What profit is there in a carved image, because they have carved it, and fashioned it by the molten workman, a false image? because the artificer thereof hath trusted in his own workmanship, to make dumb idols. Furthermore, it is said in the preceding (or in the preceding matter), concerning Nebuchadnezzar, that he made a statue of the idol Bel, and set it in the field of Dura: or, as it is written in Hebrew, Dora, about which we read more fully in Daniel (Dan. 3). Therefore, the Scripture marvels at the madness and foolishness of the king, because he commanded a golden statue to be made, and the artist places confidence in the image that he created. And indeed, we can apply this, generally speaking, to all idol worshippers. We cannot consider that which is sculpted and that which is cast to be the same thing. For the sculpting, we can understand it to be in stones and marbles; but the casting is understood in those metals which can be melted and cast, for example, gold, silver, bronze, lead, and tin. Let this saying be, that according to tropology we may understand what is the difference between a sculpture and an idol. We read in Deuteronomy: Cursed be he who makes a sculpture and an idol, the work of the craftsman's hands, and sets it up in secret (Deut. XXVII, 15). I believe that sculptures and idols are perverse doctrines which are worshiped by those who made them. See how Arianus sculpted an idol for himself and worshiped what he had sculpted. Cerne Eunomium conflasse imaginem falsam, et conflationi suae curvare cervicem. Signanterque Scriptura: Et ponet, inquit, illud in abscondito. Habent enim et ipsi orgia sua, et quasi pro perfectis quibusque discipulis tradunt abscondita sacramenta, quae si ad lucem processerint, statim quod ficta sunt, arguuntur. Nihil igitur eis proderit sculptura et conflatio sua. Sculptura, quae refertur ad lapides, in his dogmatibus intelligitur, quae stultitiam prima fronte demonstrant. Conflatio is where there appears to be a semblance of secular wisdom, and as if with gold, the image is formed of the disciplines of philosophers and the splendor of eloquence. Therefore, the fabrication will be of no benefit to its maker. And the mute and deaf image will not be able to hear its worshipper. If ever you see someone refusing to believe the truth, and despite the falsity of their own doctrines being exposed, persevering in their chosen pursuit, you can rightly say: They hope in their fabrication and create mute or deaf images. For κωφὰ signifies both among the Greeks: although Symmachus, interpreting as ἄλαλα, seems to have understood muta rather than surda. Nor does that expression of the Scriptures move anyone, of which we have often said: Who, do you think, is the faithful and wise steward (Luke XII, 42)? And in another place: Who is wise and understands these things (Psalm CVI, 43)? because who, or what, is taken for rarely: since we can also understand this very thing from another place as impossible: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ: tribulation, or distress (Romans VIII, 35)? And the rest. And in the present chapter: What does it profit the sculptor, because his own sculpted image? For in both cases, impossibility is demonstrated, that neither can tribulation and distress separate the love of the Apostles from Christ, nor is there any usefulness in idols.
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SUMMARY
Habakkuk 2:18 serves as a potent rhetorical question within the prophet's dialogue with God, exposing the profound futility and deception inherent in idolatry. It contrasts the lifeless, man-made images—whether carved or cast—with the living God, highlighting the absurdity of a creator trusting in the very object he fashioned. The verse underscores that idols are "teachers of lies," offering no true profit, guidance, or salvation, ultimately revealing the misplaced trust and spiritual blindness of those who worship them.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Habakkuk 2:18 is situated within the second chapter of the book, which primarily contains God's response to Habakkuk's lament regarding divine justice and the impending Babylonian invasion. Following God's declaration that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4), the chapter pivots to a series of five "woes" (vv. 6-20) pronounced against Babylon, the instrument of God's judgment that has itself become excessively arrogant and oppressive. These woes condemn various forms of Babylonian injustice, violence, greed, and, crucially, idolatry. Verse 18 specifically targets the spiritual bankruptcy of their polytheistic practices, serving as a climactic indictment of the false trust placed in inanimate objects, setting the stage for the final declaration of God's universal sovereignty in Habakkuk 2:20.
Historical & Cultural Context: The prophecy of Habakkuk is set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late 7th century BCE, a period marked by the decline of Assyrian power and the rapid rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Judah found itself caught between these shifting geopolitical forces, ultimately facing subjugation by Babylon. Idolatry was rampant throughout the ancient Near East, deeply embedded in the religious and political fabric of nations like Babylon. Their pantheon of gods, represented by elaborate cultic images, was believed to grant power, prosperity, and victory in war. The practice involved not only the physical crafting of images from wood, stone, or metal but also elaborate rituals, sacrifices, and the belief that the divine essence could inhabit these man-made forms. Habakkuk's critique directly challenges this pervasive cultural norm, exposing the inherent weakness and deception of such practices in stark contrast to the living God of Israel, who cannot be contained or represented by human hands.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Habakkuk and the broader prophetic tradition. It emphasizes the futility of idolatry, a recurring motif throughout the Old Testament, demonstrating that man-made gods are powerless and profitless, incapable of delivering on their promises. It highlights the profound misplaced trust of those who rely on created things rather than the Creator, echoing the warnings in Isaiah 44:9-20. The description of idols as "teachers of lies" underscores the theme of divine truth versus human deception, asserting that false worship leads to spiritual blindness and moral corruption. Ultimately, the verse serves to magnify the sovereignty and uniqueness of Yahweh, the true God, by contrasting His living, active presence with the lifelessness and impotence of all other so-called gods, reinforcing the call to "live by faith" in Him alone (Habakkuk 2:4).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Habakkuk 2:18 is rich in literary devices that amplify its message. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "What profiteth the graven image...?" This question is not meant to be answered but to provoke deep reflection on the utter futility of idolatry, implying that the answer is "nothing." Irony is heavily employed, particularly in the description of the "maker" trusting in his own "work" and the "molten image" being a "teacher of lies." The irony highlights the absurdity of human beings creating a god and then relying on it. Personification is evident in the phrase "teacher of lies," attributing an active, deceptive role to an inanimate object, emphasizing the destructive influence of false worship. The use of Parallelism between "graven image" and "molten image" reinforces the comprehensive condemnation of all forms of man-made gods. Finally, the concluding phrase "dumb idols" uses Juxtaposition to starkly contrast the lifelessness and impotence of idols with the living, speaking, and acting God, a theme common in prophetic literature.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Habakkuk 2:18 profoundly articulates the biblical condemnation of idolatry, extending beyond mere physical images to any object or pursuit that usurps God's rightful place in the human heart. Theologically, it underscores the uniqueness and transcendence of the true God, who is not made by human hands but is the Creator of all. It exposes the spiritual blindness and moral depravity that result from worshipping created things, highlighting that such worship is not merely misguided but actively deceptive ("teacher of lies"). The verse implicitly calls for exclusive devotion to Yahweh, emphasizing that true "profit" and salvation come only from Him, contrasting the living God's active power with the utter impotence of "dumb idols." This passage serves as a timeless warning against misplaced trust, urging humanity to discern between the fleeting promises of the world and the eternal truth found in God alone.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While the immediate context of Habakkuk 2:18 addresses literal graven and molten images prevalent in ancient Babylon, its underlying principles resonate deeply in contemporary life. Modern idolatry often takes more subtle forms, manifesting as an excessive devotion to wealth, career success, social status, personal comfort, technology, or even self-image. Anything that consumes our primary affection, trust, and pursuit—anything we believe will ultimately provide security, meaning, or fulfillment apart from God—becomes a "dumb idol" and a "teacher of lies." This verse challenges us to honestly examine the idols of our hearts: What do we truly rely on for our sense of worth, security, or joy? What promises do we believe that are ultimately empty? Recognizing these modern idols is the first step toward repentance and reorienting our lives towards the living God. True profit and lasting satisfaction are found only in Him, who is not a silent, powerless image but an active, speaking, and saving God who hears, sees, and responds.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the primary message of Habakkuk 2:18?
Answer: The primary message of Habakkuk 2:18 is a powerful condemnation of idolatry, highlighting its utter futility and deception. It rhetorically asks what benefit comes from worshipping man-made images, emphasizing that they are lifeless, powerless, and ultimately "teachers of lies" that lead people astray. The verse contrasts the absurdity of a creator trusting in his own creation with the reality of the living God. It serves as a warning against misplaced trust and calls for exclusive devotion to the true God, who alone can provide genuine profit and salvation. This message is part of a broader series of "woes" pronounced against the unjust and idolatrous Babylon, reinforcing God's ultimate sovereignty over all nations and false gods, as seen in Habakkuk 2:20.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Habakkuk 2:18, with its scathing indictment of "dumb idols" and "teachers of lies," finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament's relentless critique of idolatry culminates in the New Testament's revelation of God made manifest in human flesh, dismantling all false gods and revealing the one true object of worship. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the one through whom all things were created, making any human-crafted image utterly redundant and blasphemous (Colossians 1:15-17). Unlike the idols that cannot speak or save, Jesus is the living Word of God, who speaks truth, gives life, and offers ultimate salvation (John 1:1-4). The "profit" that idols fail to provide is abundantly found in Christ, who offers eternal life, reconciliation with God, and true purpose (John 3:16). Those who trust in Him are not trusting in a "work" of their own hands but in the divine Son who gave Himself for the world (Philippians 2:5-11). He is the true "teacher" who leads not to lies, but to the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), establishing a kingdom that cannot be shaken by any false god or human construct (Hebrews 12:28). In Christ, the folly of worshipping "dumb idols" is fully exposed, as He alone is worthy of all worship, honor, and glory.