Habakkuk 2:12-The Third Woe Spoken by the God of Israel Against the Babylonians
Habakkuk Chapter Two • Sermon • Submitted • 1:12:21
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Habakkuk 2:12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!” (NIV)
Habakkuk 2:12 “Disaster to the one who builds a city with bloodshed specifically by establishing a city by injustice.” (My translation)
The Lord here in Habakkuk 2:12 continues His response to Habakkuk’s argument against His choice of the Babylonians to discipline the apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah and which argument is recorded in Habakkuk 1:12-17.
This response began in Habakkuk 2:2 and ends in Habakkuk 2:20.
Habakkuk 2:2-20 presents the Lord’s decision to judge the Babylonian empire in the future for their unrepentant sinful behavior.
Specifically, He will judge them because of their evil treatment of those nations they conquered in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world at the end of the seventh century B.C. and at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.
Habakkuk 2:12 presents the third of five woes that appear in Habakkuk 2:2-20.
The first appeared in Habakkuk 2:6.
Habakkuk 2:6 Will not in fact these, each and every one of them take up a taunt against him accompanied by a mocking poem, enigmatic sayings against him? Specifically saying, “Disaster to the one who amasses absolutely nothing belonging to him. How long will this go on? Namely, disaster to the one who for his own benefit is rich by extortion.” (My translation)
The second “woe” appears in Habakkuk 2:9.
Habakkuk 2:9 “Disaster to the one who by violence profits from evil, unjust gain for the benefit of his house in order to set his nest in the highest location in order to protect himself from the hand of evil.” (My translation)
Once again, the third “woe” is expressing by the interjection hôy (Hab. 2:6, 9), which we noted in our studies of Habakkuk 2:6 and 9 indicates dissatisfaction and discomfort and occurs entirely in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament with one exception (1 Kings 13:30).
It can be translated “woe, alas” but in today’s English a better translation would be “disaster” since the word pertains to a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction.
As was the case when the word was used in Habakkuk 2:6 and 9, the word here in Habakkuk 2:12 is expressing the idea of promising that disaster would strike the Babylonians.
The contents of this verse reveal that this disaster will come against the Babylonians because they built their cities with bloodshed and established towns by injustice.
As was the case when the word appeared in Habakkuk 2:6 and 9, the interjection hôy here in Habakkuk 2:12 has eschatological implications meaning it is used to announce a prophecy.
The word expresses God’s dissatisfaction with the Babylonian people expressing the fact that God will surely judge them by bringing disaster to them resulting in their experiencing tremendous adversity and suffering for their unrepentant sinful lives.
So, this interjection is being used by the Lord to emphasize His threat to judge the Babylonians if they do not repent.
This repentance would involve a change attitude toward the God of Israel by trusting in Him and would also involve a change of conduct in that after becoming a part of His covenant people by faith in Him, they would live according to His holy standards which are expressed in His Word.
By using this interjection, the Lord is mourning in advance the downfall of the Babylonians if they choose not to repent since He desires all people to repent and be saved through faith in Him (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9).
This attitude of the Lord to all people is manifested in the Old Testament by His sending the prophet Jonah to the Ninevites who like the Babylonians were cruel and warlike people.
Habakkuk 2:12 contains two statements.
The first solemnly asserts that the Babylonians built a city with bloodshed, which refers to the Babylonians killing people indiscriminately and without justification.
The second explains the first and asserts that the Babylonians established a city by injustice, which describes this bloodshed or this killing of people indiscriminately without justification as morally objectionable behavior in relation to a holy God.
Therefore, when the Lord asserts the Babylonians build a city with bloodshed, He means that they establish a city by injustice or in other words, when He speaks of bloodshed, He is identifying it as unjustified killing of innocent people.
These cities are those belonging to the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world who were conquered by Babylon at the end of the seventh century B.C. and beginning of the sixth century B.C.
So, the Lord in Habakkuk 2:12 is accusing the Babylonians of killing innocent people.
Killing soldiers from another nation in a justified war is not a crime but killing innocent civilians in their conquests was a great crime.
The Lord accused them of killing innocent civilians in their conquests in Habakkuk 2:8.
Habakkuk 2:8 “Because you plundered many nations, each and every one left from among these peoples will plunder you on account of murdering innocent civilian members of the human race. Namely, for committing violent acts against a land, a city, that is, for committing violent acts against each and every one of the inhabitants in them.” (My translation)
Therefore, one of the reasons why the Lord would judge the Babylonians is that they murdered innocent civilians in those nations which they conquered and plundered at the end of the seventh century B.C. and at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.
This murdering of innocent civilians broke the Ten Commandments which were given to Israel on Mount Sinai but are written on the heart of every human being whether regenerate or unregenerate according to Romans 2:14-15.
The Scriptures teach that murder required the death penalty.
Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.” (NASB95)
This commandment also appears in Deuteronomy 5:17.
Paul quotes this verse in Romans 13:9.
The Bible prohibits murder, however, it does not prohibit the killing of the enemy by a soldier in battle or the execution of a murderer through capital punishment.
Genesis 9:5-6 records for us the establishment of the fourth and final divine institution as well as the institution of capital punishment.
Genesis 9:5 “Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” (NASB95)
Numbers 35:30-34, Deuteronomy 17:6-7 and 19:15 teach that capital punishment “cannot” take place unless there are two or more witnesses to the crime and that they all agree in their testimony after being individually interviewed.
Capital punishment is taught in the Old Testament (Ex. 21:12, 15-17; 22:2, 18-20; Num. 35:6-34; Deut. 19:1-13; 24:7) and in the New Testament (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13).
The fact that capital punishment was instituted does “not” mean that there is never to be an exception to the punishment of execution for the crime of murder.
With God, justice may be tempered with mercy, in response to repentance.
For example, David was guilty of the capital crimes of murder and adultery in the case of Uriah and Bathsheba respectively and God forgave David when he confessed his sin and thus David instead of dying by stoning or the sword as he deserved, “died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honor (1 Chron. 29:28).
Also, the woman caught in the act of adultery was guilty by the Mosaic Law of a crime punishable by death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22) and the Lord Jesus seeing her heart of repentance, was moved to forgive her and to see that she was set free (Jn. 8:3-11).
In like manner, a judge or a governor is warranted in taking such mitigating factors as may exist in a given situation into consideration in determining a sentence, legal penalty of capital punishment.
In Romans 2:14, Paul teaches that the Gentiles inherently possess a law that is manifested when they obey the principles that appear in written form of the Mosaic Law.
Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves. (NASB95)
Romans 2:15 teaches that the manifestation of the inherent law of the Gentiles is through the function of the conscience.
Romans 2:15 In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. (NASU)
That the Babylonians knew inherently they were violating God’s laws is supported by the fact that the content of the Ten Commandments in written form given to Israel was not really new since the book of Genesis reveals the fact that before the Law was given to the Jews in written form, these formalized laws were already followed or assumed as a moral standard.
Therefore, the Babylonians knew inherently that they were guilty before God because of their sinful conduct in relation to the citizens of the various nations they conquered at the end of the seventh century B.C. and at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.