“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory! The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.” (Habakkuk 2:15-17)
The Apostle Paul once said, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). His point was that those with whom we spend time influence both our behavior and our moral convictions underlying that behavior. A similar sentiment was affirmed by George Washington, who is credited with saying, “It is better to be alone than in bad company.” Not only do we have the infallible witness of Scripture and the historical affirmation of the same, but our own experience confirms that one’s friends significantly impact one’s life.
While others can certainly be a positive influence—as those in a Christian context should be as we are commanded to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)—they can also have a negative impact. Such was the case with Solomon. When he was old, “his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Those like Solomon’s wives, who lead others away from the truth and into sin, are guilty of their own sin and of multiplying the sin of others.
In the fourth woe of Habakkuk 2, the Lord pronounces judgment on Babylon for just such wrongdoing. He says, “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink.” Commentators disagree on what exactly is in view with this reference to “drink.” Some take the more obvious and literal approach in saying that Babylon, and specifically its leaders, were guilty of participating in and promoting physical drunkenness. As Matthew Henry notes, “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).” This interpretation is certainly legitimate, and Babylon was often characterized by excessive consumption of food and wine, resulting in gluttony and drunkenness. Belshazzar, and those like him, were not content only to fill themselves with such pleasures but they also convinced others to join them in carousing.
Other commentators, such as John Calvin, see this “drink” in a more allegorical sense referring to the wrathful greed by which Babylon consumed lands and nations. In this sense, the statement “you pour out your wrath and make them drunk” would refer to Babylon’s allies who joined them in the ransacking of other nations. Together, these global superpowers became drunk with power and possessions, to which there was no apparent end. This interpretation would also seem to fit well with the subsequent statement, “The cup in the LORD’S right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!” This “cup” in Scripture often refers to the pouring out of wrath, perhaps most notably when Christ prayed in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). The “cup” with which Babylon was drunk would be the very cup of God’s wrath which would be poured out on it. Though both interpretations are legitimate, the latter seems to better grasp the overall thrust of the text at hand.
In either case, the indictment is clear: Babylon is causing others to participate in sin, for which it will be judged. At the end of the verse, we see the same three grounds for judgment as stated earlier in the chapter: “for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.” The lust for pleasure and power, both of which can fit within the interpretation of the drunkenness with which Babylon is charged, cause it to disregard the life and land created by God. The kings of the earth may never stand before an earthly jury, but this passage assures us that all stand before a heavenly judge.
We are commanded to “love our neighbor,” and the example of Babylon is a stark warning to those who cause their neighbors to sin. The Lord is neither ignorant of nor indifferent to such behavior. The passionate and fleshly desires that dominated the Babylonian conquest are all too close to the heart of each of us. We too may quickly find ourselves running after the pleasures of the world and leading others to do the same if we are not kept by the Lord and abide in Christ.
As Paul instructed the Galatians, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Those with whom we associate can have a profound effect on our lives. Enable us to be those who influence others to a godly end rather than causing our neighbors to sin.
For Christ’s sake, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for the ongoing work and fundraising efforts for the Goroka Project.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries serving in the medical ministry of Mbingo Baptist Hospital.
- Thursday: Pray for the missionaries and staff serving ABWE’s single women missionaries through the ministry of Flourish.
- Friday: Pray for missionaries meeting the needs of neglected children through Obed’s House.
- Saturday: Pray for missionaries reaching the unreached through the Open Initiative.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries engaged in translation work.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Mexico.
