The difficulty with success
is that it brings with it a sense of self-assurance and pride that
sometimes gets us in trouble. Whenever bravado occurs because of
personal accolades, temptation arises, and many people fall. Such is
the case with the Chaldeans who were going to be used by God for
justice against the wicked in Habakkuk's day. Habakkuk has declared
that the just shall live by faith, and every dependence upon one's
own understanding of everything must be relinquished to recognize the
superiority of God. Today Habakkuk shows the flaws in those who do
not follow after God but rather choose themselves as their own credit
for success. He wrote in Habakkuk chapter two and verse five:
Yes also, because he
transgresses by wine, [he is] a proud man, neither keeps at home, who
enlarges his desire as hell, and [is] as death, and cannot be
satisfied, but gathers unto him all nations, and heaps unto him all
people:
Notice
the first indictment against those who trust in themselves, “he
transgresses by wine”. In other words, drunkenness has
overtaken him. There is much to say about those who find themselves
so accomplished that they believe themselves imperious to mind
altering chemicals. Proverbs chapter twenty and verse one says:
Wine [is] a mocker,
strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not
wise.
Those
who are successful often find themselves given over to indulgences
that influence their thinking, and the ones Habakkuk is considering
are doing just this.
Next
because he is transgressing by wine, “he is a proud man,
neither keeps at home.” The
trouble with winning is that it carries with it a sense of pride.
This isn't so bad unless it is unbridled, out of control, and
perpetuated by the need for another victory. The Chaldeans were known
for their brutal defeat of surrounding cities and nations. They were
lifted up in pride as they conquered one city after another. They
were not satisfied to stay at home with the victories already gained.
They were proud, boastful, and were discontented with the status quo.
This lead to their next trait.
In
addition to being influence by wine, prideful, and wandering, the
Chaldeans are those who “enlarges his desire as hell, and
is as death, and cannot be satisfied.”
In other words, they are greedy. Whatever they have is never enough.
Just as hell and death are never satisfied, neither are they
satisfied. As Proverbs chapter twenty-seven and verse twenty says:
Hell and destruction
are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Each victory for the Chaldeans only fueled the desire for another
victory, and just as there are those who are never contented no
matter how much they gain, the Chaldeans were also insatiable to the
point they could never be satisfied.
Finally as a result of their drunkenness and pride, greed and
discontent, Habakkuk states “but gathers unto him all nations,
and heaps unto him all people:” World conquest was the
Chaldeans' desire. They would never be satisfied until the whole
world was under their thumb. We can look to history to find figures
who were much like these Chaldeans. The question is, where are they
today? Of course there are a few people in the world who seem to have
the same desires as these Chaldeans. They have been somewhat
successful, so they are given to much wine. They are proud, because
by all means everyone would be so great if they were as accomplished,
and they are never content but constantly greedy for the next thing.
If we think about these traits long enough, we may find areas of our
own lives that need to be brought into submission before the throne
of God lest we too find ourselves on the opposite end of the spectrum
of those who trust in, rely upon, and cling to the Heavenly Father
and His Son Jesus.
Next time we will take a look at what Habakkuk says will happen to
the ones who have these traits, so read ahead, and we shall join
together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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