We have been exposed to
three other “woes” of warning from God to the Chaldeans in this
second chapter of Habakkuk. Today we study the fourth, and the
content of it will make us all think. Habakkuk wrote:
Woe unto him that gives
his neighbor drink, that puts your bottle to [him], and makes [him]
drunk also, that you may look on their nakedness!
God
has already indicted the Chaldeans for “increasing that
which is not his!”, “coveting
an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high,
that he may be delivered from the power of evil!” and
“building a town with blood, and establishes a city by
iniquity!” . Today the problem
lies in what the Chaldeans do with their neighbors. God says, “woe
unto him that gives his neighbor drink, that puts your bottle to him,
and makes him drunk also.”
There is something strikingly potent about mind altering chemicals.
Usually the behavior of the person ingesting them is not the same as
they are without them. Some people become giddy, and others become
angry. Some are lethargic, and others rage with hyper-speed.
Whichever the case may be, they are generally not themselves. They do
things that they often later regret, and even if they only indulge
occasionally, it only takes one time to alter one's life. Thus is the
case with the Chaldeans' neighbors. Rather than extend to them “a
cold cup of water in a disciple's name”
or “giving strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts” which
would be intended to help another person, the Chaldeans made them
drunk to take advantage of them.
God
gives the reason for making their neighbors drunk: “that
you may look upon their nakedness.”
Once again on the surface we see the daunting affects of chemical
alteration. Exposure that normally would not be a part of their
behavior becomes the nature of the drunken person. The idea is that
the seduction of the drink has entangled them in exposure of things
normally unseen. Sometimes the wooing of popularity or desired
relationships will entice people to participate in activities that
cause them embarrassment later. If there should be any blatant
warning within this verse it should be that drunkenness leads a
person to unnecessary exposure that grabs the attention of the
Almighty God.
There
are parallels to the enticement of drink. Drinking of relationships
that are “unequally yoked” and participation in activities that
are “contrary to godliness” can intoxicate, and often the joy of
the moment will lead to a lifetime of regret and despair. We must all
be aware of the seduction of drunkenness from not only the alcohol
within a bottle or the chemicals within a pill, shot or scent, but
also from the attractions of this world that will ultimately lead to
a path of destruction and exposure. May the Lord above protect us all
from these things.
Next
time we will look further into the fourth “woe” that God gives to
the Chaldeans, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
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