Futility of people’s plans

When God judges nations or people, an element of futility is included in that judgment. That is often a part of his judgment. He makes all their wicked efforts futile, in that they do not reach their goal. They are frustrated in it. He takes away from them what they seek and what they want to establish. Let me try to explain. When you look at Habakkuk 2:9–11 for instance, you have a picture of the Babylonian who grabs gain; that is, he plunders peoples, he amasses wealth from all his conquests. Why does he do it? To place his nest high up and keep himself free from the grip of disaster. The Babylonian thinks that if he can just amass enough wealth, if he can just amass enough power, he can make himself secure. He can establish his throne, his kingdom, his dynasty. He will be permanent! Trying to make himself permanent, making himself secure, and doing it through violence and injustice and bloody conquest! Now, the problem with that is that it is not going happen. The picture in Habakkuk 2:10–11: you've planned shame against your own house! If you think of the Babylonian Dynasty or Empire as a house, he says you have ruined your own house; you are not going to establish it. Habakkuk 2:11 is difficult, but it seems to have the idea: a stone from a wall that will cry out. There are problems in the wall, and then a rafter from the wood work will creek, and the whole thing will come smashing down. You are trying to make yourself permanent! You are trying to establish yourself with injustice and conquest! You will not reach your goal. It is futility. God will cut it short. You cannot make yourself permanent.

Now then, there is another element in Habakkuk 2:12–14: again it is about the Babylonian building a city on bloodshed, establishing a town on injustice. That is, he us trying to establish his government by violence, injustice, bloody conquest, and so on. And then you see Habakkuk 2:13, Is it not from Yahweh of Host; that is, doesn't God make it this way, that peoples weary themselves only for fire, and nations exhaust themselves for nothing? Nations can seek to establish themselves, make themselves secure, make themselves supreme, but they are exhausting themselves for nothing. They will be cut short. The settlement of futility.¹

Ralph Davis