Habakkuk 2:9-11

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,

to set his nest on high,

to be safe from the reach of harm! 

You have devised shame for your house

by cutting off many peoples;

you have forfeited your life. 

For the stone will cry out from the wall,

and the beam from the woodwork respond.” [ESV]

Looking back on history, it is inescapable that the Babylonians were able to establish a vast and formidable empire.  However, this empire was built through the labor and exploitation of peoples whom they had subjected from other nations.  These actions and the attitudes behind them run absolutely contrary to the nature of God and the kingdom he is establishing.  As such, it was only a matter of time before the empire was to be brought under God’s judgment through the instrument of Persia. 

Obviously, none of us have conquered cities and taken captives to do our bidding.  But how many of us operate in life with the same heart and egocentric worldview that spawned such deplorable behavior among the Babylonians?  Our culture grooms us to pursue our own interests and pleasures even at the expense of the interests and pleasures of others.  This grooming is so subtle, it would be easy for us to miss it.  We all too easily justify luxuries and pleasures in our lives, labeling them as simply good gifts from God that he gives us as his children.  And though every good and perfect gift does come from our heavenly Father, we must not yield to the lie that everything we acquire is good and perfect.  Far too often, our pursuit of comfort and pleasure robs us, our families, and the nations of experiencing the fullness of the self-sacrificing Christ we know and adore.

Instead of idling our time away in front of the television, why don’t we diligently pursue the exercise of the supernatural gifts that have been bestowed upon us through the Holy Spirit for the glory of Christ and the good of others?  Instead of busying ourselves with worldly promotions and compensations, why don’t we earnestly labor in prayer for the goodness and greatness of Christ to be known and celebrated throughout the earth?  Instead of chasing after the house of our dreams, why don’t we fantasize about raising up the family of God’s desire—one that cares more about the needs of others than its own wants and wishes?

Should we follow suit with the Babylonians, our house will most assuredly experience a demise like theirs.  On a surface level, it’s very possible that God would allow our physical house to begin to fall apart in the hope that we would realize the truly temporary nature of our domicile.  On a deeper and more disconcerting level, by pursuing temporary pleasures and security through a vain lifestyle, we greatly endanger the spiritual livelihood of ourselves and our children after us.  The decisions we make regarding where and how we live dramatically influence the affections of our children.  Do we want them to think that the universe revolves around their own good?  Or do we want them to appreciate that the love of Christ is more compelling, more extensive, and more eternal?    

Sadly and ironically, our earthly quest to experience all that the American dream has to offer prohibits us from experiencing the full life that we were created to enjoy.  Those of us who slumber from day to day, drifting off into this dream, will eventually awaken to the reality of the nightmare of a wasted and misspent life.