SUMMARY
Habakkuk contrasts inanimate idols with the living God.
ANALYSIS
Habakkuk, like other biblical writers, mocks those who worship idols made of wood and stone (cf. PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More 115:4-8; IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 44:9-20; 46:1-7; JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah's infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. More 10:3-9). These human-made objects cannot speak, move, or teach the one who worships them. The prophet finds it ludicrous that a man would trust in a “god” made by his own hands. The idolIdolatry is the worship of something other than the true God. An idol may be a cult image, an idea, or an object made of wood or stone. Ome of the Ten Commandments specifically prohibits the worship of graven images or idols; this concern is... More is nothing but a “teacher of lies.”
By contrast, the God of Israel, the LORD, “is in his holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More.” God’s holiness and majesty are such that “all the earth” should “keep silence before him.” God is not made by human beings; it is the other way around.
