Habakkuk 2:20 is theological in its context with Habakkuk and with us? What is its significance to the prophet Habakkuk us?
This book primarily deals with the Babylonians and the Jews. We must understand the in order for Babylonians to seek revelation they needed to create the god that supposedly gave them the revelation. To keep v.20 in context we must clearly see that verse 18 and 19 speak of an “idol carved by a craftsman”, “an image that teaches lies” and “the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.” He then beckons it to come to life or wake up. The Babylonian gods could give no guidance for they were nothing more than glorified lawn ornaments. We must also understand that the Jews fell into this sin also and were just as guilty of it. The difference for those in Judah is that they were in violation of covenant which made what they were doing that much more repulsive. Romans 1:25 describes this sin the best when it says, "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised."
Conversely the Jewish God, the Lord…”is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” The Jewish God, our God is real and has real power. We should be humbled and awed. Not only that, it He that created us not us creating Him. Sadly, just like in Habakkuk's day-I see this in our culture even today. To a lesser extent we see things that we put before God every single day. Even we as Christians do this all the time whether we admit or like to admit it. Anything we place in priority of precedence to God becomes and idol to us and is condemned by God. I am guilty of this too. To a greater extent we see it in the society at large and it is ubiquitous. Self-images have become a majority of people’s god. We use to be a country of character driven traits now it is purely image except for a select few who attempt to live to a higher moral standard and ostracize the culture’s damning influence with its twisted pluralism and relativistic indecisiveness.
In reality we need to remind ourselves that God comes first in all in our Christian lives. Idolatry in any form is not just disobedience and sin it is flat-out stupid. What value is a god made by man in comparison to the God that has made humanity. A dead lifeless substitute for the Living God.
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