“Moreover, wine is a traitor,
Habakkuk 2:5
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
God told Habakkuk that he was sending the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to punish Israel. The Babylonians will continue to conquer, expanding their territory, as long as they are able.
Never Enough
Habakkuk compares their neverending desire for more to the limitlessness of death with two parallel statements. The first pair compares their desire to conquer and loot as insatiable as death (Sheol is the generic realm of the dead, where everyone goes). The second depicts them carrying conquered countries into exile. The Babylonians will never reach a point where they have conquered enough. They will always want to continue to extend their reach, displacing more nations, subjugating new lands, and carrying away more spoils of war. I can hear their marketing slogan: “Collect them all!”
Habakkuk literally says that death is not satisfied (שָׂבַע, sava). This word carries the idea of being full or having enough.
Proverbs makes some similar statements to Habakkuk:
Three things are never satisfied (sava);
Proverbs 30:15-16
four never say, “Enough”:
Sheol, the barren womb,
the land never satisfied (sava) with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
Also:
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied (sava),
Proverbs 27:20
and never satisfied (sava) are the eyes of man.
What does it mean to be satisfied (or not)?
Satisfied
When the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they complained about their lack of food. God heard their cry and Moses passed on his words that they would eat meat in the evening and bread in the morning “to the full (sava)” (Exodus 16:8). God wouldn’t simply provide some food. Rather, he would provide enough to satisfy their hunger. The Psalmist later reflects on the wilderness wanderings, saying God “sent them food in abundance (so’va)” (Psalm 78:25).
Moses later instructed the people, “And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10). From this verse in Deuteronomy, there came the idea of praying after meals, thanking God for the food they had just eaten. Why is it The reason to bless God is that otherwise, we tend to forget him: “they became full (sava), / they were filled (sava), and their heart was lifted up; / therefore they forgot me” (Hosea 13:6).
God’s provision isn’t only for people. He also satisfies the land (Psalm 104:13), trees (Psalm 104:16), and animals (Psalm 104:28).
A Full Life
People dying in old age all full of years. “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full (save’a) of years, and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8). “And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full (save’a) of days” (Genesis 35:29). Job (Job 42:17) and David (1 Chronicles 29:28) have a similar description. What made their lives “full”? Was it because their lives were filled with years or because their years were filled with life?
The Psalmist, while praising God, finds satisfaction in him: “My soul will be satisfied (sava) as with fat and rich food” (Psalm 63:5). “The fear of the LORD leads to life, / and whoever has it rests satisfied (save’a)” (Proverbs 19:23).
Enough!
Sava can also denote reaching a limit. God became sick of Israel’s sins, bringing sacrifices as if they were still obedient. He exclaimed, “I have had enough (sava) of burnt offerings of rams” (Isaiah 1:11). I imagine a parent exclaiming to a misbehaving child: “I’ve had it up to here with you today!” God had had enough!
A few verses later in Habakkuk, he scolds those who make someone drunk to take advantage of them. “You will have your fill (sava) of shame instead of glory” (Habakkuk 2:16).
Restoration
Despite Israel’s exile to Babylon because of their disobedience, God promised he would bring them back. “I will restore Israel to his pasture (naveh, see last time), and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied (sava) on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead” (Jeremiah 50:19).
After the people returned from exile, they rebuilt their homes but didn’t start rebuilding God’s house. The prophet Haggai chastized them, listing ways in which they work but continually come up lacking. “You eat, but never have enough (sava)” Haggai 1:6). They were expending energy but seeing few results. As Isaiah had commented centuries earlier, “Why do you spend…your labor for that which does not satisfy (sa’va)?” (Isaiah 55:2).
To Ponder…
Is there something in your life that is never satisfied? Have you ever said, “When I have X, then that will be enough” and reached that goal and still felt unsatisfied? What causes that feeling of dissatisfaction? How do we combat that? How much is enough?
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). What does it look like to live a full, satisfying life?
Is there anything in your life which God would say, “Enough!”?