Habakkuk: Building a Secure Nest

“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.

Habakkuk 2:9-11

We continue our focus on Habakkuk’s second woe. The prophet condemns those who are exploiting the poor in order to build up their own security, a “nest on high”. Instead, we should be putting our security in the Lord.

Nesting

The word “nest” (קֵן, ken) is used literally in the Bible for a bird’s nest. For instance, God commands that if one comes across a bird’s nest with eggs that it is fine to take the eggs, but let the mother go (Deuteronomy 22:6-7). Its verbal root, kanan, means to build a nest, as in Psalm 104:17. Moses compares God to an eagle (or vulture) which stirs up its nest and flutters over its young (Deuteronomy 32:11).

It is also used figuratively of one’s dwelling place, like Habakkuk’s comparison to a house. We see similar uses elsewhere. “Like a bird that strays from its nest / is a man who strays from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). As Job reflected on his life before his calamities, he thought, “I shall die in my nest” (Job 29:18), peacefully dying at home at the end of his life. When God commanded Noah to build the ark, he instructed, “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms (literally “nests”) in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch” (Genesis 6:14).

Heights

Where is Habakkuk’s metaphorical nest? It’s set “on high” (marom). This word carries the idea of either literally being high up or metaphorically raised up (exalted). Its root, rum (pronounced room) can mean to lift up, raise up, make or be high, or exalt. The Psalmist says to wait on the Lord and “he will exalt (rum) you” (Psalm 37:34). Exalting God is analogous to praising him: “I will exalt (rum) you; I will praise your name” (Isaiah 25:1).

It can also carry the idea of power and pride. For instance, when Israel left Egypt, Pharaoh then “pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly (literally “with hand high/raised/rum“)” (Exodus 14:8). David exclaimed that “many attack me proudly (marom)” (Psalm 56:2).

The imagery of setting a nest on high appears elsewhere. I think of watching the griffon vultures in Gamla in northern Israel flying in the sky and return to their nests among the cliff faces. When proclaiming judgment against Edom, Obadiah depicts them soaring high and making his nest among the stars before being brought down (Obadiah 4). Jeremiah’s prophecy against Edom contains similar imagery, paralleling their physical height with their pride.

The horror you inspire has deceived you,
and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
who hold the height (marom) of the hill.
Though you make your nest (ken) as high as the eagle’s,
I will bring you down from there

Jeremiah 49:16

Last time we looked at the word betza, unjust gain. Isaiah says God upholds the one who does what is right, “who despises the gain (betza) of oppressions” (Isaiah 33:15). Such a person “will dwell on the heights (maromim)” (Isaiah 33:16). In contrast to the oppressors in Habakkuk who profit unjustly from others in order to be secure on the heights, Isaiah says it’s the one who despises such practices that will actually be secure.

To Ponder…

Where is your security? Have you built a (supposedly) secure nest for yourself or are you depending on God for protection?

Who would you prefer to exalt you: yourself, other people, or God?

Who do you lift up/exalt and why? How do you lift God up and exalt him?

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