(When pride meets God’s justice.)
Picture this: you’re standing in front of the shampoo shelf. You reach for a bottle because you want something that will make a difference — something marketed to change your hair, change how you feel, maybe even change how the world sees you.
You read the promises: “makes every strand softer,” “irresistibly alluring,” “best of all to others.” It sounds great. But five minutes later your hair still gets tangled, your scalp still itches, your mood still fluctuates, and you realize the marketing was louder than the actual change.
That’s okay. We expect marketing to hype things. We expect shiny promises to oversell. What we don’t expect — but what often happens — is that we start to believe the hype.
We let the packaging, the slogans, the sales pitch, convince us that this time, the claim will be different. And sometimes, that leads us to settle for shallow change, surface-deep promises, or quick fixes that don’t heal what really matters.
But today I want you to see something different. I want you to see words not from a marketing team, but from God. Words that do more than promise — they warn, declare, uplift, judge, transform, and proclaim. Words that don’t fade with shampoo rinses or marketing cycles. Words that outlast the fluff. Words you can build your life on.
We’re asking a serious question this morning: What about the bad guys? What about those who hurt others, who exploit, who build their power on the weakness of others, who seem to succeed and prosper because they’re willing to do what others won’t? What about them? Does God see them? Will they be held responsible? Will they finally be exposed? Will things ever be made right?
The book of Habakkuk was written when the prophet looked at injustice all around him, when evil people were flourishing, when the weak were suffering, when those who should protect and lead were failing. He asked God questions. He didn’t pretend everything was fine; he didn't hide the hurt. He confronted it. He demanded explanation. He sought clarity. He refused to settle for slick talk when things didn't add up.
God answered Habakkuk. Part of the answer was disturbing: God would use a wicked empire — Babylon — as the instrument of judgment. People more brutal, more ruthless, more powerful than Habakkuk’s own people would be the hammer wielded by God’s hand. That answer could hardly soothe. It raised more questions than it answered.
So Habakkuk pushes. He probes. He wants to know: if you’re going to use people worse than us, what does that mean? What happens to them? Are they exempt? Do they get away with it? Does evil get the last word? Will exploiters always come out ahead? Will the oppressors always have the edge?
And in chapter 2 of Habakkuk, verses 6-20, God gives us a preview of the answer. God pulls back the curtain, lays out the mechanics of injustice, and explains how He deals with it. He describes what oppressors do, what their character is, how they build, how they dominate, and how they will finally be judged. He doesn’t pretend it’s clean or painless. He doesn’t offer sugar-coated bypasses. He speaks plainly, strongly, truthfully.
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The Character of the Wicked
First: the wicked often live by greed. They accumulate what does not belong to them. They take what isn’t theirs. They plunder what should have been protected. They make promises to themselves about how much is enough — and always, it isn’t enough. There is no bottom to their appetite. And every time someone is hurt in the process, that debt adds up, even if no one keeps the tally.
Second: they often build themselves up by the labor of others. They build cities, systems, dynasties, fortunes — on foundations of iniquity, on blood, on exploitation. They may think they’re insulated. They may believe their walls are thick. They may believe their schemes will never be exposed. But God says: the wall itself will cry out; the structure will testify. The covering will be peeled back. The house built on injustice is not safe forever.
Third: they may oppress and humiliate others. They may abuse their power to degrade, to exploit weaknesses, to manipulate. Sometimes they intentionally make others vulnerable — force them into weakness, shame their nakedness, overpower them to satisfy their own desire or self-glory. They may see it as proof of dominance. But God sees it as moral failure, as a debt owed, as something that must be corrected.
Fourth: the wicked often trust in idols. Not necessarily carved stone or gold-made gods only, but idols of their own making: the power they think secures them; the wealth they believe protects them; the reputations they think ensure their always-on-top status. They forget God. They forget that real strength, real security, real rescue come from more than their own cunning. They think they have control when really they are holding onto illusions. And those illusions eventually founder.
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The Promise of Reversal
Here's the good news: God will reverse the upside-down world. The tables will be turned. Where there was injustice, there will be correction. Where victims were silent, there will be testimony. Where oppressors saw themselves safe, they will see how vulnerable they are before the standard of God’s holiness and truth.
God promises that the knowledge of His glory will fill the earth, like waters covering the sea. That means the day will come when the world will know God — not just in some places, but everywhere. Not just by some people, but by all people. Not just in some small corner, but in every square inch. It means moral clarity, divine authority, justice, and righteousness will become the public reality in a way that reflects God’s character permanently.
And God reminds us of His presence and His authority — that He is in his holy temple, and that the earth should keep silence before Him. That isn’t a call to cowardly quiet; it’s a call to reverence, to recognition of sovereignty, to acknowledging that God is the Judge, not mob rule, not the loudest voice, not the most powerful corporation, not the richest government, not the most feared tyrant — but God.
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Why This Matters to Us Today
We live in a world full of evil that seems to prosper. We see headlines about people cheating, stealing, exploiting, oppressing, bullying. We see those with money or power sometimes bending the rules, sometimes getting away with things. We live in a society where injustice sometimes seems to have the upper hand.
Some may feel discouraged. Some may feel resigned. Some may feel helpless. Some may ask, “Does anybody care?” “Is there any point in speaking out or staying honest?” “Is it worth trying to do what is right when others seem to succeed through what is wrong?”
Habakkuk’s vision says: yes. It is worth it. God cares. God sees. God acts. God will not let deception, cruelty, oppression, idolatry, or injustice have the final word forever. The wheels of justice may seem slow, but they are not broken. There is moral momentum in creation. There is a purpose in history. There is consequence for behavior. There is reward for faith. There is hope in the midst of trouble.
The righteous — those who trust God, who refuse shortcuts, who pursue fairness, honesty, mercy, love, justice — these live by faith even when they don’t see the full picture. Even when things look bleak, even when the “bad guys” seem to be winning, even when fear or pain or injustice presses down — they don’t lose heart. They continue. They stand for truth. They resist evil. They shine. They witness. They pray. They endure. They believe that God will make things right in the end, and that God’s glory will not be hidden forever.
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Application: What Should We Do?
Be alert to injustices. Don’t pretend everything is always okay when it isn’t. Watch. Listen. Care. Notice when someone is hurting, when someone is exploited, when power is being misused. Don’t be passive. Don’t ignore what’s wrong.
Act ethically regardless of what everyone else is doing. Don’t let your behavior be defined by what’s expedient or what’s gaining advantage. Let your behavior be shaped by honesty, fairness, respect, value for others, kindness, and truth. Make moral choices even when they cost something.
Speak truth. When exploitation or injustice is happening, speak up. Let your voice be consistent with the character of God. Refuse harmful silence.
Be wary of idols. Remember what you trust in. Examine what gives you security. If it’s money, reputation, power, image, position, privileges — ask whether those are controlling you more than you control them. Bring those to God. Let your trust rest in God, not only in your strategies or plans.
Live with hope. Let the promise of God’s justice motivate you. Know that your faithful actions matter, even though the full results may not be immediate. Know that God sees, God remembers, God will rectify, God will vindicate, God will restore, and God will make His glory known. Let that reality sustain you.
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Closing Thought
So here is the answer to the question “What about the bad guys?”: God will deal with them. He sees them. He knows what they have done. He will turn things around. He will act. He will set things right — both in this life and ultimately in the world to come. Evil will not have the last, unchallenged word. God’s justice and righteousness will prevail.
At the same time, remember this: you are not helpless. You are not irrelevant. Even when you cannot change every circumstance, you can reflect character, you can offer mercy, you can speak truth, you can choose integrity, you can trust God, you can endure. You can be part of the story of justice, of redemption, and of the triumph of God’s glory covering the earth.
Let us live as though we believe God’s words are true. Let us walk in obedience, not compelled by fear alone, but inspired by hope. Let us keep praying, keep acting, keep loving, keep resisting evil, and keep trusting that God will bring his justice to bear. The day is coming when all will see, all will know, all will confess, all will reverence, all will keep silence before him.
Amen.
