The Fall Of The Untouchables

(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.