Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, And stablisheth a city by iniquity! Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts That the people shall labour in the very fire, And the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.
— Habakkuk 2:12–14
In verse 5, the portrait of the proud man includes the words, “and is as death.” Babylon was violent. In Habakkuk 1:9, we find that violence was a motivation for the Babylonians. “They shall come all for violence.” Just as a bunch of young boys would rush to the kitchen at the sound of “Dinner’s ready!”, The Babylonians rushed to the land of Israel at the opportunity for violence. Covetousness may have been the instigator. Indulgence may have been the fuel. Drunkenness and idolatry may have been their security. But violence was the motivation.
“Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!”
The setting for this woe is a town. Babylon was a prosperous place in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Historians acknowledge that Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens. The Hanging Gardens were known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is said that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were situated alongside the grand palace named, “The Marvel of Mankind.”
The Hanging Gardens were said to be a magnificent structure consisting of multiple tiers of gardens complete with irrigation in an impressive display of engineering. It’s very possible that Nebuchadnezzar was gazing upon his beautiful gardens in Daniel 4:29–30 when he boasted, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”
But there was a major problem with this building of Babylon. It was built by blood. And once it was built, it was established by iniquity.
America has grown to be a land of violence and bloodshed. On this website, I like to direct attention to the Scripture and away from politics. But the Bible is Sound Doctrine for Today. It applies today now more than ever. I argue that America is increasingly becoming more and more like the Babylon of old. America is becoming eerily more violent. If you don’t believe me watch this video. Ignore the politics of the video. I just want you to see that America is a violent nation, and the world thinks it is okay. When protests result in numerous deaths and yet they are still deemed peaceful, it doesn’t matter what the protest is about, it is ungodly and hellish.
Throughout the Old Testament, you will find that the heathen nations were built upon blood. One of the popular things for the heathen to do was to sacrifice their children to the Canaanite god, Molech (Jeremiah 32:35). Secular historians agree that the worship of Molech often involved child sacrifice. Another interesting Canaanite deity was Baal, known to many nations as the god of power and fertility. Canaanites also were known to worship Astarte or Ashteroth, who was also known as the god of sexuality and fertility. Do you see any connection? The ancient world was known for their lust for sex and also for child sacrifice. What does that remind you of today?
Why is it that abortion is so strongly defended? Is it really to improve the health of women? Is it to help those women who have went through rape? I don’t believe so. Otherwise we would have heard more from social justice activists on stepping up the punishment for committing rape. We would have heard more about the dangers of falling into a sensual relationship. Abortion has become a central issue so heavily defended because of one thing—Lust. The ancient world was addicted to sensual desires and covered up their sin in the name of piety. America is no different. Babies are murdered, and this murder is defended as an issue of social justice. Interestingly enough, none of these people will encourage others to abstain from sensual relationships. America is a bloody and sinful nation.