Northeast Presbyterian Church

Do you think that Jesus read Habakkuk? Hab compares human beings to fish in the sea that kind of just swim around without direction or focus and lack leadership. Jesus compares people to “sheep without a shepherd” and He wept when He saw that! But, what was Jesus’ call to discipleship? “

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!”  Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, in Habakkuk, it’s a bad thing; at least what Hab describes next is a bad thing. Look at vs. 15: “The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks; he catches them in his net; he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.”

Note, wicked Babylon hooks each fish in the mouth; there is no getting away; it is painful. Yet, wicked Babylon is not content to give any of his prey individual attention; he throws in his net and his dragnet; he just pulls in whatever fish are in the water and gives no thought and no care to the fish. He just “rejoices and is glad” because of the haul.

The reason is that “by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food!” Jesus, in great contrast, tells us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them all that I have commanded you.” We cannot mass-produce disciples; we have to give people individual attention. Christianity says each person is important. Jesus teaches us that the Lord even knows the hairs on our heads.

What a contrast between evil and good! And, notice in vs. 15 how the evil fisherman “sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet!” We know we are to worship and serve and honor our Creator; not the creature. We are not to bow down to idols. We are, in contrast, to “praise God from whom all blessings flow!” Hab asks the Lord: “is he (Babylon) to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?”