Habakkuk - Habakkuk 1:14-17 DailyBibleStudy.Org

To receive notice of each days Bible Study,
please go to my Twitter and Facebook pages and sign up.

Daily Bible Study
You can help people worldwide. Please make a small donation. Make a difference in someone elses life.	Subscribe Daily Bible Study Mailing List Receive Daily Bible Studies directly into your email inbox.	Express your comments, opinions, questions, etc.

Habakkuk 1:14-17

Lesson # Habakkuk 1:14-17
Study Material - Habakkuk 1:14-17

You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.

Habakkuk 1:14-17

14 And makest [asah] men [adam] as the fishes [dag] of the sea [yam] , as the creeping things [remes] , that have no ruler [mashal] over them?
15 They take up [alah] all of them with the angle [chakkah] , they catch [garar] them in their net [cherem] , and gather [acaph] them in their drag [mikmereth] : therefore they rejoice [samach] and are glad [giyl] .
16 Therefore they sacrifice [zabach] unto their net [cherem] , and burn incense [qatar] unto their drag [mikmereth] ; because by them [hem] their portion [cheleq] is fat [shamen] , and their meat [ma'akal] plenteous [bariy'] .
17 Shall they therefore empty [ruwq] their net [cherem] , and not spare [chamal] continually [tamiyd] to slay [harag] the nations [gowy] ? KJV-Interlinear

14 Why hast Thou made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them? 15 The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore, they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore, they offer a sacrifice to their net. And burn incense to their fishing net; Because through these things their catch is large, And their food is plentiful. 17 Will they therefore empty their net And continually slay nations without sparing? NASB

We have prime examples, of these Chaldeans, in our current day over in Iraq and elsewhere in the world. The terrorists have these same characteristics as Habakkuk describes herein. They will also have the same end as those evil people in past history.

The only difference between our current day and the days following Habakkuk is that we are doing something about the evil which threatens us all, and the Israelites back then, did nothing about the rising threat.

Their threat was on the horizon. The warning signs were always present. The warnings were made known. But the general population and more importantly its leadership ignored them all. They paid dearly for their indifference and disregard.

The Chaldeans and evil folks throughout history have one common characteristic, and that is, they have no regard for life. No regard for the life of others that is.

They see people as their pawns or toys to play with. Have you ever seen a cat catch a mouse and play with it? The mouse is caught and in terror, but the cat cares nothing for the feelings of the mouse. He will play with it, torment it, and then kill it. And all for the fun of it.

One of the descriptions given by Josephus (first century historian) regarding the types of things that Sennacherib's army did when they invaded Judah, was the extreme torture of skinning alive the prisoners they took. They had competitions wherein they would take several prisoners and try to skin them before they died. I won't describe what they did to pregnant women. Use your imagination.

Saddam and his ruthless thugs, and all terrorists like them, are no better.

The Chaldeans look at the world as there's for the taking. They play with it. They take enjoyment in intimidating it. They enjoy fooling it. They send out messages of compassion and peace, while plotting the destruction of anyone whom they perceive as weak.

All this from our passage of fish in the ocean. Nothing but masses of fishes. No way to protect themselves from the nets. Fish are looked upon as a common prey for food and play and for nothing else. There is no value given for human life.

When caught, the Chaldeans rejoice at their capture, and they party and feast with their catch. They cut up, and cook up, and throw away with no concern for waste.

One quick note. Before Saddam came to power some thirty years ago, Iraq was one of the most prosperous countries in the Middle East. Immediately before the invasion of the allied forces, the annual average earnings had fallen to 1/17th of what it was three decades ago. And that does not count for inflation, which makes the state of that country even more impoverished. Evil destroys everything it comes into contact with.

Now unlike the Chaldeans, Saddam destroyed his country and his people, with no intention of making life better. The Babylonian empire eventually became enlightened under Nebuchadnezzar, and they became great.

But here we have the Israelites in Judah who are negative toward God. They have become lax in their attitude toward national defense. Their military will soon become non-existent. In a world full of predators, having no defense, as the fish had none to fight off the nets, then Judah would be an easy catch.

With great complacency and with great satisfaction in their way of life, the Chaldeans will continue to take, and to inflict violence against any and all who cower before them. The Chaldeans are impressed with their own ability to intimidate, to take, and to destroy anyone they run into. The are impressed with themselves.

All evil people are that way, and they will never change.

Habakkuk submits one final question in this passage. 'Will they continue to destroy forever?'

And our answer is found in the psalms.

Psa. 75:2-3
2 'When I select an appointed time, It is I who judge with equity. 3 'The earth and all who dwell in it melt; NASB

So long as there is no opposition, then the evil of the world will continue to advance and destroy at will. But when men arise in doctrine and the courage that comes with spiritual growth, then the advance of evil will be stopped right in its tracks.

God raises up such people and such nations when it is in accordance with His time table.

We live in an interesting era. If you are positive and advancing in your spiritual life, then you have an opportunity to see history in the making. You can discern between the cowardice of the leadership of nations that refuse to stand up against terrorism, and duplicity of nations that have financial agendas (the twenty billion dollar United Nations oil for food scandal), the indifference of nations who sit back and just do not want to get involved, and of nations who are on the front line, fighting the terrorists and the evil they would try to spread around the world.

Evil knows no honor. Evil makes no friends. Evil sees all as toys for its own pleasure. Ignore it, flirt with it, try to compromise with it, try to reason with it, and you will always lose.

Now is the time to post a prayer.

End Of Lesson

Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.