Habakkuk 1:16-The Babylonians Worshiped Their Military Power

Habakkuk 1:14 You made people like fish in the sea, like animals in the sea that have no ruler. 1:15 The Babylonian tyrant pulls them all up with a fishhook; he hauls them in with his throw net. When he catches them in his dragnet, he is very happy. 1:16 Because of his success he offers sacrifices to his throw net and burns incense to his dragnet; for because of them he has plenty of food, and more than enough to eat. (NET)

Habakkuk 1:14 You produced mankind like marine life residing in the ocean, like creepers-crawlers, absolutely no ruler among them. 15 He is characterized by causing each one of them to be pulled up with a fishhook. He is characterized by dragging them away with his throw net. When he is gathering them with his dragnet, he is rejoicing, yes specifically he is outwardly expressing joy. 16 Consequently, he is characterized by offering sacrifices on behalf of his throw net. Correspondingly, he is characterized by burning incense on behalf of his dragnet. For by means of them, his portion from the spoils of war is abundant. Correspondingly, his food is rich. (My translation)

Habakkuk 1:16 contains four more statements about the Babylonian army in relation to their weapons, which they used to conquer the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world.

The Lord asserts that the Babylonian soldier offers sacrifices on behalf of his throw net and correspondingly, they burned incense on behalf of his dragnet.

Then, from the perspective of the Babylonian soldier, the Lord presents the reason why the Babylonian soldier did this.

He asserts that his thrown net and dragnet were the means by which his portion from the spoils of war was abundant and correspondingly, his food was rich.

These four assertions present the result of the previous assertions in Habakkuk 1:14-15.

Therefore, this indicates that the Babylonian soldier offered sacrifices and burned incense on behalf of their weapons because he attributed his success in killing, capturing and enslaving the members of the human race from the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world to his weapons.

Now, the second assertion in Habakkuk 1:16 corresponds to the first indicating that the act of the Babylonian soldiers offering sacrifices on behalf of their throw nets and burning incense on behalf of their dragnets are both expressions of worshipping their weapons which they employed to conquer many nations.

Furthermore, the fourth corresponds to the third indicating that in the view of the Babylonian soldier, his weapons were the means by which both their portion from the spoils of war was abundant and their food rich.

The third and fourth assertions in verse 16 present the reason for the first two.

Therefore, this indicates that the Babylonian soldiers offered sacrifices and burned incense on behalf of their weapons because they believed that by means of these weapons, their spoils of war were abundant and their food was rich.

The implication is that the Babylonians attributed their military success in conquering many nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world and financial prosperity to their weapons.

In reality, it was the God of Israel who gave them military victory over the various nations of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in the seventh century B.C.

It was the God of Israel who made them prosperous.

Jeremiah 27 teaches that the Lord delivered over to Nebuchadnezzar the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world including the southern kingdom of Judah.

These statements in Habakkuk 1:16 correspond to the statements in Habakkuk 1:11.

Habakkuk 1:11 Indeed therefore, they characteristically sweep through like a destructive wind and then characteristically move on. However, they are guilty. Those whose own military power is their god. (My translation)

Habakkuk 1:11 contains four statements and thus four more descriptions of the Babylonians.

The first asserts that they characteristically sweep through a nation or kingdom like a destructive violent wind while the second asserts that they move on to another geographically location after conquering a nation or kingdom and subjugating them to themselves.

The third asserts that they are guilty and the fourth and final one asserts that their own military power described in Habakkuk 1:6-10 and the first statement here in verse 11 is their own god.

The third and fourth statements in Habakkuk 1:11 are also intimately connected to each other since the fourth presents the reason for the third, which asserts that the Babylonians are guilty while the fourth is a relative pronoun clause which asserts that the Babylonians’ god is their own military power.

Therefore, these two statements assert that the Babylonians are guilty whose own military power is their god.

Now, the Lord’s condemnation of the Babylonians here in Habakkuk 1:11 contradicts what history tells us about the Babylonians, namely, that they worshiped Marduk, who was a storm god and the patron god of Babylon who was head of the Mesopotamian gods.

The Mesopotamians regarded Marduk as the supreme god who was the absolute ruler of creation and he was also consistently portrayed as a warrior god who led the Babylonians into battle.

Therefore, when they were victorious, they credited Marduk with their victory.

Thus, based on their factors, it would appear that the Lord’s condemnation of the Babylonians for worshipping their military power as a god, could very well a veiled reference to the wordship of Marduk.

However, it would be best to take the Lord at His Word when condemning the Babylonians for worshipping their military power here in Habakkuk 1:11.

Though they did worship Marduk, the Lord is saying here in Habakkuk 1:11 that they actually were worshipping themselves by worshipping their own military prowess.

So therefore, Habakkuk 1:11 and 16 condemn the Babylonians for practicing idolatry because they worshipped themselves and their military power.

By way of definition, idolatry pertains to the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself and is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God alone.

However, it is also putting anything ahead of your relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

The practice of idolatry is a violation of the first and second commandments of the Ten Commandments which are recorded in written form for Israel in Exodus 20:3-4 and they are also written on the hearts of every human being whether regenerate or unregenerate according to Paul’s teaching in Romans 2:14-15.

Therefore, the content of the Ten Commandments is not really new since the book of Genesis reveals the fact that these formalized laws were already followed or assumed as a moral standard.

In Romans 1:18-23, Paul describes the entire human race as involved in idolatry and Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols.

Idolatry is the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself.

Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

1 John 5:21 Little children, I solemnly charge each and every one of you to make it your top priority in making every effort to take careful measures in protecting yourselves from the worship of idols. (My translation)

When John issues this warning in 1 John 5:21, he is not only speaking of worshipping literal idols, but also anything that would take the recipients of First John away from obeying his Spirit inspired apostolic teaching concerning the person of Jesus Christ.

This teaching we noted was attacked by the proto-Gnostic teachers or docetic Gnostic teachers who John describes as “antichrists” in 1 John 2:18 and non-believers in 1 John 2:19 and “false prophets” in 1 John 4:2.

He asserts in 1 John 2:18-27 and 4:1-6 that they did not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and God’s one and only Son and they did not believe He was human.

Thus, in light of this false doctrine, the mention of protecting oneself from idols, is probably a reference to protecting oneself from the false doctrine taught by these antichrists or false prophets.

Therefore, when John solemnly charges the recipients of First John to make it their top priority in making every effort in taking careful measures to protect themselves from the worship of idols, he did not want them to give to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son.

It also means that he did not want them to put anything ahead of their relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will such as obeying the false doctrine taught by the antichrists (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

He did not want them to give any human desire a precedence over executing God’s will for their lives which would happen if they literally worshipped an idol or adhered to the false doctrine taught by these antichrists or false prophets (1 Cor. 10:14; Gal. 5:20; Col. 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).