Worshiping A Net

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“They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore, they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.” Habakkuk 1:15-16

Habakkuk seems to be a seldom-referenced book of the Bible, it’s one of those short books that is nestled away in the depths of the Old Testament prophets. But as I was reading through it a short time ago, this passage stuck out to me. In it, Habakkuk describes how the fishermen look at their nets as the source of their success, and thus they make it a god, and worship it as a god. Clearly their trust in the nets is grossly misguided! They look at the tool of God’s provision to be the provider.

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

God made man (the male) to work, to provide for his family, that was His purpose for us as men. But the danger is high for a man to make a god out of his job, and lose sight of what his real purpose is, even today. We cannot lose sight of the One Who truly provides for us, and neglect our responsibility to spiritually and emotionally lead our family, by becoming so caught up in the job which is meant to simply be a method of meeting the needs of our family. It is our responsibility to work hard and provide, yes, but not such that we lose sight of our family’s other needs. A job has the potential to become an addiction, a god in and of itself. It is the Lord God that truly provides for our needs, and while we must work as unto Him, and do what we must to meet the physical needs of our family, we cannot become so over-engrossed in it such that the spiritual and emotional needs of our families suffer. We have to keep that in mind always: that our jobs are the tools of God’s provision, not to be taken lightly, but not to be turned into a god in and of themselves.

Naturally, I am not saying that we should sluff off on our work! Again, Scripture clearly shows us that we as men are to labor hard, in that we are fulfilling God’s intention for us. But there is a difference between WORK, and a JOB (as we might use those words today). A job is what pays the bills – work is labor that is profitable (for purposes of this article). For a Christian man, a job should be a part of his work, but they are not equivalent. For any father, his true work is with his family, leading them, providing for them in every respect, not just physically.

Where the problem stems from is selfishness and greed in a man’s heart. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that physical provision is indeed a part of a man’s duty to his family and hence to God, however - a cushy lifestyle is not a requisite! When a man works so hard at his job that his family suffers from spiritual and emotional malnourishment, it’s an indication that there is something else more important to him, and perhaps to his family too. Comfort and money are, if you think about it, the least important of a family’s needs. A man’s duty to his family is a part of his duty to God, and his family’s relationship with God, and with each other, should be a top priority to him.

And that is no easy work! It’s probably some of the toughest work a man will ever have to do. But when a man applies himself to his dutiful work that is truly profitable (which will include providing for his family’s physical needs, but more importantly the spiritual and emotional needs), then I believe God will honor your family with a godly heritage, and a family that will glorify Him.

So let us as men not worship our nets! Let’s use those nets to work with all our might, as unto the Lord, to allow us to focus on the true over-arching and most important work – caring for our families spiritually and emotionally. Through that, may God bless us with a heritage that pleases Him, and is a witness for Him!

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