Habakkuk 1:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It was as if he hosted a banquet for his followers, indulging in pleasures, with the captives serving as the spoils of his victories. Thus, he might say, 'they shall serve his hosts,' his armies through which he captured the peoples and vanquished Israel, all while giving thanks. Since these events have favored him, he declares he will not cease, stating he will continue to slay nations, take tribes captive, subjugate lands, and show no mercy. In a parallel manner, Satan has ensnared the entire human race, particularly Israel; as if enveloped by a single snare—the net of sin—he has entangled them all, for their iniquity against Christ, especially targeting Israel, whom he regards as 'his chosen prey.' Among the Jews, he finds more favor than elsewhere, for 'when,' it says, 'the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the children of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob; Israel is his inheritance' (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). Therefore, Israel was selected above all, as the firstborn among nations, stemming from a sacred lineage, the ancestry of the patriarchs, guided by the law and called to know the one true God. Yet, despite this privilege of glory and grace, they and others fell into bondage; some because they strayed, aligning with the devil, and others because they, knowing the true God—who took on human nature, becoming like us—were wickedly killed, entrapped by his schemes; and his aim is to annihilate all who dwell upon the earth.

The subsequent declaration that "He shall rejoice and be glad and triumphant, and shall sacrifice to his net, and perform the sacred acts of his net," points to the idol he erected at Dûr or Dûram, and to the image of Bel, where he offered lavish sacrifices as if to a vast net, compelling all nations he conquered to pay homage; he believed these idols would secure his triumph. Through these deities, he accumulated wealth and subdued various princes and kings, likening them to large fish, referred to by the prophet as delicacies. Once he has satisfied his greed with a bountiful catch and filled his net, or his army, he relentlessly continues to vanquish nations, perpetuating warfare to assert control over them.

Accordingly, as the Seventy translates it, the malevolent adversary, who oppresses the faithful and treats humanity as though they were fish in the sea, bringing desolation like reptiles without direction, has cast his oud. This is reminiscent of how the Apostle Peter caught the first fish with a coin in its mouth (Matt. 17:27). Adam was ensnared by this oud, as the devil lured him out of Paradise with his net, ensnaring him with various strategies and deceptions. Consequently, he rejoices in believing that his deceptions outweigh God’s commandments, offering sacrifice not to empty words, which signify twisted speech, but to his net, for through it he claims ample spoils. However, as it is written, "Through one man very many became sinners" (Rom. 5:19), and in Adam we all met death (1 Cor. 15:22), casting all the saints out of Paradise alongside him. Thus, the devil's delicacies are alluring, as the Psalmist states, "thou shalt seek food for thyself from God" (Ps. 103:21), as he seeks to subdue the prophets and apostles. Having led mankind astray from the very beginning, he persistently works to destroy the entire human race.

This passage may also be interpreted in relation to the twisted doctrines propagated by heretics, who, like the devil, utilize their cunning, their seine, and their nets to ensnare countless souls, ultimately rejoicing in their conquests. They revere their own words, which they employ to deceive and manipulate, equating their wisdom with divine authority. However, they ultimately dishonor it while inflicting harm, using all their skills to ensnare numerous victims and mislead even the most powerful and righteous individuals, whom the Scriptures term as the choicest offerings. Thus, like ravenous beasts, ever craving the blood they have tasted, they cast their nets with a relentless aim—not to claim a mere few, but to ensnare a far greater multitude. Witnessing the vast array of heresies and distorted teachings ensnared by the wicked, the seine, and the net of the devil, one cannot help but recognize the intent to bring ruin.

The devil targets not just the nonbelievers outside the church, those whose bodies the king of Assyria used as fuel, but he endeavors to plunder the Church of Christ itself. The prophet Habakkuk captures this sentiment: "His food is chosen" (Abb. 1:16). The devil seeks to bring down Job, having already consumed Judas, and aims to dismantle the other apostles.

He proceeds to declare: Your pomp is brought down to the grave, and the sound of your harps; the maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you (Is. 14:11). Additionally, the blessed prophet Habakkuk states, He will consume his own flesh and reveal his net, as he divides his spoils and his chosen delicacy.