I recently watched a video of ibexes scaling the vertical wall of a dam to obtain salt and other minerals that are missing from their plant-based diet for proper bone, nerve, and muscle function. Once they make it to the top, they lick the salt off the concrete. I was stunned as they scaled the heights, and I was equally perplexed as to how they were doing it without slipping off.
The secret sauce of these mountain goats is their cloven hooves, which have incredible gripping capabilities. Their soles are rubbery and elastic, which allows them to easily navigate rocky terrains. The edges of their hooves are hard and sharp, which allows for tenacious traction. The structure of their toes allows them to be used as handholds on narrow cliffs and ledges. The sight of it is mind-blowing.
The agility of these ibexes’ feet reminded me of the last chapter of the Book of Habbakuk, so I decided to revisit the book written by the prophet of the same name. Although it’s only three chapters long, it’s weighty and timeless. It applies to us today as it did to Habakkuk’s world then.
Habakkuk laments to God. He expresses his grief and sorrow to God for allowing him to see iniquity, wickedness, destruction, violence, the perversion of justice, and the wicked surrounding the righteous. He has seen how the people of Judah have turned away from God toward idols and wickedness for years.
If we’re being honest, it’s hard to understand God’s apparent inaction in our grief over our circumstances, especially those involving injustices. We expect justice to be meted out quickly. But as we turn to the Lord with our hurts, we can be sure he hears our cries and will deal with wickedness in His perfect timing.
God says to Habbakuk, “Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told to you” (1:5). God responds to Habakkuk by sharing his plans to use the cruel and evil Babylonian nation to punish the apostate people in the southern kingdom of Judah.
But Habakkuk also questions why God would allow the wicked Babylonians to deal so treacherously with more righteous people than them, even though God is using them to judge and correct Judah’s sins.
Habakkuk then stands on his guard post on the rampart and watches, waiting for God to answer him.
And God answered him.
“Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
And then, God distinguishes between two types of people: the proud and the righteous. He says that the soul of the proud is not right within him, but the just will live by faith. (Hab. 2:4)
God then decrees five woes against the Babylonians for their evil, godless ways. It could equally apply to Judah at that time or any world power and be a lesson for us all. The first speaks of theft, the second of greed, the third of violence, the fourth of drunkenness, lust, and corruption, and the fifth of idolatry. God lays out his reasons for judgment against the wicked.
Habakkuk’s third and final chapter is a song of praise in response to the vision God asked the prophet to record earlier. It describes Jesus Christ’s second coming, the judgment of His enemies, and His people’s deliverance.
It would be accurate to say that wickedness has been increasing, and darker days are on the horizon, but there is hope for those who make the Most High their dwelling place. He will turn our mourning into dancing one day. The book ends with Habakkuk’s last words of faith for anyone facing hard times.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me walk upon my high places. —Habakkuk 3:17-19
Let’s not be dismayed by what’s happening around us, even in times of extreme lack and wickedness. The key to not becoming overwhelmed is to praise God, rejoice, and be grateful for His faithfulness, despite what we’re going through. God will most assuredly come through. He will provide for and protect us, strengthening and equipping us to rise above it all in faith and expectation.
He will make our feet like the ibex, enabling us to ascend the mountain of God, where we’re always safe in the secret place of His presence. Just like those mountain goats scale the heights to get what they need to survive, we also know that the source of our life and well-being is our creator, and to Him, we turn with confidence in His unfailing love.