Goats, yes goats

I really dislike allegories.

If you have something to say, just say it. No need to create characters to illustrate larger moral truths. I admit – I don’t even like Pilgrim’s Progress (with deepest apologies to Mr. Bunyan, whom I greatly admire). 

Then again, I also dislike poetry and flowers (except tulips!), so I’m not saying my opinion demands emulation. 

But that said, I finally read Hind’s Feet on High Places (on what I believe was my third attempt). I guess stay-at-home orders can yield unexpected opportunities. 

The first half or so was by pure determination (with much internal grumbling), but by the second half, I began realizing that yes, there are some amazing truths in here—allegorical avenues of sharing them notwithstanding. 

The title of this classic is taken from Habakkuk 3:19:  “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places….” (Psalm 18:33 also expresses this same truth.)

Many times I’ve glossed over this verse not really understanding—or bothering to discover—what in the world “hinds feet on high places” really suggests. But then, I learned more about mountain goats—yes, mountain goats. 

If you look in the Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, the word translated “hind” is a wild goat or a mountain goat.  

Now, I’ve never seen one of these goats in action personally, but thankfully, others have captured it.  Check out this video:

On high rocks and near-vertical cliffs that I imagine would make your average goat a bit wary to say the least, these mountain goats scale them with ease and confidence, not cowering in fear but at peace. They are perfectly at home on these precarious heights, as God has created and equipped them for this environment. 

As National Geographic explains, “Mountain goats have cloven hooves with two toes that spread wide to improve balance. Rough pads on the bottom of each toe provide the grip of a natural climbing shoe. Mountain goats are powerful but nimble and can jump nearly 12 feet in a single bound.”

I love how the Amplified version translates this verse: “The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility].” 

The word translated “strength” here is chayil, whose meaning includes “an army…valor”. 

Just as God gives mountain goats the feet they need to scale the high places, so the Lord is our Strength—our bravery and valor—and He equips us to “not stand still but walk” and even “make [spiritual] progress” in situations that by all appearances instill terror.

Looking around us today, fear is having a heyday. And I’m certainly not immune to its attempts at control. 

But as we fix our eyes on Jesus and look to Him, we’ll be reminded that He alone is our Strength. He alone is our bravery. And He alone gives us the “hinds’ feet” that are able to walk confidently through times of difficulty.  

So many things people trusted in have been lost in just a matter of weeks—the world is looking for something sure and certain. But the only sure footing to be found is in Jesus. 

As God says in Isaiah 45:22: “Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

Let’s fix our eyes on Him.