"HE WILL MAKE ME TO WALK UPON MY HIGH PLACES"

“^[p. 315] HE WILL MAKE ME TO WALK UPON MY HIGH PLACES”

Habakkuk 3:17 - 19

I have been much impressed of late with the volume of poetical material found in the Scriptures. I do not refer to the book of Psalms, although, of course, that also has to be included, but I refer rather to the poetry found throughout the Scriptures other than in the book of Psalms. I have ventured to read from Habakkuk who is one of the poetic prophets. Some of us are enquiring into poetry and music as relating to the service of the Holy Spirit and considerable results have been achieved, So I am encouraged to consider the subject of poetic ministry at this time and the prophet Habakkuk serves for this purpose. You will notice that I have read from the third chapter which commences: “A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth” Habakkuk 3:1. The word signifies elegy, I understand, a sober production occasioned by difficult circumstances. It is a prayer by the prophet Habakkuk “upon Shigionoth” which appears also in the Psalms as a title for poetry. The very fact that it is a prayer would indicate clearly that the prophet was under pressure.

We are not under pressure just now; we have been having a happy time together looking into the Scriptures. The brethren have been very free and happy and I do not wish to interfere with this happy condition, especially as to the young ones here, but desire that they may be encouraged to go forward and in no way feel doleful. We are apt to feel discouraged at times but we should encourage one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching. “The day”, of course, refers to the coming of the Lord, His public coming, and I believe we can see that it is approaching. I am impressed with what is currently abroad amongst men ^[p. 316] indicating that the day of the Lord is near. The Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly” Revelation 22:12. It is nearly two thousand years since those words were uttered. The day has not yet come, but divine rights bearing on these are active, and the rights of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit cannot be questioned. Even if there is delay it must be right. The fact is that God is not willing that any should perish. There is good reason for delay and we do not question it. Some of us would not have been saved if there had not been delay. Therefore one is greatly impressed with the wonderful consideration of God. God is waiting for persons to be saved; He is not willing that any should be lost. There are persons that are lost, alas, but God is not willing that any should be lost but that all should come to repentance.

Now I wish to proceed with my word as to this remarkable prophet, Habakkuk, and to call attention to the fact that he was not discouraged; whatever happened he was not discouraged. We should all be on that line for it is not the time for discouragement but for encouragement. God is the God of all encouragement. Wonderful fact! All encouragement! And so the prophet was not discouraged. He wrote in the character of an elegy, a mode which God is pleased to use in His service, and he said:

“Jehovah, I heard the report of thee, and I feared.
Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known:
In wrath remember mercy!” Habakkuk 3:2,3.

That is how the prophet approaches this great subject. And in order to get to his point we will refer to verse 17:

“For though the fig-tree shall not blossom,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
The labour of the olive-tree shall fail,
And the fields shall yield no food …” Habakkuk 3:17.

^[p. 317] It is a very dismal situation, an indication of very bad times. One has seen financially bad times in this country, but there are none now, thank God, for we might say that conditions are prosperous from a business point of view. But then the prophet says that although there may be these conditions, although they may happen, he will rejoice though

“The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in Jehovah,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength,
And he maketh my feet like hinds’ feet,
And he will make me to walk upon my high places”. Habakkuk 3:17 - 19.

I have read the scripture over again that we may get a full view of it so as to hold it in our souls and be encouraged, and leave these meetings with encouragement. That is the intent in this word. It is a time of encouragement and the brethren should be encouraged.

The prophet refers first to famine conditions: the fig-tree not blossoming, no fruit in the vines, the olive failing, the fields yielding no food, and the herds being cut off. The fig refers to sweetness; the vines to what strengthens the heart of God and man; the olive yields oil, and the flock yields meat. But these things are lacking. Famine exists. That is the situation in this chapter.

Now I am not going to speak very long; this is but a short word, but I trust that it will be profitable and will send us away encouraged, for, as I said, God is the God of all encouragement. And so, as we go over these items we observe that the prophet speaks of the fig-tree, the vines, the olive tree, the fields and the cattle. All of these items ^[p. 318] speak for themselves, so that I need not comment at length, but I want to come to the final result in the closing lines of the passage. It says, in Habakkuk 3:19 “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet”. That is a remarkable word, that one may possess great agility. We read elsewhere of a hind let loose. It is a feminine word, a word that involves agility, and the prophet is ready to speak about this, saying, “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet”. God is doing that; He is doing it; it is not that He has done it, but He is doing it, so that we are not to be discouraged. The conditions in the earlier verses might discourage but he is cheerful in spite of discouraging conditions, and he says, “Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength” Habakkuk 3:19. Two words are used to make up that divine title. They are much the same, but the title ‘Lord’ has one meaning and Jehovah another; yet they are combined in the mind of the prophet and he says, “Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, and he maketh my feet like hinds’ feet” Habakkuk 3:19.

I want the dear brethren to go away with the sense of deriving strength from Jehovah, the Lord. The title Lord alludes to His authority. It is a very important thing that young people be subject to authority and find strength in Jehovah, the Lord. He makes our feet like hinds’ feet and makes us to walk upon our high places. It is this that I have on my heart, dear brethren, and I want you all to apprehend that you have hinds’ feet; there are such things as hinds’ feet, and that it is a question of the Spirit, for the Spirit of God indwells us and affords us the agility and power for doing great things and doing them quickly and well, without discouragement. And further, “He will make me to walk upon my high places” Habakkuk 3:19. Note that it is my high places. God is in heaven and we are on earth, but we are called to heavenly places, and this thought is to bring about something with us, something of our own, for the prophet says “my feet” and “my high places”. It means that we are to appropriate the Spirit of God and use the Spirit of God, and have a sense of being supported by Him and enabled to proceed to heavenly ground. It is ground that belongs to us on the first day of the week, it is heavenly ground. The assembly is the place for the service of God, and it is to be on high places. We begin relatively low, for we begin at the Lord’s supper, but we proceed higher and higher. That is the principle of the service of God — higher and higher yet. So that this passage is adapted to what I am speaking about for we are to have our feet on high places, walking on them. The prophet had power to walk on them, and to walk on them steadily and quickly. And so God got something out of it, for the passage concludes: “To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments” Habakkuk 3:19. The Spirit of God is in it and giving strength to advance on to higher and heavenly ground.

And so I commit all this to the dear brethren, especially the young ones here, that we may learn to acquire these feelings and these experiences through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and that we may proceed together in holy unity on our high places. “And he will make me to walk on my high places” Habakkuk 3:19. These are high places which we have already experienced, and may have known for years, to some extent, so that we can claim them as our own. I would urge it upon all here to enter upon them and become accustomed to them and call them our own, so that when the time comes for the service of God we are ready for it, and whatever the outward circumstances may be, to enter upon our high places and rejoice in Jehovah and joy in the God of our salvation.