Hebrew Highlights 19 – Feet

Shalom, this is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

Are your feet steady? Are your feet on the right path? Are your feet beautiful?

Many of you will have heard the scripture quoted by Paul in the New testament, “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news”. Many songs have been written based on this blessing, and it stands by itself as a truth and promise of God.

However, let’s take a look at the whole sentence, plus a few verses following, from ISA 52:7-10 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the Lord restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.

So, the Good News, includes not only the salvation available to all mankind through Messiah Yeshua, but also the restoration of Jerusalem, and the physical Zion. Indeed, part of our “good news” needs to be the mercies extended to Israel, which are a sign to all of us that the Lord forgives our wanderings, and brings us home to Him.

Our feet are further blessed in HAB 3:18-19, “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”

Now, to truly understand, this scripture, I’m sorry, but you will have to visit Israel, and quite frankly, walk a little ways from the tour bus. The first time I saw the hinds (small mountain deer) in their natural habitat, this scripture passage immediately came to mind. I will try to explain it, but honestly, your heart will never jump at the wonder of this passage, as mine did, until you see your own eyes, feast upon this sight.

If you walk through the valleys of Ein Gedi, on the shores of the Dead Sea, you will see the hinds playing in the place they prefer to call home. On either side you will see steep cliffs, mixed with different strata of rock in many colors. The rock is brittle, sharp, and in many places slippery. Men can only navigate through these hills with the help of carved paths.

But the hinds? They walk up and down these cliffs as if there were nothing to it. From the tiniest newborn fawns, to the big heave old rams, it just literally a hop, skip, and a jump from the cool springs of the valleys, to the shade of the many hidden caves near the hilltops.

Now the hind has maybe the comparatively smallest foot you will ever see on an animal. In fact their legs get thinner and thinner, as you approach the ground, until they seem to disappear into two fine little points. You can actually only see the hooves, because they are black, as opposed to the brown legs. With these tiny little appendages, the hinds are absolutely sure of each step, as they go higher and higher. Both King David and the Prophet Habbakuk asked God to make their feet as strong and sure as hinds feet. We know for certain that David spent a lot of time in Ein Gedi when hiding from Saul. He probably had a lot of time to watch the hinds.

I could go on all day talking about feet, which are mentioned 239 times in the bible. For instance, I could mention PSA 110:1 “The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." This, of course, is a whole teaching in itself. Just as is the example Yeshua gave us when He washed the disciples’ feet.

Instead, I will repeat my original questions? Are your feet steady? Are your feet on the right path? Are your feet beautiful? Just how import are your feet anyway?

I’ll leave you with PRO 4:26, “Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.”

Shalom, Shalom from Jerusalem.