Habakkuk: Do Not be Discouraged

“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!
You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
The cup in the LORD’s right hand
will come around to you,
and utter shame will come upon your glory!
The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.

Habakkuk 2:15-17

Habbakuk’s fourth woe condemns Babylon with the punishments they had done to others. Not only had they killed people and destroyed cities (as also mentioned in verse 8), but they also committed violence against land (Lebanon) and beasts, sowing terror among the people and animals.

Beasts

It’s understandable how God condemns Babylon for their crimes against other people. However, God is also concerned about their treatment of animals, too. The word beast (Hebrew behemah) appears throughout the Bible, beginning at creation (Genesis 1:24-25). Adam named all the beasts (Genesis 2:20). The word can encompass both wild and domesticated animals, although it seems to more frequently be those domesticated (translated “livestock”).

After the flood, God allowed Noah to eat animals (probably because the plants had been wiped out and they would need something to eat for a year to two). Then God made a covenant with Noah and his family along with the beasts: “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock (behemah), and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth” (Genesis 9:9-10). Not only does God care for people, but he also cares for the animals: “He gives to the beasts (behemah) their food, / and to the young ravens that cry” (Psalm 147:9).

It seems sin interrupted the relationship between people and animals. The Fall did not just affect people, but the animals, too. The Apostle Paul views the whole creation as groaning for God to fix this broken world (Romans 8:18-23). Isaiah looks forward to a day when all animals will get along (Isaiah 11:6-9, 65:25).

Do Not Fear

Habakkuk says the invaders destroyed the beasts. The animals’ devastation terrified them.

One of the most repeated commands in the Bible is “Do not fear” or “Do not be afraid”. For example, when commissioning Joshua, the Lord tells him, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

There’s another piece that often goes along with that command, however: “do not be dismayed”. What does that mean? The word “dismayed” is the same as the Hebrew word “terrified” in Habakkuk 2:17, the word חָתַת (chatat). This word encompasses the idea of feeling terrified, dismayed, or shattered.

The first image I have of something being shattered is a broken window, breaking into a thousand little, sharp pieces. If an army is shattered, the soldiers may flee in multiple directions. Have you ever felt life is falling apart?

We see discouraged people in the Bible. When Saul and the people heard Goliath’s taunt, “they were dismayed (chatat) and greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:11). While King Ahaz fretted about an impending attack, God comforted him that “within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered (chatat) from being a people” (Isaiah 7:8).

When commissioning Jeremiah, the Lord tells him to “say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed (chatat) by them, lest I dismay (chatat) you before them” (Jeremiah 1:17). Jeremiah would have a very difficult message to deliver that could easily discourage him. When we feel dismayed/discouraged/shattered, maybe God wants to tell us, “Pull yourself together! I am with you!”

To Ponder…

How does God expect us to treat animals?

What is it like to feel dismayed or discouraged? What does God want us to do instead?

Here are a few other examples of the pairing of God’s command to not fear or be dismayed: Deuteronomy 1:21, 31:8, 1 Chronicles 22:13, 28:20, 2 Chronicles 20:17, 32:7, Jeremiah 30:10, 46:27. Why are we not to be afraid or discouraged?

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