Edwin Markham the great poet one day told his five year old boy Virgil that there is
poetry in everything--a tree, a board, a stone, a cliff; in food and drink or day and dark--in
everything. Virgil stood looking out the window, and he saw a birds nest. He urged his
father to come and look, and said defiantly, "there's a bird's nest, father! Let's see you write
a poet about it!" Markham accepted the challenge. He sat down and wrote one of the most
beautiful poems of his career.
There are three green eggs in a small brown pocket,
And the breeze will swing and the gale will rock it,
Till three little birds on the thin edge teeter,
And our God be glad and the world be sweeter!
This poem is biblical in content for the Bible supports that broad statement that the birth
of birds makes God glad and the world sweeter. When God created the birds He saw that it
was good, and he blessed them and commanded them to multiply on the earth. They obeyed,
and there are now between 8 and 9 thousand different kinds of birds on the earth. God is a
lover of beauty and variety.
The value of birds is not limited to being objects of beauty to inspire poetry, however. In
Gen. 1:26 God made man to have dominion over the birds of the air. Man has done this, and
has used birds for a variety of practical values. All through history birds have been a great
help to man, and they have saved many lives. In the ancient world of the East they were so
important for clearing the land of dead animals and insects that laws were passed
authorizing the death penalty for anyone to who killed them. They were man's original
garbage disposals. Today they play a health role by being used for experiments.
There military value has been known for centuries. Few people realize that birds helped
the allies defeat Germany. England had between 50 and 75 thousand birds in military
service. Every bomber carried one or two pigeons to race back with and SOS in case of
trouble. Dived bombing hawks were trained to knock German carrier pigeons out of the sky.
Others were trained to help and see rescue work, and are credited with saving many British
and American lives.
We are all aware of the increase use of birds as pets, and of trained birds for
entertainment in the circus. The question for us, however, is not, do birds have a variety of
poetic and practical values, but do they have theological values? That is, do they play an
important enough role in God's word to justify the use of pulpit time for their
consideration? Can a sermon on the birds be Biblical and valuable in fulfilling a Biblical
purpose? The answer is, not only is a Biblical sermon on birds possible, it is essential if one
is to proclaim the whole counsel of God. Birds play a role in Scripture that is beyond the
imagination of the average Christian. There are three hundred references to birds in the
Bible, and many of them with significant messages. If we are to live by every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God, then we must give some time to the study of birds. Many
of the great Bible characters were bird lovers and much of the finest bird poetry has been
written by Christians.
Jesus was a bird lover, and bird watcher, and used these feathered friends often in His
teaching. In fact, He used them more than any other creature. Alice Parmelee, in her book,
ALL THE BIRDS OF THE BIBLE, writes, "The Bible is rich in its appreciation of nature,
but it contains nothing to equal Jesus' awareness of the wonder and beauty and meaning of
creation. All nature was to him a finger pointing to God." It is by His authority and
command that we are studying the birds. In Matt. 6:26 as Jesus sat on the hillside teaching
He pointed to the birds overhead and said, "Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow
nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?" Jesus points our eyes to the birds as illustrations of God's care. He also
said not a sparrow falls without God's knowledge. When he sought for an illustration of
what he wanted His disciples to be, He urged them to be wise as serpents but harmless as
doves. He used birds in His parables of the sower and the mustard seed, and on other
occasions, which we shall see later.
The key text is Matt. 23:37 where Jesus compares His love and compassion for Israel to
the love of a mother hen. He said, "How often would I have gathered your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not." In this verse Jesus takes
on Himself the image of God in the Old Testament where wings are constantly referred to as
the believers place of protection.
Psalm 17:8 "Hide me in the shadow of your wings" cries David as he seeks a refuge.
Psalm 36:7 "The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings."
Psalm 61:4 "O to be safe under the shelter of your wings."
Psalm 63:7 "In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy." And there are many others.
Bird life and theology are linked together all through the Bible. The Third Person of the
Trinity-the Holy Spirit, is symbolized as a dove. He took upon Himself the form of a dove at
the baptism of Jesus. The very first image we have of God in the Bible is in Gen. 1:2 where
we see the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters. The image is of a bird without
spread wings fluttering over its nest protectively. The Hebrew word here is the very same
word used in Deut. 32:11 where we read of God's care for Israel. "Like an eagle that stirs up
its nest, that flutters over its young." This image has found its way into numerous hymns.
Under His Wings is the best known, but we sing of God's wings often. Here are a few
examples.
1. "Praise ye the Lord who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, Yea, so gently sustainth.
2. "How oft in grief hath he not brought relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee."
3. "Be not dismayed what'er betide, God will take care of you.
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you."
We see that not only the Bible, but our hymnology also is filled with bird imagery. People
in Bible lands, in Bible times were more conscious of birds than we are. They were closer to
nature, and their way of life led them to observe the birds. In what use to be Canaan, and
then Palestine, and which is now Israel, there are 360 to 400 species of birds. The land is
only 140 miles long, and so a high-flying eagle can actually see the whole length of the land
from Dan to Beersheba. The Bible has 50 different Hebrew and Greek names for birds of
that land.
God gave laws to His people concerning birds. In Deut. 22:6-7 we read, "If you come
across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is
sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the
young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that is may go well with you and you may have a
long life." God takes birds so seriously that obedience to His concern about them leads to
the same blessing as respect for ones parents. Motherhood is sacred not just in human life,
but in bird life as well. The ideas of animal sanctuaries, game preserves, and humane
societies all grow out of God's love for, and compassion for birds and animals. God even
made His temple a bird sanctuary. In Psalm 84:3-4 we read, "Even the sparrow has found a
home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-a place near your
altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you." Here we see birds and believers together in the temple praising
their creator.
We cannot begin to cover all that the Bible says about birds, but we want to start at the
beginning and go as far as we can. This first chapter of Genesis tells us that God created
birds before man, and so birds are older than man, and lived on earth before man, and this
fits the facts of science. They have seniority in time, but man was made to have dominion
over them--to raise them, kill them, eat them, train them, enjoy them, for they are for man.
In Gen. 2:19-20 we come upon the father of bird watchers and ornithology. This passage
says Adam gave names to all the birds of the air. Adam had to observe and study the birds
to give them fitting names. God expected man to study all of nature for this was the only way
he could have dominion over it. As we move on the drama of the fall of man we do not see
birds playing any role. Birds cannot choose to defy God. They remain loyal to God, and
when man is put out of the Garden of Eden, the birds continue to enjoy its beauty and fruit.
God in Jer. 8:7 contrasts the obedience of birds with the disobedience of men. "Even the
stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe
the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord." God
is the greatest bird watcher of all, for He gets delight from them even when men are a great
disappointment. God glories in His creation, and in Psalm 50:10-11 God says with a sense of
honest pride that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and then adds, "I know every bird in
the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine." Don't knock the birds, for they give
God pleasure, for they did not fall as man did.
When God's cup of wrath was filled, and He destroyed man in the flood, all living
creatures had to suffer and die with man, but birds were preserved in the Ark along with
man and all other creatures. When the Ark came to rest, the roll of birds is magnified. They
became the stars of the drama, and Noah was dependent on them. Only a bird could find
land and be a messenger in those unique conditions of a flooded world. All human and
animal life was helpless. Only a bird could be of any use. The bird, therefore, has the honor
of being the first valuable servant of man after the world was destroyed. The bird to have
this honor, plus the honor of being the first mentioned in the Bible is the raven. In Gen. 8:6-
7 we read, "After 40 days Noah opened the window he had made in the Ark and sent out a
raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up on the earth."
Noah had become a bird watcher in the Ark, if he was not one before, for he knew the
nature of the raven and decided it was the bird most likely to succeed. It is the bird that uses
its brain the most. It can be taught to say a few words. It can fly long distances without
stopping and has no fear of storms. It was also the bird most likely to return with something
it found. They loved to pick up things and they are very attached to their mates and remain
united for life. But the raven apparently perched on top of the Ark, going to and fro until
the water dried up and never came back inside. Some have concluded that the raven failed
Noah, and even deserted him. Stories have developed saying that the raven was once white,
but was turned black as punishment for deserting Noah. Bird lovers, however, know that the
raven's sin is only in the imagination of the critic, for the Bible reveals admiration for the
raven as well as the dove. In the Song of Songs 5:11-12 we read the description of a
handsome lover. "His head is purest gold; his hair is wavy and black as a raven. His eyes
are like doves by the waters streams, ...." Black like a raven is a compliment like tall, dark
and handsome.
The proof that Noah's choice was wise and that the raven did not fail is found in the fact
that when God wanted a feathered servant to do a job, he also selected the raven. In I Kings
17 we read of God telling Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith, and in verse four He says,
"You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." The
obedience of the ravens was swift, and verse 6 says, "The ravens brought him bread and
meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook." The
tradition of the ravens being helpful passed down even through pagan sources. And ancient
Babylonian tablet has this inscription--"A raven, the bird that helps the Gods." Shakespeare
picked up this on this idea in THE WINTER TALE. He has a character say as he is forced
to expose an infant to death, "Come on poor babe: Some powerful spirit instruct the kites
and ravens to be thy nurses."
The raven is a symbol of God's care, and it is singled out as the bird that God makes sure
to get fed. In Job 38:41 we read, "Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out
to God and wander about for lack of food." Psalm 147:9 says, "He provides food for the
cattle and for the young ravens when they call." Most interesting of all is the fact that Jesus
singles them out also, and in Luke 12:24 says, "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or
reap, they have no store room or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable
you are than birds!"
Jesus tells us to consider the raven--look at them--study them, and seek God's care for
them, and learn that He cares more for you. This makes it clear that it is right, and even a
part of God's will, that ravens find food according to their habits as God made them. It is
not evil that raven eat dead and rotting animals. Their association with death has lead to
them becoming known as birds of doom. We could spend an hour just looking at the
superstitions connected with ravens. The only negative thing in the Bible is that they are on
the list of birds not to be eaten in Lev. 11:13-19. There are 20 birds in that list which are an
abomination. This simply means they were unfit for human consumption. They were the
fish and flesh eaters, and their meat was just not good.
The ravens habit of eating the eyes of its victims first has led to numerous references in
literature. The proverb is, "Nourish a raven and he will scratch out thine eyes." Children
were warned to obey their parents or the raven would get their eyes. The origin of this is
Proverbs 30:17. "The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be
pecked out by the ravens of the valley...." This is equivalent to the saying of our day, be
good or the ghost will get you. The raven is associated with ghosts all through history. In
Swedish folklore ravens are the ghosts of murdered people who have not had Christian
burial. In Russia, a witch's spirit takes the form of a raven. Pagan folklore uses the raven
for an evil symbol. In some cases they are lucky, but are usually symbols of bad luck.
Swainson writes,
To see one raven is lucky, tis true,
But its certain misfortune to light upon two,
And meeting with three is the devil!
The Bible should keep Christians from having any of many foolish superstitions of the
pagan world in connection with ravens. The raven is a faithful servant of God, and the first
pioneer to fly into the new world from Noah's ark. Let us use this knowledge to stir up
interest in the word of God. Time does not allow us to study the second bird Noah let loose
from the ark. There are at least 46 references to this most famous Bible bird, the dove.
The Bible is a literal aviary filled with feathered friends and fascinating facts to give the
Christian a foundation for speaking of God's glory at the sight of any bird. Every wing in
the sky is a flying witness to the care and providence of God. William Cullen Bryant, as a
young man, was discouraged about his future as he walked across the hills. His eye caught a
solitary bird winging its way over the horizon. This sight inspired him and he wrote his
famous poem, "To a Waterfoul." It is long, but one stanza goes like this-
He who from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.
A bird spoke to him of God's providential guidance, and he was encouraged, and his faith
was uplifted. This was no accident, for God intends for birds to be His messengers. The
saying, "A little birdie told me," comes from the Bible. In Eccles. 10:20 we are warned to be
aware of evil thoughts and words, "...because a bird of the air may carry your words and a
bird on the wing may report what you say." There is just no getting around the importance
of the role of birds. God loves birds and birds love God. There are thousands of bird lovers
who could be led to love their creator if Christians would learn more about what the Bible
says about them and share it with people. Jesus said, "Behold the birds of the air, "with the
idea in mind that we would learn from them the values he intends to convey through them.
Let us be aware that the study of birds is not for the birds, but is for the glory of God
