The
birds of the Bible will teach us who the Lord Jesus Christ is. There are some
birds that are never attributed to Christ or human beings. A good example is a
BAT, it is a mammal and a bird at the same time, and it is a hypocrite. It is
not a good bird to associate a human being with.
We
shall consider six (6) birds of the Bible.
1. The Dove
-The
terms dove and pigeon are used interchangeably, although smaller species are
more likely to be called doves. Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with
short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Song of songs 5: 12
says “His eyes are as the eyes of the doves by the rivers of waters, washed
with Milk, and fitly set.”
This verse is talking about one who is describing her beloved one
-The
dove is the most important bird in the Bible. It is gentle and so is Jesus
Christ our Lord and savior.
Matthew 11: 28
says “Come unto me, all ye that labour and I will give you rest.” This was Jesus speaking to His
disciples. Christ is ever so tender and yet He is the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. As Christian we need to be like Christ, let us endeavor to be tender.
Galatians 6: 1 says “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself lest thou
also be tempted.” We must be like Christ when it comes to correcting
others. We must have the spirit of Gentleness. If you are not gentle, then you
are simply not a Christian because you must have the fruit of the spirit
-What
about the eyes of the dove? If you keep doves at your home and everyday you
quarrel, the doves will leave your house, they are peaceful birds.
Mark 10: 21 says “Then Jesus beholding him loved him and said unto him, one thing thou
lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” Jesus
looked at him and He looked at him with love. The eyes of the dove speak of
love.
2. The Eagle
-The
eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power,
beauty and independence. It is also part of the Coat of Arms of Zambia and the
nation’s flag. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked
beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They
also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a
distance.
Proverbs 30: 18-19 says “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yeah, four which
I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” An
eagle, when it flies, it goes very high up in the sky but its eyes are sharp
that it can see a fish down in the sea and quickly get down to capture it.
-An
eagle is the only bird that can fly against the storm.
Luke 8: 22 – 25 says “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with
his disciples: and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the
lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep and there came
down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in
jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we
perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and
they ceased, and there was calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith?
And they being afraid wondered, saying one to the other, What manner of man is
this! For he commandeth even the winds and waters, and they obey him.” The storm in this context is a picture
language of the troubles and tribulations.
-If
one has money problems, it’s called a financial storm. If one has a terrible
marriage experience, it’s called a marriage storm…etc
3. The Hen (Chicken)
Matthew 23: 37 says “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not! All this is picture language. The Hen speaks of the protective and
caring nature of Jesus Christ.
-Jesus
died for us, He sacrificed his life, nobody can care and protect like Jesus
Christ.
1 Peter 5: 6-7 says “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
We
quote this verse but many times we miss the text point.
-Jesus
protects us, verse 8 the bible says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” From
Satan we would be demon possessed if it’s not for Jesus Christ.
-God
put a hedge on Job – what happened when the hedge was removed? Satan brought
sickness and all the suffering that befell on Job.
4. The Owl
Owls are a world-wide order of birds
known as Strigiformes and the 216 species range in size from the tiny, sparrow
size, Elf Owl to the Eurasian Eagle Owl which has a wing span of nearly 2
meters and can weigh almost 5kg.
Psalm
102: 6 says “I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the
desert.” Here in this psalm, Jesus is being referred to as an owl. In our
tradition today, an owl is associated with witchcraft and bad things but that
should not be so for a Christian.
Three (3) things about the owl:
(i) It’s the only bird which
stands upright – It speaks of the uprightness of Jesus Christ. It speaks of
the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. He is our savior and sinless was he.
Hebrews
7: 26 says “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Jesus Christ was
sinless. Hebrews 4: 15 says “For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.”
(ii) It has big eyes – yellow and
big – The owl is the only bird that can turn its head 270 degrees and its
vision is excellent. Our Lord Jesus sees everything and he knows everything.
Whether we are winning or losing, may we trust in God and do the right.
(iii). It has a big head –
The big head speaks of two (2) things:
-The
knowledge of God – There is nothing that God does not know. Everything lies
plain in the eyes of God
-The wisdom
of God – It is putting into action the knowledge that one has in Christ like.
In Proverbs
8, Christ is referred to as wisdom, we need wisdom in everything we do.
5. The Sparrow
The sparrows are indigenous to
Europe, Africa and Asia. They are generally birds of open habitats, including
grasslands, deserts, and scrubland. The sparrows are one of the few passerine
birds that engage in dust bathing. Sparrows will first scratch a hole in the
ground with their feet, then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies
with flicks of their wings.
Psalm 102: 7 says “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” The
sparrow is the cheapest bird but that’s not the message here. Sparrows are
never alone, they always flock together. When you see a sparrow alone, it means
three (3) things:
1.
It is not well
2.
Its nest has been destroyed
3.
It has lost its colleagues.
A
lonely sparrow in verse 7 symbolizes the Lord Jesus when he was alone in the
garden of Gethsemane. We must always remember that Christ died for us, he took
our place. He carried the disease of sin, that’s why he was alone.
6. The Pelican
There
are more than half a dozen species of pelicans, but all of them have the famous
throat pouch for which the birds are best known. These large birds use their elastic
pouches to catch fish—though different species use it in different ways. They
store some of the fish in their famous throat pouch.
Many
pelicans fish by swimming in cooperative groups. They may form a line or a
"U" shape and drive fish into shallow water by beating their wings on
the surface. When fish congregate in the shallows, the pelicans simply scoop
them up.
It
speaks of two (2) things:
(i)
Fishers of men – making evangelists. Jesus is known to be a great
evangelist, he was a great pelican. As Christians, it is our duty to spread the
word of God, we ought to be fishers of men.
(ii)
The pelican reminds us that Jesus will provide for us – He provided for
Elijah using the Ravens when the prophets of God were being killed in the time
of King Ahab
Genesis 22 – Remember the story of
Abraham when God commanded him to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac. God
provided Ram just when he was about to strike his son.
John 14 – God provided for the five
thousand people with only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. It was a miracle and
God works in ways we cannot see or understand.
Matthew 17: 24 says “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money
came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?” The bible is
full of picture language; they had no money to pay Tax.
Matthew 17:27 says “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up: and when thou has
opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto
them for me and thee.” This was a miracle.
Indeed
God is Jehovah Jaire – the Lord provides
By Doctor Grave Singogo
The
sinking of the Titanic has been the subject of several books and films,
including the Hollywood blockbuster, Titanic (1998). It was not until
September 1985 that the actual wreck was found resting under about 3,800 m of water. The area was photographed by a joint French-United
States expedition through the use of robot submersibles equipped with
television cameras. In
July 1986 the U.S. researchers, led by American deep-sea explorer Robert
Ballard, explored the Titanic in the three-person Alvin
submersible; they took pictures of the interior, but recovered no artifacts.
The following year a controversial French salvage effort retrieved dishes,
jewels, currency, and other artifacts, which were exhibited in Paris in
September 1987 and in Hamburg in 1997. In August 1998 a substantial section of
the ship’s outer hull was recovered from the sea floor. Surveying and
investigation of the wreck continues.
