Topical Studies
Bird as Symbol
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Proverbs 26:2 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
The difficulty in understanding this verse is understanding the bird imagery. The sense that is being conveyed is that of a bird flying aimlessly, with no goal or intent—just drifting on the breeze. The chances of such a bird arriving at a specific destination are miniscule. In the same manner, it is nearly impossible for a curse to come upon a person who has not warranted it. It is another way of saying, "We reap what we sow": If one sows righteousness, he will reap good things. If he sows evil, he will reap evil fruit. The blessings and curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 provide examples of this. If Israel (and by extension, Christians, the "Israel of God" mentioned in Galatians 6:16) obeyed God, they would be blessed. If they disobeyed God, they would be cursed. The flipside of this proverb is that if a curse lands upon a person, the obvious conclusion is that there is a reason for it. If a bird lands somewhere (to use the imagery of the verse), it is because that was its goal. Thus, if we find that a curse has landed on us, such as terror, terrible diseases, poor crops, military defeat, drought, plagues, etc. (Leviticus 26:16-21), it is simply an affirmation that we caused it by our own idolatry, Sabbath-breaking, and overall disobedience to God (Leviticus 26:1-3, 14-15).
David C. Grabbe
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Matthew 13:4 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
It does not sound good that the birds eat the seed—and it is not. The "birds of the air" are a negative symbol. In verse 19, instead of saying "birds of the air," Jesus interprets them as "the wicked one" devouring the seed. In his version, Mark uses the specific word "Satan," and similarly, Luke has "the Devil." Notice Genesis 15:11, where Abraham is making a covenant with God: "And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away." What were the vultures doing? They were interfering between God and man, trying to defile Abraham's sacrifice. Deuteronomy 28:26, a somewhat different context being within the Blessings and Cursings chapter, has this as a curse: "Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away." God promises that there would be no Abraham around, as it were, to fend off the birds. "Birds of the air" is a negative symbol. Revelation 18:2 really nails it down: And [an angel] cried mightily with a loud voice, saying Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! What are the "birds of the air"? Demons! They try to get us when we are young in the church. Like the lion of I Peter 5, they go for the stragglers, the weak, and the newborn, because they are the easy pickings. What is step one of Satan's plan against the church? Attack God's people early in their calling. Distract them. Persecute them. Crush them—before they are strong enough to resist.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part 1): The Mustard Seed
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