Birds of the Bible
3. The Pigeon – Bird of Sacrifice
“And to offer a sacrifice according to
that which is said in the law of the Lord,
A pair of turtledoves, or two young
pigeons”
(Luke 2:24)
Image: morguefile.com
If you have studied birds at all, then you will have discovered one thing. It can be difficult to tell them apart! One species may look like another in shape, size and colour. Often the best way to identify a bird is to listen to its call or to observe it in flight. Even then it may not be easy to know which is which.
When we come to the birds of the Bible there are difficulties too! The names given to the different birds mentioned there do not always tell us exactly what they are. For instance, we read of the dove, the turtledove and the pigeon. These all belong to the one family, which has hundreds of species. Generally the larger species are called pigeons and the smaller species are known as doves.
You will be familiar with the wild pigeon which inhabits our towns and cities in great numbers, feeding on scraps and roosting on large buildings. The common or domestic pigeon has long been used as a source of food and has also been bred to produce a great variety of shape and colour. But perhaps the most famous pigeon breed is the carrier pigeon. With its remarkable ‘homing’ instinct and rapid flight it has been used to carry messages since Roman times. Today these homing pigeons are entered in races. When released they can find their way back to their lofts from a distance of 500 miles or more!
We can learn a great lesson from this bird. Whenever the pigeon is mentioned in the Bible it is always in connection with the same subject: sacrifice. Do you know what a ‘sacrifice’ is? A sacrifice is a life set apart from other uses and offered up to God. The message of the gospel is that for sinners like ourselves a special sacrifice was needed to save us.
God commanded man to offer sacrifices. The first sacrifice made was when animals were killed to provide coats of skins for Adam and Eve after their fall (Gen.3:21). Abel their son offered to God the best of his flock (Gen. 4:4). Noah sacrificed animals and birds after he came out of the ark (Gen.8:20). Abraham prepared carcases the day God made a covenant with him (Gen.15:9,10). Sacrifice then was at the centre of Israel’s worship.
Under the law of Moses there were various kinds of animal sacrifice offered by the people and their priests but they had one thing in common. They involved the shedding of blood. They represented a life given up in death on behalf of others. Together these sacrifices pictured the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary and prepared Israel for his coming. What does the pigeon, the bird of sacrifice, teach us about Christ?
The pigeon was a clean bird according to the law. This meant that God allowed it to be used for food. Birds of prey, those that live by eating flesh, were forbidden. But not all birds which were fit for food were to be offered on the altar. Of all the clean birds only pigeons and doves were appointed for sacrifice. There is something attractive about their character which speaks of Christ. Are they not symbols of purity and gentleness? In his life Jesus was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26). He “offered himself without spot to God” (Heb.9:14).
Only the poor offered pigeons. Others would bring a lamb. When Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple (to be presented to the Lord) they offered a sacrifice of birds (Luke 2:24). It revealed how poor they were. So Christ was born into a lowly home. It was part of that humiliation which was necessary for our salvation. He “made himself of no reputation”; he “humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil.2:7,8).
It was young pigeons that were sacrificed. Does that not remind you of our Lord? When Jesus began preaching and teaching publicly he was “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23). This was the age at which priests began their service in the temple. Yet only three years later the earthly ministry of our great High Priest was at an end: he was “cut off out of the land of the living” (Isa.53:8). But Daniel shows us that Christ died as a sacrifice for others: he was “cut off, but not for himself” (Dan.9:26).
Two pigeons were presented for sacrifice. There were two great offerings in Israel. In the sin offering the bird was killed and some its blood sprinkled upon the altar (Lev.5:7-9). In the burnt offering the bird was killed and its carcase burned to ashes upon the altar (Lev.1:14-17). Christ has fulfilled both of these!
Jesus offered “one sacrifice for sins for ever” (Heb.10:12) when he died on the cross for his people. He became a sin offering, bearing their sins. He became a burnt offering, suffering in their place. Such was his devotion to God and his love to men. Jesus saves sinners by his own supreme sacrifice! Are you then trusting in his precious blood?
