Birds of the Bible
8. The Hawk – Bird of Wisdom
“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her
wings toward the south?”
(Job 39:26)
Image: © FreeFoto.com
It is a sad fact that some clever people wish to deny that this world is God’s world. They do not believe that God made everything in the beginning and sustains everything in the present. Instead they want us to believe that there is a natural explanation for the universe and all its parts. Yet to open our eyes each morning and to gaze upon the great variety of skies, landscapes and living things is to know otherwise. There is such breathtaking beauty and such obvious design. We live in a world of wonders!
One such wonder is the migration of birds. You may know something about this. Some species of bird are present in the same place all year round but there are other species which spend one season of the year in one part of the world and the rest of the year in another part. Some birds come to Britain in the warm summer months and then return south to escape the cold winter. Can you think of any?
Perhaps you and your family have been on holiday recently. It meant a journey by car, train or plane. Usually you spend your holiday in this country but perhaps occasionally you go to another country. Some people travel to lands thousands of miles away for their holidays. Careful planning is required for such a journey and we will need a map if we are going to a new land.
The wonder of migrating birds is that every year they fly thousands of miles across land and sea in all weathers to arrive at the same point from which they came months before! And with the young birds which are born and reared in the spring and summer the flight is even more remarkable. They fly away to a country from which their parents came but which they have never seen! And they go to exactly the right place!
Here God is speaking to Job about this very thing. He is showing him the difference between man’s power and God’s power. Taking the hawk as an example he says to Job, Is it through your teaching, or by man’s instruction, that this bird knows the time to take flight, and the direction to go to find a warmer climate? No! It is by an instinct which I have put into her. It is really something beyond our understanding.
Hawks and falcons are small birds of prey. They include common species like the kestrel, often seen hovering by roadsides and even in towns as it seeks its food, and rare species like the peregrine, which swoops spectacularly on its unsuspecting victim from a great height. Certain hawks and falcons arrive here in April, breed, and then leave in September to winter in Africa.
Such creatures are clearly guided by an intelligence which is not their own, by a wisdom which is not of this world. They can teach us, for as lost sinners we also need God’s wisdom. There are three lessons to learn from the hawk and its flight.
The hawk flies surely. She heads towards the south, the direction she must go for her good. As sinners you and I need to return to God – but how? It is the Holy Scriptures which are able to make us “wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2Tim.3:15). If we follow the instructions of men we shall go astray. This is what happens in those religions which reject or neglect the Bible. People listen to what popes and priests and others say but “the world by wisdom knew not God” (1Cor.1:21). Those who follow men alone will be far from God and in danger.
How can we understand what the Bible teaches? Jesus told his disciples of the Holy Spirit whom he would send. He said, “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). If we pray to God for help then we shall have it. Christ also gives us faithful ministers who tell us what the Bible teaches. With God’s help they preach the gospel to you “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven” (1Pet.1:12).
The hawk flies swiftly. She stretches her wings and makes good progress. She is fleeing from the cold and darkness of the approaching winter. If we are truly wise then we will turn our back upon sin and flee from the wrath to come. We will live as “strangers and pilgrims” in this world as we run the race of life. Why waste your time on foolish things and passing things when you will soon be in eternity? “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end” (Prov.19:20).
The hawk flies safely. She stays on course and gets home at last. Her flight requires strength and perseverance and this God gives her. It is the same with the believer. Jesus said, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matt.10:22). Some people seem full of faith and zeal for God but later go back. We ourselves may have doubts and fears but if we seek the Lord’s help in our troubles we shall be safe. God will bring each one of His people to the haven of heaven they desire to see (Psa.107:30). Be wise then, and fly by faith to God for salvation!
