For the Birds

Matthew 6:26-30 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” 

Executive Director of the Creation Studies Institute – Tom DeRosa writes that one of the most poetic sets of verses in the Bible is found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:26-30. Our Lord sets a picturesque illustration of our heavenly Father as the ultimate provider and caretaker of His creation. He points our focus to things we experience here on earth that we can’t help but admire for their own unique beauty, like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Every human being can experience and admire them with an awareness that God reminds us not to worry about material things like the food we will eat or the clothes we will wear. This is because our heavenly Father has those bases covered. He has a special love for us: “Are you not of more value than they?”  Similarly, our focus should be on Him and His eternal plan for us.

Who has not seen a bird defy gravity and soar freely in the air? Their specially-designed feathers dress them in an array of fascinating colors and the most pleasing sounds can be heard out of the tiniest mouths of these fascinating creatures. They sing their own songs depending on the kind of bird, and all this is sustained by the harmonious plan of their benevolent Creator.

Our Lord tells us that they have a different plan of life than man who has to “sow and reap” for his food, but birds have their own designed biological niche. Evolutionists fail to recognize that flight requires such intricate and uniquely specialized anatomical structures that it is inexcusable to think flight is not designed. Natural Selection dramatically fails to explain the origin of flight because these creatures are distinct. The Darwinian macro-Evolution theory is “for the birds” - (an idiom meaning worthless, undesirable).

 One can easily see that birds are unique and that biologists place them in a class by themselves. They are in the taxonomical Class Aves, with this group numbering close to 10,000 different species. It is ironic that the Creator in His Sermon on the Mount would use the illustration of a bird to teach us spiritual truth. Also, because of the beauty and so many other attractive characteristics that birds exhibit, this creature has a special place in many cultures. Man can never achieve what God has accomplished in the ultimate design of the bird. All of the intricate design of all life on earth is a testament to His glory for all to behold. We can only mimic what our heavenly Father has put in motion. He has everything in His hands, and He alone is worthy to be praised!