LESSONS LEARNT FROM – ANIMALS IN THE BIBLE

 God has left His fingerprints all over His creations, including us. Each of God’s creation has a divine purpose.  Let us explore how God can use even the weird animals to teach mankind some great truths.

  1. FISH:

When tax time came around, Jesus instructs Peter to go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first to find a piece of money. He then gives direction to pay the tax with that money. (Matthew 17:27).

Lesson learnt: The fish did not want to live with the gold or the talent still within it.  It sacrificed its life to pay the tax money, so that it would fulfill Gods plan. Like the fish let us use our talents to meet the Lord’s purpose. Do not let the gold within you be buried with no use to anyone.

  • DOVE:

Noah sent out a dove to see if the earth was ready for habitation. Then the dove came to him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her mouth. (Gen 8: 11).

Lesson learnt: The dove was ready to bring the good news without hesitation or delay. The dove didn’t succumb to the distractions of everything around it, like the Raven. But was prompt to bring the first sign of new life with a herald of salvation. Thus, the dove became a symbol of restoration and peace. So too, may we be quick to spread the message of Salvation to everyone thereby assuring peace during hard times.

  • ROOSTER:

Peter loved Jesus, but when Jesus was arrested Peter let his fear take over him. Peter denied even knowing Jesus. When the rooster crowed, Peter remembered that this was exactly what Jesus said would happen (Matt 26:36).

Lesson learnt: The Rooster when it crowed was boldly pointing out the faults of Peter. By crowing twice, it made Peter remember the Lord’s prophecy and made him weep bitterly, thereby restoring him back to Jesus. Today, are we bold enough to humbly reprove others without criticizing them? Do we tirelessly proclaim the right message to bring the prodigals back to Jesus, like the rooster crowing twice.

TAKEAWAY:

All of God’s creatures try to accomplish their purpose of their Creation and bring glory to His name. God uses even the lowest of His Creations to be a part of His redemption. How much more can He use His Supreme creation that is you and me if only, we choose to stand faithfully for Jesus because Jesus is always faithful to us.

SACRIFICES MADE BY – ANIMALS IN THE BIBLE

God has done some remarkable things through his fuzzy, winged, flappers and funny creations. In this series we’re exploring how God has used animals to make Himself and His purposes known.

  1. RAVENS:

The Lord told Prophet Elijah to go and hide himself from the wicked King Ahab, by Kerith Brook. Then, God commanded the ravens to bring him bread and flesh in the morning and evening; and he drank of the brook. (I Kings 17:4).

A Fact about Ravens is that they are prone to steal food from others. But at the Lord’s command they Sacrificed their own meal, their time to search for their own food and their own nature, to fulfill the Lords’ command.   

By the sacrifice of the Ravens God fulfilled His purpose of saving the prophet, thereby   Elijah was able to point the True God to the Israelites.

  • DONKEY:

Balak, the Moabite King was an enemy of Israel. He sent for Balaam the prophet to curse the Israelites. On his way, Balaam’s donkey refused to move as it saw the angel, whom God sent to block the path.  Balaam bet his donkey as it would not budge. Then, God gave the donkey the power of speech saying, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28). Finally, Balaam’s eyes were opened to see the angel of the Lord.

A Fact about Donkeys is that they are prone to be foolish. But at the Lord’s command. the donkey sensed the oncoming danger to his master and was determined to protect him. It Sacrificed and patiently bore the pains from his masters blow to fulfill the Lords’ command. By the sacrifice of the donkey God fulfilled His purpose of saving the people of Israel, thereby paving a path for Jesus to be born in their tribe thus bringing salvation to the world at large.

  • WHALE:

Jonah the prophet, refused to obey God to preach the good news to the people of Ninevah. He even ran from Him and what God was calling him to do. “The Lord sent a whale to swallow Jonah, and he was in the belly of the fish, three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17).  After 3 days, at the Lord’s command, the whale spit Jonah on the shores of Ninevah.

 A Fact about whales   is that they are prone to swallow tons and tons of food on a day. But at the Lord’s command, the whale Sacrificed eating and fasted for 3 days and nights so that Jonah would not be crushed by the fishes’ digestive organs. It bore the irritation in its belly and the breathing difficulty only to fulfill the Lords’ command. By the sacrifice of the Whale God fulfilled His purpose of Jonah’s repentance, the salvation of the Ninivites and fulfilling the scriptures about Jesus Resurrection on the third day.

TAKEAWAY:

What is your sacrifice to your Creator to accomplish His plan? Are you ready to sacrifice your time, talent and treasures to redeem souls and to bring Revival to your family, friends and the nation at large.  When God can use animals to make Himself known, how much more can He use you if only you willing surrender to His divine plan of Redemption.

SMALL BUT WISE –LIZARD

Proverbs 30:24,28: “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise.

A lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Who has a toddler obsessed with Lizards? The little critters are fascinating. The way they wriggle and squirm and climb the walls capture the attention of many kids. The fourth creature mentioned in the list of Wee but Wise are Lizards.

ILLUSTRATION:

Lizards climb up higher and higher until it reaches the king’s vision. They always aspire for and set their eyes on greater things.

They do not like to stay on a lower level. But has a desire to climb up higher and build their abode in royal palaces. They want to establish their living in the Kings palace.

SCRIPTURE:

Like the lizards, let us “Seek those things which are above, and set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col 3:1,2). Are you desiring the worldly glory or are you aspiring for heavenly glory? Let us all set our eyes on Christ our precious Jewel. Then all the blessings will follow you.

Even when living on earth, we can build our eternal abode in Heaven. “Store your treasures in heaven for wherever your treasure is, there your heart will also be” (Mat 6:20,21). May we use our worldly resources and make friends. Then, when our earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome us in the eternal home. (Luk 16:9).

TAKE AWAY:

 We are called to have the perspective of a lizard, destined to live in the presence of the King of Heaven. Thus, our Eternalhome ought to be our Creator’s castle. It ought to be the residence of everything that is royal, where we can take hold of those silver sockets of redemption for ourselves.

May God help us to have the exceeding wisdom of these FOUR Wee but Wise Creatures.

SMALL BUT WISE – LOCUST

Proverbs 30:24,27: “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise.

Locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks.

In the 1999 NBA semifinals, the San Antonio Spurs knew the wisdom of the locusts. They destroyed the LA Lakers like a plague. The Spurs were out there as a team, swarming around that basketball court until they swept the Lakers in 4 out of 7 games. That is lesson of the locusts—the power of teamwork and unity.

ILLUSTRATION:

Locusts have no king but all of them go out in ranks. When they are in unity, they can topple kingdoms. They have oneness of mind and spirit. They move like an army with unbroken ranks under the strictest discipline.

Locusts’ movements are amazingly incredible. While in flight, Locusts skillfully move in the direction of the wind. The Bible records, when the Lords anger was on Egypt, “The LORD brought an east wind upon the land and brought the locusts (Exo  10:13).

Thirdly, they heed to sounds and they rise up together. By rubbing their legs and wings against their body, locusts make a humming sound. When they hear this hum, they react immediately and Rise up.

SCRIPTURE:

Let us take the lead from locusts. Even king David affirms “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” The gospels also document Jesus building a team of 12, which later multiplies and divides into many teams for spreading the gospel. That is the power of unity and oneness of spirit.

Secondly, moving in the direction of wind denotes the Holy Spirit’s Guidance. If we are wise like the locust, we will yield ourselves to Spirits direction. Then our life will fulfill His divine purpose. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8).

Thirdly, are we heeding to the voice of God in our lives? (Exodus 15:26) says, “If you diligently heed the voice of God and do what is right in His sight” then He will be our Redeemer. When we learn to tune in to the frequency of God’s voice, then when the trumpet sounds and Jesus comes in glory, we can Rise up like the locust and be with Him forever.

TAKE AWAY:

If insects can achieve such remarkable things through unity, moving as the wind leads and heeding to the voices for Rising up, then how much more the children of God could accomplish for His glory. May this become our Lifestyle!

SMALL BUT WISE – CONIES

Proverbs 30:24,26: “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise.

The conies are but a feeble folk yet make they their houses in the rocks.

Not many people take conies out for a walk on a lease. They are considered as poor and weak beings. They do not have stings like the scorpions or horns like the Rhinos for protection.

ILLUSTRATION:

Conies are not strong enough to defend themselves. So, what do they do? They are wise to make their houses in the rocks by digging deep. When a predator attacks them, they know where their security lies. They run to their hiding place of refuge. Conies move to higher ground and position themselves in rocks, which is also a place of strength. 

I love Conies because they are wise to build and establish themselves in a solid foundation. This protects them from all the turmoil of nature and makes them fearless.

SCRIPTURE:

To whom do you run during your hard times? Bible tells us that Jesus is our Rock of Refuge. Like David we should boldly proclaim “He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble, He will lift me high upon a rock. Lead me to the Rock. That is higher than I, for you have been my refuge”.

Secondly, build your life on Jesus Christ the Rock of firm foundation. For no one can lay a foundation other than on Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:11). He will be a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm and the shadow of a great rock. (Isaiah 32:2). Even when troubles and storms blast your life nothing can harm those who build their houses on Jesus the solid Rock.

TAKE AWAY:

Learn to make Jesus your Refuge and Solid Foundation. That is a Conies Rationale! Why fear when the enemy comes with an ammunition to use against you! For the ROCK is on your side!

ANIMALS IN THE BIBLE SERIES SMALL BUT WISE – ANTS

Proverbs 30:24,25: “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:

Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.

Every parent wants to see their children grow in wisdom and live a God-honoring life. Agur was so wise that the Spirit of God included the musings of Agur in the pages of Proverbs. Have you ever seen people owning a pet ant. Sounds weird! Isn’t it? Yet, in Proverbs, the ants are portrayed as a Role Model.

ILLUSTRATION:

Ants are feeble creatures that has little strength, yet it stores up food for the winter. Ants know the seasons and times and stores food. They know how to redeem the time better. They use the summer to prepare for the winter that is lying ahead.

SCRIPTURE:

Like the ants, we are called to redeem our time, while we live in this earth. Even, Jesus demonstrated this through His life. He redeemed His time on earth by even sacrificing food and sleep. He went about doing good and redeeming souls. Jn 9:4 says: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” Day time refers to the period of grace. They do not last forever. So let us use our time wisely.

TAKE AWAY:

Today our world is also moving towards days of darkness. Isaiah 60:2 points “Darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over His people”. May we redeem our time by memorizing the scriptures. Because there will come a time of famine for the Word of God. Happy are those who, like the ants, take thought for things to come! For they are laying up stores in heaven against the times to come.

Dear children of God – Be like the ants. Think of time to come—and be wise to know the seasons and redeem your time.