Taught them to keep their young “near God’s altar, where they sing praises to Him (Ps. 84:3-4), which song also pleases humans (Ecc. 12:4;
Song 2:12)
b. Like land animals, the Bible mentions a variety of birds, created for various purposes. We discuss some of them, again in groups and some sort of alphabetical order.
The Dove (Turtle dove) and the Pigeon. The dove was first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 8:8-12, when Noah used it to ascertain the end of the flood and the right time to come out of the boat. Here, the dove
“heralded” the new down, new era, just as it heralded the beginning of Christ’s earthly Ministry of redemption of humankind (Mt. 3:16). It is, therefore, generally identified with peace and reconciliation. Other mentions include:
in connection with sacrifice and worship, particularly the turtle dove (Gen. 15:9; Lev. 1:14; 5:7; Lk. 2:24). as Nazarite offering (Nu. 6:10) emblem of purity (Ps. 68:13; Mt. 3:16; 10:16) emblem of affection and humility (Ps. 74:19) emblem of harmlessness (peace) (Mt. 10:16) sign of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:32-34)
There is, therefore, no doubt that the dove is an important animal to God, just as the pigeon, with which the dove is usually offered in sacrifice (Gen. 15:9, Lev. 1:14; Nu. 6:10; Lk. 2:24).
The Eagle, Hawk, Kite, Falcon and Vulture, unlike the dove and pigeon, are large birds of prey, noted for speed and, especially the eagle, sharp eyes. The birds, however, are not always distinctly identified and recognized in the Bible, possibly because the Bible is not so much interested in their names as with the message their God – given features and nature has for humankind.
The Eagle in the Bible is noted for its swiftness (speed) and strength especially its wings, on which it carries its young to very lofty heights.
Thus, the first mention was to describe the way God “carried the Israelites, by His outstretched arm from Egypt to the foot of Mt. Sinai”
(Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11); other mentions are to the same effect (Deut.
32:11) including in the opposite sense of destruction, punishment (Deut.
28:49-50; Jer. 48:40).
The Ostrich, Peacock, etc., receive relatively scanty mention in the Bible.
The peacock was imported by Solomon as part of his vanity. Also called stork, the bird is noted for its beauty and strength (Zec. 5:9)
The pelican is another bird appreciated by humans (Ps. 102:6)
The quail fed the Israelites in the desert (Ex. 16:13; Nu. 11:31; Ps.
105:40)
The sparrow, in Jesus’ teaching represents divine provision (Mt.
10: 29; Lk. 12:6)
Swallows belong to the group of doves and turtle doves.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2
1. Compile a list of animals of the land, sea and air, in tabular form, found in the Bible. Include Bible references where possible.
2. Mention two things, each bird are used for in the Bible (a) in the physical and (b) in the spiritual).
3. Mention two ways God has provided for the care of animals in the Bible. Use real life examples.
3.4 Discussion
Animals form a very important component of the ecosystem of the earth in one very important area: they produce the c a r b o n ( v ) o x i d e ( f o r m e r l y c a l l e d c a r b o n d i o x i d e ) , CO2 which plants use to fulfil their own role in nature. Plants “breathe in” CO2 and “breathe out” oxygen, O2 which animals need to survive. In other words, without animals, especially humans, plant cannot function as they should, and vice versa.
Animals are particularly important in the affairs of humans in providing various raw materials for human use – milk, meat, leather, etc., particularly as a source of protein for body development – growth.
However, by far the most important role of animals is in the area of sacrifices, especially blood sacrifices. The Bible makes it clear that without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin (Heb.9:22) while Christ’s blood is the Blood of the Covenant (Mk.
14:24).
It is, therefore, no surprise that, more than plants, God makes elaborate provisions for the care and protection of animals. He also made them
“wise and wonderful”, beautiful, etc., for His pleasure and will.
At the risk of repetition, we conclude this unit by quoting from your main textbook, p. 157:
Animals … have been given greater prominence by God, compared to plants. In creation, animals were the first to be accorded the status of life (Gen. 1:21; 24-25), and to be blessed (Gen. 1:22). They were only the only set given names by Adam, on God’s order (Gen. 2:19). God also specifically gave the herbs (plants) as food for the animals.
Finally, animal sacrifice is valued higher than other forms of sacrifices.
This divine order is equally borne out in the place of animals in the ecosystem, where plants and animals are intricately linked in a basic pattern of nature that is often called the web of life. Here many kinds of animals keep alive by eating … plants, which themselves rely for their food on the body wastes of animals as well as their (animals) … dead body …
What is missing in the scientific literature is the fact that the role assigned animals is God ordained, under whom they operate. God uses animals to achieve His purpose, and, in the Bible, uses familiar examples to get His message across to humans.
5.0 SUMMARY
We have successfully surveyed the animal world, based on information about them contained in the Bible. The following are some of the topics covered:
i. noted the creation of animals by God, alongside other things in the universe
ii. inventoried animals mentioned in the Bible, many of which are still very much around in present day Israel/Bible land and
elsewhere in the world
iii. noted the special attention given to animals by God
iv. given examples of the ways animals are used in the Bible to convey divine truth, within the context of Jewish (Biblical) culture.
Perhaps the most important single point of emphasis is, as in the other parts of the course, the nature and characteristics of particular animals that have been used to communicate divine message to humans. Bible authors knew these animals quite closely and so drew valuable lessons from them for the sake of humankind generally and their (humans) spiritual development in particular.
Certificate and Diploma
1. Mention three ways animals glorify God.
2. Mention and discuss two important provisions God made for animals to survive.
3. Compile a short list, five each where available (in tabular form) of land, sea and air animals found in the Bible, cite one Bible reference for each mention.
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Anslie, M.D. (1947). Plants and Animals in Tropical Africa: A Manual for Schools. London: Littleworth Press.
Carpenter, A.J. A West African Nature Study.
Faniran, A. (2001). Nature in the Bible: A Commentary on God’s Revelation in His Creation. Sacred Earth Ministry Monograph Series 2. Ibadan: MANASC, Chapter 8 and 9.
Faniran, A. (2001). Man as God’s Image. Ibid, series 1, Chap. 8. The Holy Bible (Different Versions).
CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Content
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Atmospheric Elements, Features and Events 3.2.1 Introduction
3.2.2 Air/Breath/Wind 3.2.3 Clouds
3.2.4 Dew/Fog/Frost, Rain/Rainstorm, Snow, Hail/Hailstorm, etc.
3.2.5 Light/Darkness
3.3 Weather and Climate in the Bible 3.4 Time, Seasons, etc. in the Bible
3.5 The Heavenly Bodies and the Universe 3.6 Discussion
4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment 7.0 References/Further Readings 1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Bible states that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). So far we have been discussing the “earth” part, about which you must have learnt a lot, and about which the Bible speaks a lot. The only exceptions are birds and fowls, which also inhabit part of the heavens, what some people regard as the land or earth part.
Although what is referred to in the bible as “heavens” can be taken to include the entire “outer space” or terrestrial space (the Hebrews as noted earlier actually talk of three heavens, and the Moslems seven), we are here calling attention mainly to what geographers call the atmosphere as well as some heavenly bodies which the Bible mentions and which are visible to and observed/studied by humans.
The approach to the study will be similar to the previous ones, as shown below.
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
discuss the earth’s atmosphere and outer space
examine the elements, features and events associated with the lower atmosphere
explain the elements, features, events and bodies mentioned in the Bible.
The goal is to unravel the linkage between the physical knowledge and its spiritual application as found in the Bible.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 Introduction
The dictionary interprets “heavens” to mean ‘sky’ (also used in the Bible), or the outer space as seen from the earth, in which the sun, moon and stars are as well as where the saints and even God live, i.e. the space around the earth.
Since our main reference in this course is the Holy Bible, however, we need to explore further, to start with, what constitute the three heavens of the Hebrew/Bible.
These are:
the home of the birds and clouds, partly touched in unit 9, but constituting the major area of interest in this unit. It is also called the lower atmosphere or troposphere.
the home of the sun, moon and stars (Ps. 19:11), also partly of interest in this unit the home of the angels and departed souls (2 Cor.
12:2), not of interest to the course, except in the sense that it is the area conceived as the final home of the saved souls, the place where Jesus has gone to prepare homes for His followers (Jn. 14:3).
Some Bible translations talk of ‘firmament’, ‘the cloud’ and ‘the stars’, etc., but these words are is not considered appropriate for use here.
Rather, we stick to the word ‘heavens’, used for the atmosphere and outer space, and where the elements, patterns, events and bodies that are visible to humans and lavishly mentioned in the Bible are found.
atmospheric elements, features and events weather and climate in the Bible time, seasons, etc., in the Bible
the heavenly bodies and the universe.
3.2 Atmospheric Elements, Features and Events in the Bible