He Knows All the Birds

 

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (Psalm 50:7-15 ESV).

 

I have read there are about 10,000 species of birds described worldwide, though one estimate of the real number places it at almost twice that. Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so comments are made where appropriate, and all numbers are approximate. I can attest to being able to recognize about one-tenth of that number by sight. Knowing what their sounds are individually is far less. The picture I’ve attached is that of a Harpy Eagle. The Harpy Eagle is the largest, most powerful raptor in the Americas, bigger even than the Golden Eagle. Its name refers to the harpies of Greek mythology, monsters in the form of a bird with a human face. While it is not the largest bird alive, it still weighs in at about 20 pounds and has been recorded taking 40 pound animals as its prey. Of course there are many other kinds of birds, all different in so many ways, yet our reading tells us that the Lord knows them all!

 

In this psalm God says, “I know every bird on the mountains…” To consider that God knows every bird isn’t just to say that God is the most advanced birder there is. It means that nothing in all this world escapes God’s attention. There is no creature, animal, or human, that is outside of his field of vision, no song he hasn’t heard, no call or cry he doesn’t recognize, no flight pattern or footprint he can’t identify.

 

Not only does nothing escape God’s attention, but nothing can fool him either. The one who knows every bird urges us to be real, not false, in our relationship with him. God calls us to be sincere in worship—not just to pretend or go through the motions. We are to honor God in all we do, fulfilling our vows to the God who keeps his promises. And we know we can “call on [him] in the day of trouble,” for the Lord, who knows all the birds, will always hear our cry and meet our need.