The Fifth Day—Fish and Fowl
By W. A. Sweany
THE GOSPEL IN CREATION. NO. 7.
The Fifth Day—Fish and Fowl.
READ the following passages from the Book of God:— “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” Gen. 1:20–23. “Ask now . . . the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; . . . and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7–10. “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. . . . There is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That Thou givest them they gather; Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the face of the earth.” Ps. 104:24–30. From these words it is clear that we may learn lessons from the life, nature, characteristics and habits of fish and fowl. That the nature of man’s soul and life is like that of the inhabitants of the sea and air—only mortal and perishable—is taught in the identical and similar expressions that are used concerning them all. While man possesses some attributes, faculties, and qualities that are greatly superior to those of any of the other living creatures, it is nevertheless true that they, like him, possess souls which, like his, are dependent for existence on the breath of life, and are, therefore, subject to death, which immediately follows its departure. (Compare carefully Gen. 1:20, margin; Ps. 104:25–29; Rev. 16:3 with Gen. 2:7; Eze. 18:4; Job 12:7–10.) Additional evidences and information on this point will be found in the record and description of the work of the sixth day. However, there are still to be noted some very precious, comforting, and instructive lessons in the life, nature, and habits of the creatures that were made on the fifth day. Our Saviour directed attention to them when He said, “Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matt. 6:26; Luke 12:24, R. V. Important and valuable lessons may be learned by heeding our Lord’s admonition and instruction, for in considering the birds we see that while He provideth for them their food (Job 38:41; Ps. 147:9), they have to gather it. Ps. 104:28. When the fowls, by simply gathering what the wisdom and power of God provides for them, without sowing, reaping, or storing, do not suffer, why should we fear when we have the faculties and power to co-operate with Him in all these things that they can not do? The sayings of the wise man reveal much of the cause of poverty and want, that abounds on every side: “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest.” Prov. 20:4. “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.” Prov. 19:15. He that will not work, neither shall he eat. 2 Thess. 3:10. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Ps. 37:3. See also Eph. 4:28; 1 Thess. 4:11, 12; 2 Thess. 3:6–16; Ps. 37:25. Not one of the little, twittering, industrious sparrows, valueless as they are among men, is forgotten by our loving, faithful, covenant-keeping God and Father. “Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6–8. Then let us “do with our might what our hands find to do” (Eccl. 9:10), and, then, “having food and raiment,” be content with such things as we have (1 Tim. 6:6–8; Heb. 13:5, 6), knowing that no good thing will the Lord withhold from them that walk uprightly. Ps. 84:11. One more important lesson may be learned from the life of the birds of the heavens. “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment [ordinance, R. V.] of the Lord.” Jer. 8:7. Thus in one short verse Inspiration expresses, with beautiful eloquence, the obvious truth observable year after year, that the migratory birds are guided in their accurate well-timed flight through the trackless heavens by the goodness of God. The various migratory birds year after year, without chart or compass, traverse many thousands of miles of trackless space over sea and land. And the same Being, who so faithfully cares for and safely guides them, offers to pilot us over the stormy and trackless sea of life. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will counsel thee with Mine eye upon thee.” Ps. 32:8, R. V. “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isa. 30:21. Then let us resign ourselves to His care, trustfully saying, “Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” Ps. 73:24.