Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
Five sparrows are sold for almost nothing and seem of little worth in human eyes, yet not one of them is forgotten before God, and not even one falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father. This shows He is not a distant Supreme Being who left men to manage for themselves, but a Father and living Ruler who constantly works for their good, watches over their true interests, and sustains all He has made down to the ordinary details of life. Divine care is proportionate to rank in creation, so since even the little brown sparrow, apparently the most inferior of birds, is watched over by Providence, man formed in His image to comprehend greater things is of far more value than many sparrows, the very hairs of his head are numbered, and His children are never absent from His mind. Jesus spoke this to His friends so that they would not fear those who can only kill the body but would fear God who after killing has power to cast into hell, and because God remembers each cheap sparrow this revelation of the Father's love gives confidence to approach Him without fear of His greatness and frees from undue anxiety into rest of soul. He therefore knows the experiences and hardships of those who follow Him, including the loss of work and income for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath and every quiet sacrifice for His cause, and they need not fear that He will fail to care for them or allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear.
God Remembers Every Sparrow
Five sparrows are sold for almost nothing, a price that shows how little value they have in human eyes, yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Even the least and least-valued creatures are remembered, for His attentive care rests upon all He has made. Not even one sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father, for none of the creatures He has made is forgotten by Him.
He is not a distant Supreme Being who made people and then left them to control their own lives and shape events by their own power. He is a Father to the children of men, not an intangible spirit but a living ruler of the universe, watchful over their true interests and guarding them, constantly working for human good and mindful of all that concerns them. His attentive care sustains all He has made and reaches into the ordinary details of life, watching the rich and the poor and noticing every tear and smile. That same notice and care cover the flowers of the field and the grass that clothes the earth, giving the bright sunshine to warm the earth and sending the showers that cause vegetation to flourish. His angels continually minister to the children of men, keeping up the connection between heaven and earth and uniting finite man with the infinite God.
Divine attention is proportionate to rank in the scale of creation, yet even the little brown sparrow, apparently the most inferior of birds, is watched over by Providence. Since man was formed in God's image and given intellect to comprehend greater things and to be led higher into divine truth, God's regard for man is far greater than for sparrow, lily, or grass. People are therefore of more value than many sparrows, the very hairs of the head are numbered, and His children are never absent from His mind. While He has care over temporal interests, He has much greater care for eternal interests.
Courage and Faithfulness in Life
Jesus spoke these words to His friends to tell them not to fear people who can kill only the body, but to fear God who after killing has power to cast into hell. Because God remembers each sparrow sold for almost nothing and numbers every hair of the head, believers are of more value than many sparrows and need not fear. This care that forgets none of the creatures He has made reveals the Father's love and gives confidence to approach Him rather than fear His greatness and majesty. Jesus is interested in everyone who needs His healing, vitalizing power, and trust in this personal care that watches the rich and the poor, notices every tear and smile, sustains all He has made, and reaches the ordinary details of life frees people from undue anxiety and brings rest of soul.
God knows the experiences and hardships of those who follow Him, for He understands every sacrifice made without ostentation or display to contribute to the necessities of His cause. This includes the risk of losing work and income for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, and such followers need not fear that He will fail to care for them or allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear. His care extends especially to everyone working in His institutions, for He sees whether duties are done honestly and carefully or carelessly and dishonestly, each act of faithfulness and dishonesty is recorded, and each person is finally rewarded according to deeds. He deals impartially with His workers generally by giving many wisdom and skill for useful work.
His notice of even a sparrow means He sees those who suffer and marks the sin of indulging a perverted appetite when it weakens the body, dulls the intellect and mind, and deadens moral perception. His attentive care, which notices even a sparrow falling to the ground and forgets no creature, calls those serving others to show the tenderness and compassion Christ would show.
Five sparrows are sold for almost nothing and seem of little worth in human eyes, yet not one of them is forgotten before God, and not even one falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father. This shows He is not a distant Supreme Being who left men to manage for themselves, but a Father and living Ruler who constantly works for their good, watches over their true interests, and sustains all He has made down to the ordinary details of life. Divine care is proportionate to rank in creation, so since even the little brown sparrow, apparently the most inferior of birds, is watched over by Providence, man formed in His image to comprehend greater things is of far more value than many sparrows, the very hairs of his head are numbered, and His children are never absent from His mind. Jesus spoke this to His friends so that they would not fear those who can only kill the body but would fear God who after killing has power to cast into hell, and because God remembers each cheap sparrow this revelation of the Father's love gives confidence to approach Him without fear of His greatness and frees from undue anxiety into rest of soul. He therefore knows the experiences and hardships of those who follow Him, including the loss of work and income for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath and every quiet sacrifice for His cause, and they need not fear that He will fail to care for them or allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear.
God Remembers Every Sparrow
Five sparrows are sold for almost nothing, a price that shows how little value they have in human eyes, yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Even the least and least-valued creatures are remembered, for His attentive care rests upon all He has made. Not even one sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father, for none of the creatures He has made is forgotten by Him.
He is not a distant Supreme Being who made people and then left them to control their own lives and shape events by their own power. He is a Father to the children of men, not an intangible spirit but a living ruler of the universe, watchful over their true interests and guarding them, constantly working for human good and mindful of all that concerns them. His attentive care sustains all He has made and reaches into the ordinary details of life, watching the rich and the poor and noticing every tear and smile. That same notice and care cover the flowers of the field and the grass that clothes the earth, giving the bright sunshine to warm the earth and sending the showers that cause vegetation to flourish. His angels continually minister to the children of men, keeping up the connection between heaven and earth and uniting finite man with the infinite God.
Divine attention is proportionate to rank in the scale of creation, yet even the little brown sparrow, apparently the most inferior of birds, is watched over by Providence. Since man was formed in God's image and given intellect to comprehend greater things and to be led higher into divine truth, God's regard for man is far greater than for sparrow, lily, or grass. People are therefore of more value than many sparrows, the very hairs of the head are numbered, and His children are never absent from His mind. While He has care over temporal interests, He has much greater care for eternal interests.
Courage and Faithfulness in Life
Jesus spoke these words to His friends to tell them not to fear people who can kill only the body, but to fear God who after killing has power to cast into hell. Because God remembers each sparrow sold for almost nothing and numbers every hair of the head, believers are of more value than many sparrows and need not fear. This care that forgets none of the creatures He has made reveals the Father's love and gives confidence to approach Him rather than fear His greatness and majesty. Jesus is interested in everyone who needs His healing, vitalizing power, and trust in this personal care that watches the rich and the poor, notices every tear and smile, sustains all He has made, and reaches the ordinary details of life frees people from undue anxiety and brings rest of soul.
God knows the experiences and hardships of those who follow Him, for He understands every sacrifice made without ostentation or display to contribute to the necessities of His cause. This includes the risk of losing work and income for keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, and such followers need not fear that He will fail to care for them or allow them to be tempted beyond what they can bear. His care extends especially to everyone working in His institutions, for He sees whether duties are done honestly and carefully or carelessly and dishonestly, each act of faithfulness and dishonesty is recorded, and each person is finally rewarded according to deeds. He deals impartially with His workers generally by giving many wisdom and skill for useful work.
His notice of even a sparrow means He sees those who suffer and marks the sin of indulging a perverted appetite when it weakens the body, dulls the intellect and mind, and deadens moral perception. His attentive care, which notices even a sparrow falling to the ground and forgets no creature, calls those serving others to show the tenderness and compassion Christ would show.