ELTB Bad Birds
ELTB Bad Birds of the Bible [∞]
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God wants everyone to know him. He teaches about himself through all things that have been created. [1] Observing the things themselves does not teach us, but we learn from his word in what he has said about the things. Looking at air does not teach us much because it is invisible. But the word rauach רוח means both 'spirit' and 'wind'. Then God tells us that the Spirit is like the wind; though it is invisible, we see the work it does. [2] Eating is a symbol for learning.
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Bad birds (flying things) We are taught which behaviors to avoid by the list of flying things. [1]
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Since I am not a bird watcher, the behaviors that Adam observed when naming the bird may elude me. It would be fun to ask a bird watcher about bird behaviors based on the names Adam gave them, which are now revealed through the restored notarikon. Eagle The eagle represents those who forget God. [1] Perhaps Adam saw the lone eagle on high, looking down on all and thought to himself, "That bird thinks he is a god". When we forget God, we sometimes think we can make our own rules.
Ossifrage The ossifrage eats almost only bones. Adam watching one tear his food apart and breaking the bones would have been quite a sight. He named the ossifrage 'divide'. We should avoid those things which simply cause division and with doctrines different from the Bible.[2]
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Osprey The Hebrew word for 'osprey' has the word 'goat' within it. The goat, representing the flesh, is not of the spirit, and so should be avoided.
Vulture Though the vulture is known for eating dead things; the Hebrew name for the vulture is 'cause to wander in ignorance'. Jesus confronted some religious leaders who would not accept his teaching, and they also would not allow others to learn from Jesus as they tried to disrupt him while teaching. They caused others to wander in ignorance.
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Kites Kites have the ability to ride the wind in an almost endless search. Did it look to Adam as if they were futile in their search? "Where?" is a question of the heathen [12] and the flesh [13]. The kite represents the doubters.
Raven The word 'oreb' ערב has many meanings: awakened, being aroused, city, wildwood (raised from the dead), skin, blind, colt, rousing, naked, mix. Which meaning matches the raven behavior that Adam saw? We can only guess. When ravens are hatched "They are altricial; blind, featherless and helpless" . They also form loose flocks, only congregating to roost and they play with other animals. [15] Perhaps this is the 'mixing' that Adam saw. Blind is a metaphor for not understanding. Naked (featherless) is a metaphor for the flesh or sin being exposed. God is Holy [16] and he is Love [17]. Since no man has seen the Father except the Son [18], no one can adequately explain God but the Son. The laws prohibiting mixing, are dinner theater to teach that we cannot mix law and grace, holiness and love, but must wait until we see it properly mixed on the cross.
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Owl This is a difficult riddle. The rhetorical "why?" is an indication of an unwillingness to obey. Perhaps this has the sense of that. But ya יע means 'shovel'. So the owl is the house בת of the shovel יע of the Son of Man נ, which is not understood ה. This suggests something like 'not understanding the death or burial of Christ'. But it is more than that. Ya יע sounds like Ya י, יא , or יה which are all names for God but uses the ayin ע which symbolizes the flesh. The shovel is an implement in the temple to move ashes from the altar. It represents the work, in the flesh, of Christ to accomplish the purposes of the Father in his total devotion and sacrifice. With that information we can say it is something more like 'not understanding that Christ laid down his own life'. The scoffer does not understand 'Why'.
I'm not sure what Adam saw a Night Hawk doing, but he gave him the name 'must do violence'. God hates those who love to do violence [20]. The night hawk is a symbol of those.
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Cuckows Some cuckows nest on the ground in shrubs. Their name can mean 'shrub death'. Adam may have named them because of that. But the word also means emaciated, or wasted away. By word play, the cuckow could be called 'emaciated'. Those who are spiritually dying are not a good source for spiritual teaching. Jesus used the word 'dead' to refer to those who are spiritually dead [21]
There are many instances in the riddles where referring to the death of Christ is a 'bad' thing, where referring to his resurrection is the 'good' thing. An example is that of the 'shibboleth' [23] Those who referred to a single grain [24], were put to death, but those who referred to a whole ear or stream [25], lived. The word 'hawk' refers to his death.
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Little owl This is a difficult riddle because the symbol of the cup has not been understood. Here are the clues:
The cup is the cross. The hedge protects and hides something. The opposite cup is the exposure of wrath as it is poured out or the display of blessing as it overflows. The cross is both. This is important because the little owl is called the cup כןס. But since the cup is a mixture of judgement and love, it is unclean as other mixtures. We are not to mix them. Only Christ could express them in unity. Perhaps Adam saw an owl nesting in hole in a tree and named him 'cup' since it looked like he was siting in a cup.
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Cormorant The cormorant is an aquatic bird. It has webbed feet and swims under the water. It eats the fish which are swimming in the water. This is like the lobster that preys on the fish. When it dives into the water it looks as it been cast out of the heavens. Adam named the cormorant 'cast out'. Those who have been cast out are not a good source for teaching. [28] The cormorant represents those under such judgement.
'Darkness' is a difficult riddle because we usually use a secondary metaphor which appears to be opposite the primary metaphor. It's not, when properly explained. It is complicated by the false teaching within the church that the great duality on earth is between good and evil. It's not. Evil is not equal but opposite of good. Here are the clues:
Evaluating the clues:
When God created, he covered his creation in love. [30] [31] Darkness is a metaphor that can be expressed in a positive from God's perspective, or a negative from our perspective. It expresses God's love and mercy. If we are in sin, and haven't been destroyed, we are receiving his mercy. So we may also say that being in darkness is being in sin and presuming upon God's mercy. The Great Owl represents those in the dark who should not be our teachers [32].
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Swan The swan, as a large bird, is not subject to being killed in large numbers by natural predators. Their numbers can swell until they are destructive to an environment. Those who are destructive should not be a source for our learning [33].
Pelican Perhaps Adam watched a pelican scoop up his meal, and then vomit up the shell and rocks. He named it 'vomit after' Vomit, like spit is a symbol of rejection. Those who reject the word should not be teachers of the word.
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Gier eagle Some commentators notice the Hebrew root 'to love' in the name of this bird. They surmise it comes from the fact that the birds are mated and seldom separated. This maybe part of what he saw, but if this was all, we would have difficulty understanding why it is an unclean bird. The gier eagle eats almost nothing but carrion. The name actually means 'not understanding love'. Though they are together in the appearance of love, they eat nothing but dead things. Paul teaches that if we don't have love, our faith, generosity, and sacrifices mean nothing [35] [36].
Stork Storks are primarily carnivorous eating reptiles, small mammals, insects, fish, amphibians and other small invertebrates. It is perhaps this devoring of living things that Adam observed when he named the stork "not understanding holiness and mercy". These are the attributes of God, so he named it "Not understanding God". The main purpose of God is to teach us that He is Holy [37]; He alone is God. He also teaches that He is Love [38]. The Hebrew word for 'stork' means not understanding either 'holy' or 'mercy'.
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Heron When the heron hunts, it stand very still in the water looking for it's prey. When it sees something, it moves it's head back and forth to get the targeting range through the water. Perhaps Adam named it 'yearning undulation' for this behavior. Once it had that name, by word-play it became 'her anger'. Jesus said that if we were angry, we were guilty of murder [40] . Perhaps the wild headdress of the heron made it look angry to Adam.
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Lapwing The lapwing is known for the irregular pattern of beating it's wings. God commanded Moses to strike the rock for water the first time. The second time he told him to speak to it, but Moses struck it (an irregular beating?) and forfeited the privilege of entering into the promised land. [42]
Bat As mentioned previously, the Bible does not say the bat is a bird. It says that it is a 'flying thing'. 'Bird' is a poor translation. Bats are known for their irregular flight patterns. The name of the bat suggests one who wanders from the path or deviates from God's will. These should not be our teachers.
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| ELTB 3.0100 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0200 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0300 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0400 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0500 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0600 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0700 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0800 | Notes
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| ELTB 3.0900 | Notes
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