“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?” -Job 39:13
Reading through the book of Job recently I was struck by this verse regarding the ostrich. I felt like it was new to me. This rendering is from the ESV which is quite different from other translations I had read before. Apparently, the ESV version is the literal rendering. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what this verse means. I am no scholar but I would like to share why I found it so convicting.
Vain Wings
Image doesn’t always match reality. The ostrich is large. The ostrich is fast. The ostrich is not intelligent. According to this text she proudly waves her wings, but why? She is a bird that can not fly. Regardless, she wants to “strut her stuff”. Sounds like she thinks she is a peacock. But if she lacks love, her pride is in vain. Listen to what the text says, “For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them.” While the ostrich is proudly waving her wings, she is neglecting her eggs. The ostrich doesn’t know any better, but how often do we imitate her? The Bible tells us that children are a blessing, the world says they are an inconvenience. Delay having them. Space them apart. Limit the number. You have heard all of this and so much more. I believe the advice has gone beyond the practical and has appealed to our pride. Instead of being selfless, the world promotes selfishness. We are encouraged to wave our wings, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
Buried Eggs
We leave our eggs on the earth and let the sun warm them. The ostrich wants the sun to incubate her eggs. We too want to pass off our responsibility for raising and nurturing our children. Unfortunately, this reflects our tendency to dismiss our most intimate responsibilities. We have daycares, teachers, grandparents, and others influencing our children often times more than we are as parents. Not to mention television, video games, and peers. Some of these things can be positive, but none of them should replace mom and dad. By neglecting her eggs, the ostrich exposed them the danger of possibly being crushed or trampled by a wild beast. How many dangers are our children exposed to? Some are more subtle than others. Not all make headlines. For me, indoctrination is a great concern. We are responsible for making sure our children are not only properly taught and trained in Godliness (Deut. 11:18-19), but we are to protect them from evil as well. Protecting their young impressionable minds as well as protecting them physically are equally important. I am not opposed to complimenting parental guidance, but we can’t pass off our primary responsibility. When we stand before God, He will hold us accountable for the blessing He has bestowed upon us. Flapping your wings before Him will not impress Him.
Cruel not Caring
God progresses from charging the ostrich with neglect, to downright cruelty. “She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear.” The ostrich not only exposes her offspring to danger, she is cruel to them. Instead of maternal love and nurturing, there is cruelty. The lack of intimacy combined with her selfishness breeds cruelty. She treats her offspring as if they were not her own. Although she carried and delivered her young, she doesn’t care for them. Her labor was in vain. The text tells us she acts so, “Because God had made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding.” As mentioned earlier, the ostrich is not intelligent. God did not giver her wisdom. That is what makes this so convicting. How is it that man, God’s highest creation can imitate the ostrich? How can we be so proud? How can we be so selfish? What are our priorities? What is so important that we are willing to neglect our children? What dangers are we exposing our children to by leaving them to the earth for warming? Is it really worth it?
Proud or Loving Wings?
“When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.” The ostrich isn’t a good example as a loving parent, but she is fast. While she can not fly, the ostrich can outrun a horse. When threatened, she relies on her speed for self-preservation. She waves her wings proudly, she laughs at the horse and his rider. But what about joy? What good are pretty feathers? What good are fast legs? How important is self-preservation when we neglect our children? If our children are crushed and trampled by wild beasts who are we impressing? How many eggs are being trampled while the ostrich and horse are running? Do you have an inclination to proudly wave your wings, or do you have pinions and plumage of love?
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge… – Psalm 91:4