Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?

Crying Unto God, What We Can Learn From The Birds

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2022-03-12

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver uses Job 38:39-41 to illustrate God's providential care for all creatures, even despised ravens, whose young cry to God for food. He argues from the lesser to the greater: if God hears and provides for unclean birds, how much more will He care for His children. The message encourages believers to cry out to God consistently, constantly, and in desperation, and to learn from creation about gratitude and dependence on God.

[John Weaver] Today, if you would, to the book of Job, chapter 38, Job 38, and we're going to be reading verses 39 through 41. Job 38, verses 39 through 41. The title of the message is crying unto God what we can learn from birds. So notice, if you would, we will come back and get the context. But notice, if you would, Job chapter 38, beginning with verse 39, God asked Job, Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

[John Weaver] Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wonder for lack of meat. I made an observation years ago, and I still believe it's absolutely true, and that is that most people are so busy making a living, they actually forget to live. We fail to observe and refuse to look at and consider and contemplate God's creation and God's providence. And when we think about animals, we only look at animals for food or for pets or for entertainment. And moreover, the animals that we're usually concerned with are only the animals that we own or the animals that we use. And most of the time, we do not even consider animals that are outside of our realm of existence unless one happens to be seemingly exceptional. We have no interest in taking care of animals except the ones we own or the ones that we use and we certainly never ever consider learning from animals. We always consider animals inferior, less intelligent and nothing more than brute beasts. But I'm going to point something out that you should consider and that is a lot of times men are dumber than the animals.

[John Weaver] If you will look in your Bibles, holding Job 38, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, and look if you would please at verses 2 and 3, and then we'll go to Psalm 49. But in the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, look if you would please at what God says in verses 2 and 3. He says, Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me.

[John Weaver] The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." So he says, in this instance, the ox and the ass are smarter than his people. The ox knows his stall, and the ass knows his crib. They know exactly where they get fed.

[John Weaver] Now, I've had cows for many, many years. And just this past week, I was putting some water in the watering trough, and I looked down and I saw a cow that was seemingly lying down, is what I thought. And usually when a cow's going to have a calf, they're lying down. So I thought, I'll walk down there and check on that cow. And I walked straight to that cow, which was no more than 7,500 yards from where I was standing originally. And I got down there, and the cow was not necessarily even lying down.

[John Weaver] She was kind of in a depression. And when I got there to see, all of a sudden, here came about 15 or 20 other cows just to surround me. And I had to pet every one of them before I could leave.

[John Weaver] Now, the point being, they knew exactly who I am, and they knew I fed them. So they came to me. My father used to have several hundred cows. And I've seen him drive his truck out in the pasture and every one of them surround that truck because they knew food came out of that truck as well. So this is what God's saying. These oxen and these asses sometimes are smarter than men.

[John Weaver] If you look in your Bibles to the book of Psalm 49 at verse 12 and then verse 20. Psalm 49 and notice verse 12 and then look at verse 20 in light of this. In Psalm 49 and verse 12, God is telling us that a man who certainly does not honor God and recognize God and does not recognize the station that God has assigned him in life is really dumber than a brute beast. So he says in Psalm 49 in verse 12, nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not, he is like the beast that perish. And then verse 20, man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beast that perish. In fact, the truth of the matter is, those individuals who do not know God, refuse God, and will not submit and surrender to Him are described in Scripture as nothing more than brute beasts to be destroyed. If you will look in your Bibles to 2 Peter 2, and then we'll go to the book of Jude, but 2 Peter 2 and verse 12, you'll see exactly what I just said to you.

[John Weaver] II Peter chapter 2 and verse 12 to begin with. And notice what God says, II Peter 2 and verse 12, talking about these wicked men. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption. So there are brute beasts they don't understand, and God said they will perish in their own corruption. Then if you look in the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation and verse 10, you'll notice this. Notice Jude and verse 10. Here he says this, but these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves.

[John Weaver] And let me just point out before I really get into this message that we should not be above and should not think to be above learning from animals, birds, and insects. In one sense of the word, they certainly have a lot that they can teach us. You have to believe this and you have to understand this. God did not make anything by accident. And everything that God made, He made for a purpose. And He made for our good and for His glory. And we can learn from anything that He's created.

[John Weaver] So since we're in the book of Job, I want you to go back to Job chapter 12, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. Job 12 and verse 7. And look, if you would, please, at what God says. This may surprise you, but in Job 12 and verse 7, The Word of God says, But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee, or speak to the earth, and it shall teach 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 other words, the hand of the Lord has wrought this. us, that is, we may be educated, we may be taught by beasts, by birds, by fish, by the earth, if we will just simply pay attention.

[John Weaver] So here's a good question. Have you ever really, seriously, closely paid attention to your animals, especially those that you call your pets? I will tell you this, I usually can read mine like a book. Now occasionally I get surprised, that is true, but usually I can read them like a book. And Jackson, our big mastiff, he will come down to the office and I'll be petting him.

[John Weaver] And he stands there with his head up so I can scratch his throat and scratch his chest. And I'll quit to turn around and go back to work. And he'll roll those eyes. And when I see him roll those eyes, I know exactly what he's going to do. He's going to bump me. The reason he's going to butt me, he wants me to continue petting him. And then I'll be working and he will come up beside me and I ignore him. And the next thing I know, he takes his head, which I know he's going to do, bumps my arm and puts it around him so I can pet him and scratch him.

[John Weaver] And I've got to do that while I try to type with this hand. We used to have a golden retriever. Her name was Honey. And everywhere I went, just like Claiborne, she rode with me in the cab, never in the back of the truck. And she was either lying on the seat with her head in my lap, or she was sitting up, leaning right up against me with her head on my shoulder. And a lot of times I'd be driving down the road, and she would take her head and bump my arm, and it would go around her. And she'd lay her head here, and I'd have to drive like this.

[John Weaver] Alice was following me one day when she did that. And when we got home, Alice said, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you had a blonde on your shoulder and in your arms. I said, I'm thankful you knew it was that golden retriever. So, but I mean, you know, sometimes they do surprise you. You know, I never, I never have to look at a clock to know when it's time to go to the post office or take off the trash. You know why? because Claiborne always comes to my office door, and he's sitting there jumping around. He'll turn around, head to the front door, then he'll come back like, it's time. You're wasting time. Let's get up. Let's go.

[John Weaver] I'm just simply saying there have been many instances, and I would challenge you to do this. When you get home, you get on your computer and go to the internet and type in wild animals that have asked humans for help. There are documented cases, documented cases of dolphins and whales and turtles and even sharks that have approached humans and wanted help, usually with nets or hooks caught in them.

[John Weaver] Similarly, if you look again on the computer, you'll see koala bears and kangaroos coming up in Australia asking people for water, especially during the time of drought. There's one, this one little koala bear A person is holding a bottle of water and he's just drinking it, guzzling it right down. Wild animal. In fact, there's also one there where a mother elephant comes to humans trying to get help for her baby that has fallen into a well. And then of course there's ones of bears approaching people as well. It's absolutely astounding what you can find and how these animals are approaching for help. What I'm trying to make is They communicate in ways that we can understand, even if they cannot speak.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is, we can learn from anything that God created, even insects. I never will forget, years ago, I was sitting behind a little tree, just about this big around, a little oak tree. And I was deer hunting, and I was watching way down, several hundred yards in front of me. And all of a sudden, I looked right at that tree. And here was a praying mantis and a granddaddy longlegs, and they were trying to outmaneuver each other. The praying mantis wanted to have him for dinner, and the granddaddy longlegs did not cooperate.

[John Weaver] And for two hours, I watched them. And when it finally got dark, I had to leave because, and I don't know the outcome, but the praying mantis for two hours did not get him. Did you know that in martial arts, in Kung Fu, there's a prey and mantis style of fighting? There's a monkey style of fighting. And all they did was observe animals and see how they fought and how they defended themselves. They developed those things. I'm just saying there's things that we can learn even from insects if you will turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 6. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 6.

[John Weaver] And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. You say, what in the world can you learn from an insect? Well, here's something that we need to learn in this country, I can assure you, and probably in every country as well. But in Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 6, look what God says. Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. Well, what can you learn from an ant?

[John Weaver] He says, which having no guide, overseer or ruler, Provided their meat in the summer and gather the fruit in the harvest and then he says this how long will you sleep? Oh sluggard Well, when will thou rise out of my sleep? Yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep So shall thy poverty come in as one that traveleth and I want as an arm man Now look what he said go to the ant thou sluggard consider ways and be wise The ant does not have a foreman, the ant does not have a king, the ant does not have a ruler, but the ant has sense enough to know that it has to get in harvest while it can get, and it has to provide for itself when it cannot get.

[John Weaver] So you can learn not only a biblical work ethic from ants, you can also learn preparation from ants, you can also learn provision from ants, and providing for yourself and for others as well. I would say this today. We need the lesson of a biblical work ethic, and God says you can go to the ants and learn that. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] Now, you see, in the context of our text, God is questioning Job. And let me show you why. If you will look in Job 23 and verse 4. Job 23 and verse 4. We're going to come back to the context, but look at it. Job 23 and verse 4. Here's what Job said. He said, in fact, let's begin with verse 3. He says, Oh, that I knew where I might find him. He's talking about God, that I might come even to his seat. What would you do, Job, if you found him? He said, Here's what I would do.

[John Weaver] I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments. Why, he said, I know I'm suffering and I know I'm being afflicted. And I know I really haven't done anything to deserve this. I know I'm a sinner, but I didn't do anything to deserve what's happening to me, and I don't really know what's happening to me. But if I knew where I might find Him, what I would do, I would order my cause before Him, and then I would fill my mouth with arguments.

[John Weaver] Well, the interesting thing is this. Job got that opportunity. So if you look in Job 38, Job 38, Verses 1 and 2. In fact, we'll read through verse 3. Watch. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Cur up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Job, you don't know what you're doing. You're talking as someone who has no sense.

[John Weaver] But you want to talk to me. You gird up your loins. You act like a man. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you try to answer me." In fact, God begins asking these questions in Job 38, and He asks them all the way through until you get to Job 42. And if you'll look in Job 42, beginning there with verse 1, you'll find out Job could not answer any of those questions. And look at what he said. Finally, in chapter 42 and verse 1, then Job answered the Lord and said, after God got through asking all of these questions, he said, I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

[John Weaver] Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? That's me. Therefore have I uttered that that I understood not. Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Here I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said. Wherefore, I abhor, I hate myself. I will repent in dust and ashes. Job said, I don't really want to challenge God. I don't think I want to go through with this. I have spoken out of turn now. If you'll go back to our text in Job chapter 38, beginning there with verse 39, I want to read that again. And I want you to think about this because these are some of the questions that God is asking Job.

[John Weaver] In verse 39, he asked him, will thou hunt the prey for the lion or fill the appetite of the young lions when they couch in their dens and abide in the cupboard to lie and wait? And then he asks this, who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cried to God, they wonder for lack of meat. So in the text now, God is speaking not only of ravenous beasts, but he's also speaking of ravenous birds. He asked Job, can you feed the lions? Can you feed the young lions? Can you feed the ravens? Can you feed their offspring? He mentions the lions, who normally are known as the king of the beasts. And then he mentions ravens, which are a despicable bird in one sense of the word. And yet, although we recognize lions and stand in awe of them as king of the beasts, yet a lion is exceedingly cruel itself, because look at the small animals that it kills. little antelopes.

[John Weaver] And it doesn't matter if it's a grown antelope or a baby antelope, the lion will kill it and eat it. And so here is a beast that we recognize as the king of the beasts, and yet he's very cruel. And then we're talking about these ravenous birds, and he mentions ravens particularly. And ravens are not only unclean, they're also repulsive in one sense of the word. Let me read to you from Luke, not Luke, but Leviticus chapter 11, verses 13 through 15. I want you to listen carefully because ravens are going to be named.

[John Weaver] And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls. They shall not be eaten. They are an abomination, the eagle and the office range and the osprey and the vulture, and the kind after his kind, and every raven after his kind." So the raven is mentioned then as an unclean bird. I want you to turn to the book of Proverbs chapter 30, and look if you would at verse 17 to show you again the despicableness of ravens in one sense of the word. In Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 17, The Bible says, the eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother.

[John Weaver] So we're talking about a young man, young lady. So he says, the eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagle shall eat it. So we're talking about a dead carcass and here the ravens come and pick out the eyes. And, of course, vultures will do exactly the same thing. So we think of ravens, then, as very not only unclean, but despicable in one sense of the word.

[John Weaver] And if you will turn right on over to Isaiah 34, I want you to look at the Bible with me as I read through the first 11 verses, because evidently ravens are part and parcel of God's judgment. Look at it very carefully. Isaiah 34, beginning there with verse 1. Notice this is the context of judgment. He says, Come near ye nations to hear and hearken, you people. Let the earth hear and all that is therein in the world, and all things that come forth of it. Why? For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies.

[John Weaver] He hath utterly destroyed them. He hath delivered them to the slaughter. their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountain shall be melted with their blood. And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword, says God, shall be bathed in heaven. Behold, it shall come down upon Edomia, and upon the people of my curse to judgment. the sword of the LORD is filled with blood. It is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD hath a sacrifice in Basra, and a great slaughter in the land of Edomia. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls. And their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

[John Weaver] For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompense, for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. Now watch, it shall not be quenched night or day. The smoke thereof shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste, and none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

[John Weaver] But the camarad and the bitter shall possess it, The owl also and the raven shall dwell in it, and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness. So he says, it's going to be so destroyed that the only thing that can live there is the comorant and the bittern and the owl and the raven. So this is all included in God's judgment. But note, if you would, here is that raven listed again.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back to Job 38 and verse 41, and you are going to see why this caught my attention, especially in light of everything that I just said about the ravens. Notice verse 41. He's asking Job who provided for the raven his food. And then he asks this or says this. When his young ones cry unto God, they wonder for lack of meat." When his young ones cry unto God, they wonder for lack of meat. You know that most animals take care of their young. Most animals will defend their young. And some animals will take care of the young of other animals.

[John Weaver] In fact, the first year Alice and I were married, which was so long ago, neither of us can really remember, but my father's dog came up with two baby squirrels in his mouth, unharmed. And so my sister took one of the squirrels, and Alice and I took one of the squirrels. So, so small, we had to feed it with an eyedropper. And we also at that time had a little Chihuahua dog. And we were also given a Tomcat kitten, very small. And that mother Chihuahua dog or the Chihuahua dog had a puppy, one little puppy. So we had the Chihuahua dog, the puppy, the baby squirrel, the baby kitten. Did you know? that mama Chihuahua dog nursed the puppy, the kitten, and the squirrel.

[John Weaver] And they grew up together. They lived together. They slept together. The dog never bothered Cat. Cat never bothered the squirrel. I mean, we had them until they were grown. And finally, I let the squirrel go. But he kept coming back for two months or so. And then finally, he went wild. after he was totally grown. But I'm just simply pointing out, here animals are taking care of the young of other animals.

[John Weaver] In fact, one of the men this morning showed me a little video that was just sent to him this week, and here's this big white mama hen sitting on a nest, and And the owner goes up there videoing it. The owner goes up and catches her by the chest and starts lifting her up so you can see what's under her. And out comes three little kittens. She's sitting on the kittens.

[John Weaver] It's you know, it's astounding how animals do things like this. But and I told you all of that just to say this. The Ravens are not like that. Ravens don't really care about their young. They usually kick them out of the nest by the time they are five to seven weeks of age. Hence the Bible says in verse 41, who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. In other words, the parents are not taking care of those baby chicks. They are like the ostrich. Look in Job 39 right there, beginning with verse 13. Look at what God says. Here is the dumbness of an ostrich. God asked Job, gave us out the goodly wings of the peacocks.

[John Weaver] And of course the answer is no. Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich. No. What does the ostrich do? who leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust." In other words, she lays her eggs and covers them in the dirt, and that's it. Watch verse 15,"...and forget it that the foot may crunch them, or that the wild beasts may break them, or eat them." Notice verse 16, she's hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers. She doesn't care.

[John Weaver] Her labor is in vain without fear. Why? Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, Neither hath he imparted her understanding. What time she lifted up herself on high, she scorned the horse and the rider. And yeah, an ostrich can run as fast or faster than a horse. But God says they're so dumb. They just put their eggs in the dirt, cover them with the dirt, walk off and leave them.

[John Weaver] If they hatch, they hatch. If God didn't take care of the ostrich, then they'd have gone extinct a long time ago. But God is saying it's the same thing with these rabbians. You just have to remember a little bird this five to seven weeks old just about cannot take care of itself. It's almost impossible. Years ago, Alice and I found a baby bird. Neither one of us can remember if the dog brought the bird up in the mouth or if we found it in the yard somewhere. I don't know.

[John Weaver] But we had a screened-in porch, which was about a quarter the size of this room. And so we put that little bird in that room. And I even fixed little branches for it to sit on. And we had a little box under it it could get in, and towels in the box to keep it warm and that kind of thing. And Alice and I would go in and feed it every day. Usually, she would feed it most of the time.

[John Weaver] Occasionally, I would do so. And we would carry little insects in there. little worms and bird feed and I could never get Alice to put those worms and all in her mouth like the mama does and poke it down their throat, but at least she would feed it. And so finally the bird, you know, feathers got to growing and the bird started hopping and flying around in a little room like that. And so we decided we have to be very careful because although the bird can now fly, It's still very young and we weren't sure whether or not it could take care of itself. And so one day, I was going in to feed the little bird and the little bird was positioned just right. Because when I opened the door to go in, it flew right past me. Well, I shut the door and I went back in and I told Alice, I said, well, the bird's gone. I said, maybe you'll be able to take care of yourself. I don't know. He flew out, and I couldn't stop him.

[John Weaver] And she said, well, we've done the best we can do. And so the next day, she was out in the garden working. And all of a sudden, something fell from the sky right at her feet. That was that baby bird. He landed her feet with his mouth open, feed me, feed me, feed me. Well, she picked him up, took him, put him up, fed him again. I mean, I'm just saying, you know, birds are not stupid, not by any stretch of the imagination. And we took care of that bird.

[John Weaver] Usually mamas and dads do that, but not with ravens. Let me give you a quote from Matthew Poole on these ravens. Listen to what he says. He says, having mentioned the noblest of brute beasts or creatures, talking about the lions, he now mentions one that is most contemptible and loathsome to show the care of God's providence over all creatures, both great and small, which is even more remarkable in ravens because, number one, they devour flesh, which is not

[John Weaver] easy for them to find. Number two, they are greedy and eat very much. Number three, they're generally neglected and forsaken by mankind. Number four, their young ones are so soon forsaken by their dams that if God did not provide for them in a more than ordinary manner, they would soon be starved. And then he goes on to quote, he says,"...Volkart observes that the raven expels the young from the nest as soon as they're able to fly.

[John Weaver] In this condition," now listen,"...in this condition, being unable to obtain food by their own exertions, they make a croaking noise, and God is said to hear it and to supply their needs." Schubert suggests the reason why the raven is specified here rather than other fowls is that it is an offensive bird and that God means to state that no object, however regarded by man, is beneath his notice. He carefully provides for the needs of all of his creatures.

[John Weaver] So he says that these ravens cannot really provide for themselves even when their parents kick them out of the nest. and they make this croaking noise, which God is said to hear. That's why the Bible says in verse 41, when His young ones cry unto God, He says, they wander for lack of meat. In other words, if God did not feed them, then the raven would be extinct as well.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would please, to two passages. The first one is Psalm 50, and the second one is Psalm 147. And I want you to keep in mind what was just said, because in Psalm 50, beginning there with verse 10, look at what is said. Psalm 50 and verse 10. God says, For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are mine." Isn't that amazing? God says, for every beast of the forest is mine, no matter what it is. God says, I own them. I created them. They're mine. I often wondered how the state acquired ownership over all the wild animals to require a license to hunt them because they claim to own them. But God says they don't own them, they're mine. I created them. Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 147 and verse 9. In light of our text, listen to what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] Psalm 147 and verse 9. The Bible says, He, God, giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry. Now the young ravens are crying." Here's a good quote from Matthew Henry before I begin making some applications. I want you to look at this. Matthew Henry said, concerning this verse in Job 38, verse 41, he said, see the all-sufficiency of the divine providence.

[John Weaver] It has wherewithal to satisfy the desire of every living thing, even the most ravenous. See the bounty of the divine providence, that wherever it is given life, it will give livelihood even to those creatures that are not only not serviceable, but dangerous to men. And see the divine sovereignty, that it suffers some creatures to be killed for the support of other creatures. The harmless sheep are torn to pieces to fill the appetite of the young lions, who yet sometimes are made to lack and suffer hunger, to punish them for their cruelty, while those that fear God want for no good thing." And that is a quote from Psalm 84 and verse 11 where it says, they that fear the Lord shall not want or shall not lack for any good thing. So here is the amazing truth of this, that God takes care of His creatures. He takes care of His creation. He takes care and provides for every living thing regardless of how despicable we count them, regardless of how repulsive we count them.

[John Weaver] I've never known of anyone who wanted a vulture or a buzzard for a pet. I don't even want a crocodile for a pet. You know, I might consider an alligator, but not a crocodile. No, I don't really want an alligator either. But I'm just simply pointing out God takes care and God provides for every one of those Now, listen to me. Here's the amazing thing. A lot of these animals, you and I would consider extremely dangerous, and we do not even want to be around them. And we sometimes wonder why God even allows them to live. I've said it before. You know, I can see a purpose for everything except maybe gnats and mosquitoes. And sometimes I wonder, but I know God has a purpose for them as well. Think about this, when you and I think about the wicked animals and the dangerous animals, here's another question. Why does God allow such wicked men to live and dangerous men? I don't have to name names right now. You could probably think of a half a dozen right off that are so anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti- Christian, it's unbelievable.

[John Weaver] And yet some of these men are billionaires and they use all their money to try to destroy the kingdom of Christ. So why would God allow them to live? I've often said, I'm so thankful I am not God. For if I was, I would have killed me and a whole lot more a long time ago. You know, But I'm going to show you the answer to that.

[John Weaver] If you look in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 5, look if you would please at verses 44 and 45. Look at verse 44, Matthew chapter 5. Our Lord says, verse 44, But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven. For he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth the rain on the just and the unjust."

[John Weaver] Now, why is it that God allows the wicked to live? And here's the answer, because of His mercies. In fact, the truth is, that's the reason He allows any of us to live. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. Ah, but listen to me. God is indeed merciful to the wicked, but I want you to note, as you turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 2, the more mercy that He gives them, the more wrath they incur and the more punishment they merit. So in Romans chapter 2, it is hereby explained that they will never ever escape abusing and misusing the mercies of God. So in Romans 2 and verse 4, the Bible says, Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, Do the wicked really interpret that the mercies of God are for their good and they are designed to lead them to

[John Weaver] repentance? No. What they say is, look how God is blessing me. There must not be a God. I'm doing this. He doesn't care. I don't care. I'll just use whatever I want. Oh, now look at verse five. But he says this, but after thy hardness and impenitent heart, Treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Who will render to every man? According to his deeds so all of those mercies that God bestows upon these wicked men That they abuse and misuse and interpret as if there is no God or there is no judgment God says all they're doing is treasuring up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath and they are bringing upon themselves extreme judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6, and I want us to begin reading there with verse 25. Matthew chapter 6, and let's look at verse 25. Okay? Yes, that's it. Matthew chapter 6, and let's be in reading there with verse 25. God says, Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on It's not life more than meat and the body more than raiment.

[John Weaver] Now, before I go any further, let me tell you something. What you're going to see in this passage is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Many times in the Bible, this argument is used. So if something is true in the lesser, how much more it is true in the greater or how much surer it is true in the greater. So he said in verse 25, therefore I say unto you, you take no thought. Now watch what he says in verse 26.

[John Weaver] Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Now watch this. Are you not much better than they? So that's an argument from the lesser to the greater. So if God takes care of the fowls of the air, he's asking Are you not much better than they are? Are you not going to take care? Is he not going to take care of you?

[John Weaver] Verse 27, Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to a stature? And why take you thought for a raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil a lot, neither do they spend. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore? God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow's cast in the oven Shall he not much more clothed you owe you little faith Again, he's arguing from the lesser to the greater if he takes care of the grasses of the field He's certainly gonna take care of his own now watch He says in verse 31 therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek? For your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

[John Weaver] Then he says, take no thought for tomorrow. In other words, don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow shall take care, our thought for the things of itself. Sufficient of the day is the evil thereof. Got more to think about today. Don't waste your time thinking about tomorrow.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn to Luke chapter 12. Notice he said, Matthew, he said, consider the fowls of the air. But when you get to the book of Luke, chapter 12, and you look at verse 24, look at how he says it. Are you there? Watch this. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap. which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them." Here's that argument from the lesser to the greater. How much more are you better than the fowls? So in Matthew, he said, consider the fowls, and Luke, he says, consider the ravens. Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 7, and I'm going to ask you a question.

[John Weaver] In fact, I'll ask you several questions before I give you the answer. Okay? Here's my questions. Those of you that are married, have children, do you care for your children? And the answer, of course, is yes. If your child gets in distress and gets in trouble and begins crying, Do you listen to the cries of your children? And the answer is yes. Do you do and give good things to your children? And the answer is yes. Now, here's my question. If you love your children and will hear your children and listen to their cries, and listen to their needs and listen to their wants and supply them. Here's the question, do you think?

[John Weaver] That you are any more generous, gracious, kind, loving. More than God himself. You would say, no, I wouldn't think that. Well, let me show you. Look in Matthew chapter 7. Beginning there with verse 7. Matthew 7 verse 7. Look what he says. Ask and it shall be given you seek and you shall find knock and it shall be open unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Hang on.

[John Weaver] Or what man is there of you who, if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? Well, of course not.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said in verse 11. If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, How much more, an argument from the lesser to the greater, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Wow. How much more? How much more? How much more? Please note that He gives to those that ask, those that seek, find, and those that knock, it is to be opened." If raven chicks make a croaking noise, crying unto God for food which they cannot provide for themselves, and they are unclean, ravenous, despicable birds, how much more do you think God is going to provide for His own children? whom he loves and regards as his own.

[John Weaver] Now let me try to tie this together with some applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry unto God as do the young ravens. Well, how do they cry? Remember, they're kicked out of the nest. They may be able to fly, but they can't do anything. They can't attack a larger animal. They have no strength. They have no ability. And they make this croaking noise, and they're screaming, begging for food to eat. I would imagine they cry consistently, constantly, and out of desperation, realizing the fact that if God doesn't feed them, then they are gone. I'm afraid If things keep going in this country the way they are, we may really learn to cry like these raven chicks. We may really learn to cry out of real desperation.

[John Weaver] I'll give you two verses. This regards the children of Israel. The first one is found in Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 7. And they said this, listen carefully. And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, The Lord heard our voice and looked upon our affliction and our labor and our oppression. When we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, they were crying out of desperation. Then in Judges chapter 3 and verse 9, the Bible said, And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. I think it's probably time we start crying to God for a deliverer in this country, someone that'll get rid of the tyrants and the wicked and the ungodly.

[John Weaver] Hey, that's what he said. He told us to pray, Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just. And that's what we need to pray. David said it like this in second Samuel chapter 22 in verse seven. He said, In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God, and he did hear my voice out of the temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. I cried unto the Lord in my distress. So we need to learn to cry like these young ravens, consistently, constantly, and in desperation. The second one is this. This message should indeed encourage us and embolden us to cry to the Lord, just thinking about arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God hears these ravens, surely He's bound to hear His own children. You need to look at this through the Bible, especially the Psalms. If you just go to the Psalms and look at how many times David said that he cried. For instance, Psalm 3 and verse 4, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hell.

[John Weaver] And then he said in Psalm 30 and verse 2, O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. And then in Psalm 34 and verse 6, this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles. Psalm 66 and verse 17, I cried at him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. Psalm 77 verse 1, I cried unto my God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me. And Psalm 88 and verse 1, O Lord God of our salvation, I've cried day and night before thee. There's nothing wrong with crying to God.

[John Weaver] We need to cry to him consistently, constantly and in desperation. Here's the third thing. Don't be like a brute beast in the sense that you don't recognize God's sovereignty. You don't recognize God's creation. You don't recognize God's providence. You have to know from whom you receive your blessings. who sustains you, who preserves you, who protects you. He deserves all the honor and all the praise. Years ago, I preached a message and I just thought about it, but I titled the message. Do you know which side your bread is buttered on? And of course, it's God who butters our bread. And the Bible says in Psalm 50 and verse 23, Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.

[John Weaver] Which leads me to this. We need to remember to learn from the animals. I enjoy watching cows eat. I feed my cows every day. And they will put their head down in a pan. Grab a mouthful of sweet feed. And the next thing they do is they lift their head toward heaven and just chew and chew and chew like they're relishing every bite. And at the same time, looking toward heaven like they're thanking God. This is so good.

[John Weaver] I appreciate this so much. It's just a joy to watch them eat. And, you know, most people never really even thank God for what he's given to them. I'm just simply saying we need to learn. There are things that they can teach us. And we need to learn to be thankful and grateful. Alice can tell you anyone who's been around our cows. Every now and then I walk out to the barn and one single cow has come up and the cow sees me and starts moving and start slowing. I know what the cow wants. Another scoop of feed.

[John Weaver] And I usually give it to them. I mean, we've got calves that Alice and I raised on a bottle. We've got calves that she and I delivered. There's one right now that weighs about 2000 pounds. He's not full grown, but he thinks I'm his daddy. I'm not, but, but I mean, I delivered him. I, I cleaned his nostrils. I blew my breath in his nostrils. And since he had to be pulled, his front legs were not strong, so I had to hold him up while his mother cleaned him.

[John Weaver] She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. And then for nearly three or four days, I had to hold him up so he could nurse until his legs got strong. And now, of course, he just, I guess, thinks I'm his daddy. I'm just saying, They seem to be so appreciative and so thankful about anything that you can do. And look at us.

[John Weaver] We hardly ever praise God. We need to remember every blessing that God has given us. We need to remember every time that God has delivered us. We need to remember every time that God has done something special for us. And we need to continually thank him and praise him. And that would give us confidence of what God could do now and what God can do in the future. We need to learn a lesson from the birds. We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens. They may be despicable. They may be ravenous, but God hears them. And if God hears them, he will hear his own.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You, Lord, for the illustration that You've given us from creation and from the animals and from the insects and from the birds. Help us to learn, O Lord. Help us, Lord, to understand an argument from the lesser to the greater. And if You're going to take care of those animals, and those insects, and those birds, and those fish. Lord, you're going to take care of your own. May we rest in thee, lean upon thee, trust in thee, believe in thee, and praise and glorify thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. you you you you

Crying Unto God, What We Can Learn From The Birds

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	NzJlsch6Kkc
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-03-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 082: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	80

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Learning from Animals

Weaver introduces the idea that people often fail to observe and learn from God's creation, and that animals can teach us important lessons.

Today, if you would, to the book of Job, chapter 38, Job 38, and we're going to be reading verses 39 through 41. Job 38, verses 39 through 41. The title of the message is "Crying Unto God: What We Can Learn from Birds." So notice, if you would, we will come back and get the context. But notice, if you would, Job chapter 38, beginning with verse 39, God asked Job,

Scripture Reading — Job 38:39-41

"Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?" "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat."

I made an observation years ago, and I still believe it's absolutely true, and that is that most people are so busy making a living, they actually forget to live. We fail to observe and refuse to look at and consider and contemplate God's creation and God's providence. And when we think about animals, we only look at animals for food or for pets or for entertainment. And moreover, the animals that we're usually concerned with are only the animals that we own or the animals that we use. And most of the time, we do not even consider animals that are outside of our realm of existence unless one happens to be seemingly exceptional. We have no interest in taking care of animals except the ones we own or the ones that we use, and we certainly never ever consider learning from animals. We always consider animals inferior, less intelligent, and nothing more than brute beasts. But I'm going to point something out that you should consider, and that is a lot of times men are dumber than the animals.

If you will look in your Bibles, holding Job 38, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, and look if you would please at verses 2 and 3, and then we'll go to Psalm 49. But in the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, look if you would please at what God says in verses 2 and 3. He says,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-3

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me."

Biblical Examples of Animals Being Wiser than Men

Using Isaiah 1:2-3 and Psalm 49:12,20, Weaver shows that the ox and ass know their master, but Israel does not know God, and that men without understanding are like beasts.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-3

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me." "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider."

So he says, in this instance, the ox and the ass are smarter than his people. The ox knows his stall, and the ass knows his crib. They know exactly where they get fed.

Now, I've had cows for many, many years. And just this past week, I was putting some water in the watering trough, and I looked down and I saw a cow that was seemingly lying down, is what I thought. And usually when a cow's going to have a calf, they're lying down. So I thought, I'll walk down there and check on that cow. And I walked straight to that cow, which was no more than 7,500 yards from where I was standing originally. And I got down there, and the cow was not necessarily even lying down. She was kind of in a depression. And when I got there to see, all of a sudden, here came about 15 or 20 other cows just to surround me. And I had to pet every one of them before I could leave.

Now, the point being, they knew exactly who I am, and they knew I fed them. So they came to me. My father used to have several hundred cows. And I've seen him drive his truck out in the pasture and every one of them surround that truck because they knew food came out of that truck as well. So this is what God's saying. These oxen and these asses sometimes are smarter than men. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Psalm 49 at verse 12 and then verse 20. Psalm 49 and notice verse 12 and then look at verse 20 in light of this. In Psalm 49 and verse 12, God is telling us that a man who certainly does not honor God and recognize God and does not recognize the station that God has assigned him in life is really dumber than a brute beast. So he says in Psalm 49 in verse 12,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 49:12,20

"Nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not, he is like the beast that perish."

And then verse 20, "Man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beast that perish." In fact, the truth of the matter is, those individuals who do not know God, refuse God, and will not submit and surrender to Him are described in Scripture as nothing more than brute beasts to be destroyed. If you will look in your Bibles to 2 Peter 2, and then we'll go to the book of Jude, but 2 Peter 2 and verse 12, you'll see exactly what I just said to you.

Wicked Men as Brute Beasts

Weaver cites 2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 10 to describe those who reject God as brute beasts destined for destruction.

II Peter chapter 2 and verse 12 to begin with. And notice what God says, II Peter 2 and verse 12, talking about these wicked men.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:12

"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption."

So there are brute beasts they don't understand, and God said they will perish in their own corruption. Then if you look in the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation and verse 10, you'll notice this. Notice Jude and verse 10. Here he says this, "But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves." And let me just point out before I really get into this message that we should not be above and should not think to be above learning from animals, birds, and insects. In one sense of the word, they certainly have a lot that they can teach us. You have to believe this and you have to understand this. God did not make anything by accident. And everything that God made, He made for a purpose. And He made for our good and for His glory. And we can learn from anything that He's created.

Learning from Insects: The Ant

Proverbs 6:6-11 is used to show that even ants teach a biblical work ethic and preparation.

And for two hours, I watched them. And when it finally got dark, I had to leave because, and I don't know the outcome, but the praying mantis for two hours did not get him. Did you know that in martial arts, in Kung Fu, there's a praying mantis style of fighting? There's a monkey style of fighting. And all they did was observe animals and see how they fought and how they defended themselves. They developed those things. I'm just saying there's things that we can learn even from insects. If you will turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 6. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 6.

And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. You say, "What in the world can you learn from an insect?" Well, here's something that we need to learn in this country, I can assure you, and probably in every country as well. But in Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 6, look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise."

Well, what can you learn from an ant? He says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provided their meat in the summer and gather the fruit in the harvest."

And then he says this,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"How long will you sleep? O sluggard, when will thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come in as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man."

Now look what he said:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise."

The ant does not have a foreman, the ant does not have a king, the ant does not have a ruler, but the ant has sense enough to know that it has to get in harvest while it can get, and it has to provide for itself when it cannot get.

So you can learn not only a biblical work ethic from ants, you can also learn preparation from ants, you can also learn provision from ants, and providing for yourself and for others as well. I would say this today. We need the lesson of a biblical work ethic, and God says you can go to the ants and learn that. Isn't that amazing?

Now, you see, in the context of our text, God is questioning Job. And let me show you why. If you will look in Job 23 and verse 4. Job 23 and verse 4. We're going to come back to the context, but look at it. Job 23 and verse 4. Here's what Job said. He said, in fact, let's begin with verse 3. He says, "Oh, that I knew where I might find him." He's talking about God, "that I might come even to his seat." What would you do, Job, if you found him? He said, "Here's what I would do."

Context of Job 38: God Questions Job

Weaver explains that Job wanted to argue with God, but when God questioned him, Job repented. The questions include who provides for lions and ravens.

"I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments." Why, he said, "I know I'm suffering and I know I'm being afflicted. And I know I really haven't done anything to deserve this. I know I'm a sinner, but I didn't do anything to deserve what's happening to me, and I don't really know what's happening to me. But if I knew where I might find Him, what I would do, I would order my cause before Him, and then I would fill my mouth with arguments." Well, the interesting thing is this. Job got that opportunity. So if you look in Job 38, Job 38, verses 1 and 2. In fact, we'll read through verse 3. Watch.

Scripture Reading — Job 38:1-3

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me."

Job, you don't know what you're doing. You're talking as someone who has no sense.

"But you want to talk to me. You gird up your loins. You act like a man. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you try to answer me." In fact, God begins asking these questions in Job 38, and He asks them all the way through until you get to Job 42. And if you'll look in Job 42, beginning there with verse 1, you'll find out Job could not answer any of those questions. And look at what he said. Finally, in chapter 42 and verse 1, "Then Job answered the Lord and said," after God got through asking all of these questions, he said, "I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from thee."

"Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? That's me. Therefore have I uttered that that I understood not. Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee."

Now look what he said. "Wherefore, I abhor, I hate myself. I will repent in dust and ashes." Job said, "I don't really want to challenge God. I don't think I want to go through with this. I have spoken out of turn now." If you'll go back to our text in Job chapter 38, beginning there with verse 39, I want to read that again. And I want you to think about this because these are some of the questions that God is asking Job. In verse 39, he asked him, "Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they couch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?" And then he asks this, "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." So in the text now, God is speaking not only of ravenous beasts, but he's also speaking of ravenous birds. He asked Job, "Can you feed the lions? Can you feed the young lions? Can you feed the ravens? Can you feed their offspring?" He mentions the lions, who normally are known as the king of the beasts. And then he mentions ravens, which are a despicable bird in one sense of the word. And yet, although we recognize lions and stand in awe of them as king of the beasts, yet a lion is exceedingly cruel itself, because look at the small animals that it kills—little antelopes.

The Raven: An Unclean and Despicable Bird

Weaver describes ravens as unclean (Leviticus 11:13-15), associated with judgment (Isaiah 34:11), and neglectful parents who kick out their young early.

And it doesn't matter if it's a grown antelope or a baby antelope, the lion will kill it and eat it. And so here is a beast that we recognize as the king of the beasts, and yet he's very cruel. And then we're talking about these ravenous birds, and he mentions ravens particularly. And ravens are not only unclean, they're also repulsive in one sense of the word. Let me read to you from Leviticus chapter 11, verses 13 through 15. I want you to listen carefully because ravens are going to be named.

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 11:13-15

"And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls. They shall not be eaten. They are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, and the vulture, and the kite after his kind, and every raven after his kind."

So the raven is mentioned then as an unclean bird. I want you to turn to the book of Proverbs chapter 30, and look if you would at verse 17 to show you again the despicableness of ravens in one sense of the word. In Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 17, The Bible says, "The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother."

So we're talking about a young man, young lady. So he says, "The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagle shall eat it." So we're talking about a dead carcass and here the ravens come and pick out the eyes. And, of course, vultures will do exactly the same thing. So we think of ravens, then, as very not only unclean, but despicable in one sense of the word. And if you will turn right on over to Isaiah 34, I want you to look at the Bible with me as I read through the first 11 verses, because evidently ravens are part and parcel of God's judgment. Look at it very carefully. Isaiah 34, beginning there with verse 1. Notice this is the context of judgment. He says, "Come near, ye nations, to hear and hearken, you people. Let the earth hear and all that is therein in the world, and all things that come forth of it. Why? For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies."

"He hath utterly destroyed them. He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountain shall be melted with their blood. And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword," says God, "shall be bathed in heaven. Behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood. It is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls. And their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness."

"For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompense, for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch." Now watch, "It shall not be quenched night or day. The smoke thereof shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste, and none shall pass through it for ever and ever." "But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it, the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it, and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness." So he says, it's going to be so destroyed that the only thing that can live there is the cormorant and the bittern and the owl and the raven. So this is all included in God's judgment. But note, if you would, here is that raven listed again.

Now, I want you to look back to Job 38 and verse 41, and you are going to see why this caught my attention, especially in light of everything that I just said about the ravens. Notice verse 41. He's asking Job, "Who provided for the raven his food?" And then he asks this or says this: "When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. You know that most animals take care of their young. Most animals will defend their young. And some animals will take care of the young of other animals.

God's Provision for the Young Ravens

Despite the raven's neglect, God hears the cries of the young ravens and provides for them, demonstrating His care for all creatures.

In fact, the first year Alice and I were married, which was so long ago, neither of us can really remember, but my father's dog came up with two baby squirrels in his mouth, unharmed. And so my sister took one of the squirrels, and Alice and I took one of the squirrels. So, so small, we had to feed it with an eyedropper. And we also at that time had a little Chihuahua dog. And we were also given a Tomcat kitten, very small. And that mother Chihuahua dog or the Chihuahua dog had a puppy, one little puppy. So we had the Chihuahua dog, the puppy, the baby squirrel, the baby kitten. Did you know that mama Chihuahua dog nursed the puppy, the kitten, and the squirrel?

And they grew up together. They lived together. They slept together. The dog never bothered Cat. Cat never bothered the squirrel. I mean, we had them until they were grown. And finally, I let the squirrel go. But he kept coming back for two months or so. And then finally, he went wild after he was totally grown. But I'm just simply pointing out, here animals are taking care of the young of other animals.

In fact, one of the men this morning showed me a little video that was just sent to him this week, and here's this big white mama hen sitting on a nest, and the owner goes up there videoing it. The owner goes up and catches her by the chest and starts lifting her up so you can see what's under her. And out comes three little kittens. She's sitting on the kittens. It's, you know, it's astounding how animals do things like this. But—and I told you all of that just to say this. The ravens are not like that. Ravens don't really care about their young. They usually kick them out of the nest by the time they are five to seven weeks of age. Hence the Bible says in verse 41, "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." In other words, the parents are not taking care of those baby chicks. They are like the ostrich. Look in Job 39 right there, beginning with verse 13. Look at what God says. Here is the dumbness of an ostrich. God asked Job, "Gavest thou the goodly wings of the peacocks?"

And of course the answer is no. "Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?" No. What does the ostrich do? "Who leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust." In other words, she lays her eggs and covers them in the dirt, and that's it. Watch verse 15, "...and forgetteth that the foot may crunch them, or that the wild beasts may break them, or eat them." Notice verse 16, "She is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers." She doesn't care. "Her labor is in vain without fear. Why? Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted her understanding. What time she lifted up herself on high, she scorned the horse and the rider." And yeah, an ostrich can run as fast or faster than a horse. But God says they're so dumb. They just put their eggs in the dirt, cover them with the dirt, walk off and leave them.

If they hatch, they hatch. If God didn't take care of the ostrich, then they'd have gone extinct a long time ago. But God is saying it's the same thing with these ravens. You just have to remember a little bird this five to seven weeks old just about cannot take care of itself. It's almost impossible. Years ago, Alice and I found a baby bird. Neither one of us can remember if the dog brought the bird up in the mouth or if we found it in the yard somewhere. I don't know.

But we had a screened-in porch, which was about a quarter the size of this room. And so we put that little bird in that room. And I even fixed little branches for it to sit on. And we had a little box under it it could get in, and towels in the box to keep it warm and that kind of thing. And Alice and I would go in and feed it every day. Usually, she would feed it most of the time. Occasionally, I would do so. And we would carry little insects in there, little worms and bird feed, and I could never get Alice to put those worms and all in her mouth like the mama does and poke it down their throat, but at least she would feed it. And so finally the bird, you know, feathers got to growing and the bird started hopping and flying around in a little room like that. And so we decided we have to be very careful because although the bird can now fly, it's still very young and we weren't sure whether or not it could take care of itself. And so one day, I was going in to feed the little bird and the little bird was positioned just right. Because when I opened the door to go in, it flew right past me. Well, I shut the door and I went back in and I told Alice, I said, "Well, the bird's gone. I said, maybe you'll be able to take care of yourself. I don't know. He flew out, and I couldn't stop him."

And she said, "Well, we've done the best we can do." And so the next day, she was out in the garden working. And all of a sudden, something fell from the sky right at her feet. That was that baby bird. He landed at her feet with his mouth open, "Feed me, feed me, feed me." Well, she picked him up, took him, put him up, fed him again. I mean, I'm just saying, you know, birds are not stupid, not by any stretch of the imagination. And we took care of that bird. Usually mamas and dads do that, but not with ravens. Let me give you a quote from Matthew Poole on these ravens. Listen to what he says. He says, "Having mentioned the noblest of brute beasts or creatures," talking about the lions, "he now mentions one that is most contemptible and loathsome to show the care of God's providence over all creatures, both great and small, which is even more remarkable in ravens because, number one, they devour flesh, which is not

easy for them to find. Number two, they are greedy and eat very much. Number three, they're generally neglected and forsaken by mankind. Number four, their young ones are so soon forsaken by their dams that if God did not provide for them in a more than ordinary manner, they would soon be starved." And then he goes on to quote, he says, "Volckart observes that the raven expels the young from the nest as soon as they're able to fly. In this condition," now listen, "in this condition, being unable to obtain food by their own exertions, they make a croaking noise, and God is said to hear it and to supply their needs." Schubert suggests the reason why the raven is specified here rather than other fowls is that it is an offensive bird and that God means to state that no object, however regarded by man, is beneath his notice. He carefully provides for the needs of all of his creatures.

So he says that these ravens cannot really provide for themselves even when their parents kick them out of the nest, and they make this croaking noise, which God is said to hear. That's why the Bible says in verse 41, "When his young ones cry unto God," He says, "they wander for lack of meat." In other words, if God did not feed them, then the raven would be extinct as well.

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:24, and Matthew 7:11, Weaver argues that if God cares for birds and ravens, He will much more care for His children.

Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6, and I want us to begin reading there with verse 25. Matthew chapter 6, and let's look at verse 25. Okay? Yes, that's it. Matthew chapter 6, and let's begin reading there with verse 25. God says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not life more than meat and the body more than raiment?"

Now, before I go any further, let me tell you something. What you're going to see in this passage is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Many times in the Bible, this argument is used. So if something is true in the lesser, how much more it is true in the greater or how much surer it is true in the greater. So he said in verse 25, "Therefore I say unto you, you take no thought." Now watch what he says in verse 26. "Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." Now watch this. "Are you not much better than they?" So that's an argument from the lesser to the greater. So if God takes care of the fowls of the air, he's asking, "Are you not much better than they are? Are you not going to take care? Is he not going to take care of you?"

Verse 27, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to a stature? And why take you thought for a raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow's cast in the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Again, he's arguing from the lesser to the greater. If he takes care of the grasses of the field, he's certainly gonna take care of his own. Now watch. He says in verse 31, "Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

Then he says, "Take no thought for tomorrow." In other words, don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow shall take care, our thought for the things of itself. Sufficient of the day is the evil thereof. Got more to think about today. Don't waste your time thinking about tomorrow.

Now I want you to turn to Luke chapter 12. Notice he said, Matthew, he said, "Consider the fowls of the air." But when you get to the book of Luke, chapter 12, and you look at verse 24, look at how he says it. Are you there? Watch this.

Scripture Reading — Luke 12:24

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them."

Here's that argument from the lesser to the greater.

Scripture Reading — Luke 12:24

"How much more are you better than the fowls?"

So in Matthew, he said, "Consider the fowls," and Luke, he says, "Consider the ravens." Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 7, and I'm going to ask you a question. In fact, I'll ask you several questions before I give you the answer. Okay? Here's my questions. Those of you that are married, have children, do you care for your children? And the answer, of course, is yes. If your child gets in distress and gets in trouble and begins crying, do you listen to the cries of your children? And the answer is yes. Do you do and give good things to your children? And the answer is yes. Now, here's my question. If you love your children and will hear your children and listen to their cries, and listen to their needs and listen to their wants and supply them, here's the question: do you think

that you are any more generous, gracious, kind, loving more than God himself? You would say, "No, I wouldn't think that." Well, let me show you. Look in Matthew chapter 7. Beginning there with verse 7. Matthew 7 verse 7. Look what he says. "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be open unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Hang on.

"Or what man is there of you who, if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Well, of course not. Now look what he said in verse 11. "If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more," an argument from the lesser to the greater, "how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Wow. How much more? How much more? How much more? Please note that He gives to those that ask, those that seek, find, and those that knock, it is to be opened. If raven chicks make a croaking noise, crying unto God for food which they cannot provide for themselves, and they are unclean, ravenous, despicable birds, how much more do you think God is going to provide for His own children, whom he loves and regards as his own?

Applications: Crying to God and Gratitude

Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to cry to God consistently and desperately, to recognize His sovereignty, and to learn gratitude from animals.

Now let me try to tie this together with some applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry unto God as do the young ravens. Well, how do they cry? Remember, they're kicked out of the nest. They may be able to fly, but they can't do anything. They can't attack a larger animal. They have no strength. They have no ability. And they make this croaking noise, and they're screaming, begging for food to eat. I would imagine they cry consistently, constantly, and out of desperation, realizing the fact that if God doesn't feed them, then they are gone. I'm afraid if things keep going in this country the way they are, we may really learn to cry like these raven chicks. We may really learn to cry out of real desperation.

I'll give you two verses. This regards the children of Israel. The first one is found in Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 7. And they said this, listen carefully. "And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice and looked upon our affliction and our labor and our oppression." When we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, they were crying out of desperation. Then in Judges chapter 3 and verse 9, the Bible said, "And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother." I think it's probably time we start crying to God for a deliverer in this country, someone that'll get rid of the tyrants and the wicked and the ungodly.

Hey, that's what he said. He told us to pray, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just." And that's what we need to pray. David said it like this in 2 Samuel chapter 22 in verse 7. He said, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God, and he did hear my voice out of the temple, and my cry did enter into his ears." I cried unto the Lord in my distress. So we need to learn to cry like these young ravens, consistently, constantly, and in desperation. The second one is this. This message should indeed encourage us and embolden us to cry to the Lord, just thinking about arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God hears these ravens, surely He's bound to hear His own children. You need to look at this through the Bible, especially the Psalms. If you just go to the Psalms and look at how many times David said that he cried. For instance, Psalm 3 and verse 4, "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill."

And then he said in Psalm 30 and verse 2, "O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me." And then in Psalm 34 and verse 6, "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles." Psalm 66 and verse 17, "I cried at him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue." Psalm 77 verse 1, "I cried unto my God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me." And Psalm 88 and verse 1, "O Lord God of our salvation, I've cried day and night before thee." There's nothing wrong with crying to God. We need to cry to him consistently, constantly and in desperation. Here's the third thing. Don't be like a brute beast in the sense that you don't recognize God's sovereignty. You don't recognize God's creation. You don't recognize God's providence. You have to know from whom you receive your blessings, who sustains you, who preserves you, who protects you. He deserves all the honor and all the praise. Years ago, I preached a message and I just thought about it, but I titled the message, "Do you know which side your bread is buttered on?" And of course, it's God who butters our bread. And the Bible says in Psalm 50 and verse 23, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me."

Which leads me to this. We need to remember to learn from the animals. I enjoy watching cows eat. I feed my cows every day. And they will put their head down in a pan, grab a mouthful of sweet feed, and the next thing they do is they lift their head toward heaven and just chew and chew and chew like they're relishing every bite. And at the same time, looking toward heaven like they're thanking God. "This is so good.

I appreciate this so much." It's just a joy to watch them eat. And, you know, most people never really even thank God for what he's given to them. I'm just simply saying we need to learn. There are things that they can teach us. And we need to learn to be thankful and grateful. Alice can tell you anyone who's been around our cows. Every now and then I walk out to the barn and one single cow has come up and the cow sees me and starts moving and start slowing. I know what the cow wants. Another scoop of feed.

And I usually give it to them. I mean, we've got calves that Alice and I raised on a bottle. We've got calves that she and I delivered. There's one right now that weighs about 2000 pounds. He's not full grown, but he thinks I'm his daddy. I'm not, but, but I mean, I delivered him. I, I cleaned his nostrils. I blew my breath in his nostrils. And since he had to be pulled, his front legs were not strong, so I had to hold him up while his mother cleaned him.

She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. And then for nearly three or four days, I had to hold him up so he could nurse until his legs got strong. And now, of course, he just, I guess, thinks I'm his daddy. I'm just saying, they seem to be so appreciative and so thankful about anything that you can do. And look at us. We hardly ever praise God. We need to remember every blessing that God has given us. We need to remember every time that God has delivered us. We need to remember every time that God has done something special for us. And we need to continually thank him and praise him. And that would give us confidence of what God could do now and what God can do in the future. We need to learn a lesson from the birds. We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens. They may be despicable. They may be ravenous, but God hears them. And if God hears them, he will hear his own.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Providential Care for All Creatures

Summary: God provides for every living thing, even despised and unclean creatures like ravens, demonstrating His all-sufficiency and bounty.

Evidence: Job 38:41: 'Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.'

Learning from Creation

Summary: God's creation, including animals and insects, can teach humans wisdom, work ethic, and dependence on God.

Evidence: Job 12:7-9: 'Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.'

Argument from Lesser to Greater

Summary: If God cares for birds and ravens, how much more will He care for His children, encouraging believers to trust in His provision.

Evidence: Matthew 6:26: 'Behold the fowls of the air... your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?'

The Necessity of Crying Out to God

Summary: Believers should cry to God consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like the young ravens, trusting that He hears and delivers.

Evidence: Psalm 34:6: 'This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.'

Human Wickedness and Divine Judgment

Summary: Those who reject God are like brute beasts, and while God shows mercy, they store up wrath for themselves.

Evidence: Romans 2:4-5: 'Despisest thou the riches of his goodness... treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath.'

Gratitude and Praise to God

Summary: Observing animals' apparent gratitude should remind believers to continually thank and praise God for His blessings.

Evidence: Psalm 50:23: 'Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.'

Key Arguments

Animals can teach humans wisdom

Summary: God commands us to learn from beasts, birds, and insects, as they demonstrate work ethic, preparation, and dependence on God.

Evidence: Proverbs 6:6: 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.'

Ravens are neglectful parents, yet God provides

Summary: Ravens kick their young out of the nest early, but God hears their cries and feeds them, showing His care for the helpless.

Evidence: Job 38:41: 'When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.'

God's care for ravens assures His care for believers

Summary: If God provides for unclean, despised birds, He will certainly provide for His children who cry out to Him.

Evidence: Luke 12:24: 'Consider the ravens... God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?'

Believers must cry out to God in desperation

Summary: Like the young ravens, believers should cry consistently and desperately, trusting God to hear and deliver.

Evidence: Psalm 3:4: 'I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.'

Wicked men are like brute beasts

Summary: Those who reject God and live in sin are compared to brute beasts destined for destruction, lacking understanding.

Evidence: 2 Peter 2:12: 'But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed.'

God's mercy to the wicked increases their judgment

Summary: God's goodness is meant to lead to repentance, but the wicked abuse it, storing up wrath for the day of judgment.

Evidence: Romans 2:4-5: 'Despisest thou the riches of his goodness... treasurest up unto thyself wrath.'

Scripture References

Job 38:39-41

Context: God questions Job about providing for lions and ravens, highlighting His providential care.

Isaiah 1:2-3

Context: God says the ox and ass know their master, but Israel does not know or consider Him.

Psalm 49:12,20

Context: Man in honor without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

2 Peter 2:12

Context: Wicked men are like brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed.

Jude 10

Context: These speak evil of what they do not know and corrupt themselves like brute beasts.

Job 12:7-9

Context: Ask the beasts, fowls, earth, and fish, and they will teach you that the hand of the Lord has done this.

Proverbs 6:6-11

Context: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; she provides her meat in summer.

Job 23:3-4

Context: Job desires to find God and order his cause before Him, filling his mouth with arguments.

Job 38:1-3

Context: God answers Job out of the whirlwind, telling him to gird up his loins like a man for questioning.

Job 42:1-6

Context: Job repents after God's questions, saying he uttered things he did not understand.

Leviticus 11:13-15

Context: Ravens are listed among unclean birds that are an abomination.

Proverbs 30:17

Context: The eye that mocks parents will be picked out by ravens of the valley.

Isaiah 34:1-11

Context: God's judgment on nations; ravens will dwell in the desolate land.

Job 39:13-18

Context: The ostrich leaves her eggs in the earth and is hardened against her young; God deprived her of wisdom.

Psalm 50:10-11

Context: Every beast of the forest is God's, and He knows all the fowls of the mountains.

Psalm 147:9

Context: He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

Matthew 5:44-45

Context: Love your enemies; God makes the sun rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the just and unjust.

Romans 2:4-6

Context: Despising God's goodness leads to treasuring up wrath; God will render to every man according to his deeds.

Matthew 6:25-34

Context: Take no thought for your life; consider the fowls of the air; seek first the kingdom of God.

Luke 12:24

Context: Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; God feeds them; how much more are you better than the fowls?

Historical References

Matthew Poole's commentary on Job 38:41

Context: Poole notes that ravens are contemptible, greedy, and forsaken by their dams, so God's providence is more remarkable.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Job 38:41

Context: Henry comments on the all-sufficiency and bounty of divine providence, even for dangerous creatures.

Important Quotes

most people are so busy making a living, they actually forget to live.

Significance: Introduces the theme that people fail to observe and learn from God's creation.

a lot of times men are dumber than the animals.

Significance: Sets up the argument that animals can teach humans wisdom.

God did not make anything by accident. And everything that God made, He made for a purpose.

Significance: Establishes the theological basis for learning from creation.

When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

Significance: Key text showing that even neglected raven chicks cry to God and He provides.

If God hears these ravens, surely He's bound to hear His own children.

Significance: Summarizes the argument from lesser to greater for God's care.

We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens.

Significance: Main application of the message.

Discussion Questions

In what ways can observing animals and nature teach us about God's character and our relationship with Him?

Context: Weaver argues that God's creation is designed to instruct us (Job 12:7-9).

How does the example of the raven's neglect and God's provision challenge our understanding of God's care for the seemingly undeserving?

Context: Ravens are unclean and neglectful, yet God hears their young (Job 38:41).

What does it mean to 'cry unto God' in desperation, and how can we cultivate that kind of prayer in our lives?

Context: Weaver emphasizes crying consistently, constantly, and in desperation like the ravens.

How does the 'lesser to greater' argument in Matthew 6:26 and Luke 12:24 strengthen your faith in God's provision?

Context: If God feeds birds, how much more will He care for His children.

Why do you think God allows wicked people to prosper, and how should that affect our prayers and trust in His justice?

Context: Weaver discusses God's mercy to the wicked and their storing up wrath (Romans 2:4-5).

In what practical ways can we learn gratitude from animals, as Weaver suggests?

Context: Weaver describes cows appearing to thank God while eating.

Applications

Cry out to God in desperate prayer

Summary: Believers should cry to God consistently, constantly, and in desperation, trusting that He hears and will provide.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens.'

Trust in God's provision

Summary: Since God cares for even unclean birds, believers can be confident He will care for them.

Evidence: Matthew 6:26: 'Behold the fowls of the air... your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?'

Learn from creation

Summary: Observe animals and insects to gain wisdom about work, preparation, and dependence on God.

Evidence: Proverbs 6:6: 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.'

Recognize God's sovereignty and give thanks

Summary: Acknowledge God as the source of all blessings and continually praise Him.

Evidence: Psalm 50:23: 'Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.'

Pray for deliverance from wicked rulers

Summary: Cry to God for a deliverer to remove tyrants and establish justice.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I think it's probably time we start crying to God for a deliverer in this country.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:57:02Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:42:52Z

Clean Transcript

Crying Unto God, What We Can Learn From The Birds

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Today, if you would, to the book of Job, chapter 38, Job 38, and we're going to be reading verses 39 through 41. Job 38, verses 39 through 41. The title of the message is "Crying Unto God: What We Can Learn from Birds." So notice, if you would, we will come back and get the context. But notice, if you would, Job chapter 38, beginning with verse 39, God asked Job, "Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?"
#1 | 0:00 to 0:57 | cleaned
"Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." I made an observation years ago, and I still believe it's absolutely true, and that is that most people are so busy making a living, they actually forget to live. We fail to observe and refuse to look at and consider and contemplate God's creation and God's providence. And when we think about animals, we only look at animals for food or for pets or for entertainment. And moreover, the animals that we're usually concerned with are only the animals that we own or the animals that we use. And most of the time, we do not even consider animals that are outside of our realm of existence unless one happens to be seemingly exceptional. We have no interest in taking care of animals except the ones we own or the ones that we use, and we certainly never ever consider learning from animals. We always consider animals inferior, less intelligent, and nothing more than brute beasts. But I'm going to point something out that you should consider, and that is a lot of times men are dumber than the animals.
#2 | 0:58 to 2:25 | cleaned
If you will look in your Bibles, holding Job 38, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, and look if you would please at verses 2 and 3, and then we'll go to Psalm 49. But in the book of Isaiah, chapter 1, look if you would please at what God says in verses 2 and 3. He says, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me."
#3 | 2:26 to 2:56 | cleaned
"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." So he says, in this instance, the ox and the ass are smarter than his people. The ox knows his stall, and the ass knows his crib. They know exactly where they get fed.
#4 | 2:57 to 3:19 | cleaned
Now, I've had cows for many, many years. And just this past week, I was putting some water in the watering trough, and I looked down and I saw a cow that was seemingly lying down, is what I thought. And usually when a cow's going to have a calf, they're lying down. So I thought, I'll walk down there and check on that cow. And I walked straight to that cow, which was no more than 7,500 yards from where I was standing originally. And I got down there, and the cow was not necessarily even lying down.
#5 | 3:20 to 3:50 | cleaned
She was kind of in a depression. And when I got there to see, all of a sudden, here came about 15 or 20 other cows just to surround me. And I had to pet every one of them before I could leave.
#6 | 3:50 to 4:00 | cleaned
Now, the point being, they knew exactly who I am, and they knew I fed them. So they came to me. My father used to have several hundred cows. And I've seen him drive his truck out in the pasture and every one of them surround that truck because they knew food came out of that truck as well. So this is what God's saying. These oxen and these asses sometimes are smarter than men.
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If you look in your Bibles to the book of Psalm 49 at verse 12 and then verse 20. Psalm 49 and notice verse 12 and then look at verse 20 in light of this. In Psalm 49 and verse 12, God is telling us that a man who certainly does not honor God and recognize God and does not recognize the station that God has assigned him in life is really dumber than a brute beast. So he says in Psalm 49 in verse 12, "Nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not, he is like the beast that perish." And then verse 20, "Man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beast that perish." In fact, the truth of the matter is, those individuals who do not know God, refuse God, and will not submit and surrender to Him are described in Scripture as nothing more than brute beasts to be destroyed. If you will look in your Bibles to 2 Peter 2, and then we'll go to the book of Jude, but 2 Peter 2 and verse 12, you'll see exactly what I just said to you.
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II Peter chapter 2 and verse 12 to begin with. And notice what God says, II Peter 2 and verse 12, talking about these wicked men. "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption." So there are brute beasts they don't understand, and God said they will perish in their own corruption. Then if you look in the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation and verse 10, you'll notice this. Notice Jude and verse 10. Here he says this, "But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves."
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And let me just point out before I really get into this message that we should not be above and should not think to be above learning from animals, birds, and insects. In one sense of the word, they certainly have a lot that they can teach us. You have to believe this and you have to understand this. God did not make anything by accident. And everything that God made, He made for a purpose. And He made for our good and for His glory. And we can learn from anything that He's created.
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So since we're in the book of Job, I want you to go back to Job chapter 12, and let's begin reading there with verse 7. Job 12 and verse 7. And look, if you would, please, at what God says. This may surprise you, but in Job 12 and verse 7, The Word of God says, "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee, or speak to the earth, and it shall teach 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 other words, the hand of the Lord has wrought this. That is, we may be educated, we may be taught by beasts, by birds, by fish, by the earth, if we will just simply pay attention.
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So here's a good question. Have you ever really, seriously, closely paid attention to your animals, especially those that you call your pets? I will tell you this, I usually can read mine like a book. Now occasionally I get surprised, that is true, but usually I can read them like a book. And Jackson, our big mastiff, he will come down to the office and I'll be petting him.
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And he stands there with his head up so I can scratch his throat and scratch his chest. And I'll quit to turn around and go back to work. And he'll roll those eyes. And when I see him roll those eyes, I know exactly what he's going to do. He's going to bump me. The reason he's going to butt me, he wants me to continue petting him. And then I'll be working and he will come up beside me and I ignore him. And the next thing I know, he takes his head, which I know he's going to do, bumps my arm and puts it around him so I can pet him and scratch him.
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And I've got to do that while I try to type with this hand. We used to have a golden retriever. Her name was Honey. And everywhere I went, just like Claiborne, she rode with me in the cab, never in the back of the truck. And she was either lying on the seat with her head in my lap, or she was sitting up, leaning right up against me with her head on my shoulder. And a lot of times I'd be driving down the road, and she would take her head and bump my arm, and it would go around her. And she'd lay her head here, and I'd have to drive like this.
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Alice was following me one day when she did that. And when we got home, Alice said, "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had a blonde on your shoulder and in your arms." I said, "I'm thankful you knew it was that golden retriever." So, but I mean, you know, sometimes they do surprise you. You know, I never, I never have to look at a clock to know when it's time to go to the post office or take off the trash. You know why? Because Claiborne always comes to my office door, and he's sitting there jumping around. He'll turn around, head to the front door, then he'll come back like, "It's time. You're wasting time. Let's get up. Let's go."
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I'm just simply saying there have been many instances, and I would challenge you to do this. When you get home, you get on your computer and go to the internet and type in "wild animals that have asked humans for help." There are documented cases, documented cases of dolphins and whales and turtles and even sharks that have approached humans and wanted help, usually with nets or hooks caught in them.
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Similarly, if you look again on the computer, you'll see koala bears and kangaroos coming up in Australia asking people for water, especially during the time of drought. There's one, this one little koala bear, a person is holding a bottle of water and he's just drinking it, guzzling it right down. Wild animal. In fact, there's also one there where a mother elephant comes to humans trying to get help for her baby that has fallen into a well. And then of course there's ones of bears approaching people as well. It's absolutely astounding what you can find and how these animals are approaching for help. What I'm trying to make is they communicate in ways that we can understand, even if they cannot speak.
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Now, the truth of the matter is, we can learn from anything that God created, even insects. I never will forget, years ago, I was sitting behind a little tree, just about this big around, a little oak tree. And I was deer hunting, and I was watching way down, several hundred yards in front of me. And all of a sudden, I looked right at that tree. And here was a praying mantis and a granddaddy longlegs, and they were trying to outmaneuver each other. The praying mantis wanted to have him for dinner, and the granddaddy longlegs did not cooperate.
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And for two hours, I watched them. And when it finally got dark, I had to leave because, and I don't know the outcome, but the praying mantis for two hours did not get him. Did you know that in martial arts, in Kung Fu, there's a praying mantis style of fighting? There's a monkey style of fighting. And all they did was observe animals and see how they fought and how they defended themselves. They developed those things. I'm just saying there's things that we can learn even from insects. If you will turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Proverbs chapter 6. Let me show you. Proverbs chapter 6.
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And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. You say, "What in the world can you learn from an insect?" Well, here's something that we need to learn in this country, I can assure you, and probably in every country as well. But in Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 6, look what God says. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise." Well, what can you learn from an ant?
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He says, "Which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provided their meat in the summer and gather the fruit in the harvest." And then he says this, "How long will you sleep? O sluggard, when will thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come in as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man." Now look what he said: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise." The ant does not have a foreman, the ant does not have a king, the ant does not have a ruler, but the ant has sense enough to know that it has to get in harvest while it can get, and it has to provide for itself when it cannot get.
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So you can learn not only a biblical work ethic from ants, you can also learn preparation from ants, you can also learn provision from ants, and providing for yourself and for others as well. I would say this today. We need the lesson of a biblical work ethic, and God says you can go to the ants and learn that. Isn't that amazing?
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Now, you see, in the context of our text, God is questioning Job. And let me show you why. If you will look in Job 23 and verse 4. Job 23 and verse 4. We're going to come back to the context, but look at it. Job 23 and verse 4. Here's what Job said. He said, in fact, let's begin with verse 3. He says, "Oh, that I knew where I might find him." He's talking about God, "that I might come even to his seat." What would you do, Job, if you found him? He said, "Here's what I would do."
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"I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments." Why, he said, "I know I'm suffering and I know I'm being afflicted. And I know I really haven't done anything to deserve this. I know I'm a sinner, but I didn't do anything to deserve what's happening to me, and I don't really know what's happening to me. But if I knew where I might find Him, what I would do, I would order my cause before Him, and then I would fill my mouth with arguments."
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Well, the interesting thing is this. Job got that opportunity. So if you look in Job 38, Job 38, verses 1 and 2. In fact, we'll read through verse 3. Watch. "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." Job, you don't know what you're doing. You're talking as someone who has no sense.
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"But you want to talk to me. You gird up your loins. You act like a man. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you try to answer me." In fact, God begins asking these questions in Job 38, and He asks them all the way through until you get to Job 42. And if you'll look in Job 42, beginning there with verse 1, you'll find out Job could not answer any of those questions. And look at what he said. Finally, in chapter 42 and verse 1, "Then Job answered the Lord and said," after God got through asking all of these questions, he said, "I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from thee."
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"Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? That's me. Therefore have I uttered that that I understood not. Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak. I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee."
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Now look what he said. "Wherefore, I abhor, I hate myself. I will repent in dust and ashes." Job said, "I don't really want to challenge God. I don't think I want to go through with this. I have spoken out of turn now." If you'll go back to our text in Job chapter 38, beginning there with verse 39, I want to read that again. And I want you to think about this because these are some of the questions that God is asking Job.
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In verse 39, he asked him, "Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they couch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?" And then he asks this, "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." So in the text now, God is speaking not only of ravenous beasts, but he's also speaking of ravenous birds. He asked Job, "Can you feed the lions? Can you feed the young lions? Can you feed the ravens? Can you feed their offspring?" He mentions the lions, who normally are known as the king of the beasts. And then he mentions ravens, which are a despicable bird in one sense of the word. And yet, although we recognize lions and stand in awe of them as king of the beasts, yet a lion is exceedingly cruel itself, because look at the small animals that it kills—little antelopes.
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And it doesn't matter if it's a grown antelope or a baby antelope, the lion will kill it and eat it. And so here is a beast that we recognize as the king of the beasts, and yet he's very cruel. And then we're talking about these ravenous birds, and he mentions ravens particularly. And ravens are not only unclean, they're also repulsive in one sense of the word. Let me read to you from Leviticus chapter 11, verses 13 through 15. I want you to listen carefully because ravens are going to be named.
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"And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls. They shall not be eaten. They are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, and the vulture, and the kite after his kind, and every raven after his kind." So the raven is mentioned then as an unclean bird. I want you to turn to the book of Proverbs chapter 30, and look if you would at verse 17 to show you again the despicableness of ravens in one sense of the word. In Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 17, The Bible says, "The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother."
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So we're talking about a young man, young lady. So he says, "The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagle shall eat it." So we're talking about a dead carcass and here the ravens come and pick out the eyes. And, of course, vultures will do exactly the same thing. So we think of ravens, then, as very not only unclean, but despicable in one sense of the word.
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And if you will turn right on over to Isaiah 34, I want you to look at the Bible with me as I read through the first 11 verses, because evidently ravens are part and parcel of God's judgment. Look at it very carefully. Isaiah 34, beginning there with verse 1. Notice this is the context of judgment. He says, "Come near, ye nations, to hear and hearken, you people. Let the earth hear and all that is therein in the world, and all things that come forth of it. Why? For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies."
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"He hath utterly destroyed them. He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountain shall be melted with their blood. And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and all their hosts shall fall down, as the leaf falleth from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword," says God, "shall be bathed in heaven. Behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood. It is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls. And their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness."
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"For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompense, for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch." Now watch, "It shall not be quenched night or day. The smoke thereof shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste, and none shall pass through it for ever and ever."
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"But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it, the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it, and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness." So he says, it's going to be so destroyed that the only thing that can live there is the cormorant and the bittern and the owl and the raven. So this is all included in God's judgment. But note, if you would, here is that raven listed again.
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Now, I want you to look back to Job 38 and verse 41, and you are going to see why this caught my attention, especially in light of everything that I just said about the ravens. Notice verse 41. He's asking Job, "Who provided for the raven his food?" And then he asks this or says this: "When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. You know that most animals take care of their young. Most animals will defend their young. And some animals will take care of the young of other animals.
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In fact, the first year Alice and I were married, which was so long ago, neither of us can really remember, but my father's dog came up with two baby squirrels in his mouth, unharmed. And so my sister took one of the squirrels, and Alice and I took one of the squirrels. So, so small, we had to feed it with an eyedropper. And we also at that time had a little Chihuahua dog. And we were also given a Tomcat kitten, very small. And that mother Chihuahua dog or the Chihuahua dog had a puppy, one little puppy. So we had the Chihuahua dog, the puppy, the baby squirrel, the baby kitten. Did you know that mama Chihuahua dog nursed the puppy, the kitten, and the squirrel?
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And they grew up together. They lived together. They slept together. The dog never bothered Cat. Cat never bothered the squirrel. I mean, we had them until they were grown. And finally, I let the squirrel go. But he kept coming back for two months or so. And then finally, he went wild after he was totally grown. But I'm just simply pointing out, here animals are taking care of the young of other animals.
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In fact, one of the men this morning showed me a little video that was just sent to him this week, and here's this big white mama hen sitting on a nest, and the owner goes up there videoing it. The owner goes up and catches her by the chest and starts lifting her up so you can see what's under her. And out comes three little kittens. She's sitting on the kittens.
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It's, you know, it's astounding how animals do things like this. But—and I told you all of that just to say this. The ravens are not like that. Ravens don't really care about their young. They usually kick them out of the nest by the time they are five to seven weeks of age. Hence the Bible says in verse 41, "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." In other words, the parents are not taking care of those baby chicks. They are like the ostrich. Look in Job 39 right there, beginning with verse 13. Look at what God says. Here is the dumbness of an ostrich. God asked Job, "Gavest thou the goodly wings of the peacocks?"
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And of course the answer is no. "Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?" No. What does the ostrich do? "Who leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust." In other words, she lays her eggs and covers them in the dirt, and that's it. Watch verse 15, "...and forgetteth that the foot may crunch them, or that the wild beasts may break them, or eat them." Notice verse 16, "She is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers." She doesn't care.
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"Her labor is in vain without fear. Why? Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted her understanding. What time she lifted up herself on high, she scorned the horse and the rider." And yeah, an ostrich can run as fast or faster than a horse. But God says they're so dumb. They just put their eggs in the dirt, cover them with the dirt, walk off and leave them.
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If they hatch, they hatch. If God didn't take care of the ostrich, then they'd have gone extinct a long time ago. But God is saying it's the same thing with these ravens. You just have to remember a little bird this five to seven weeks old just about cannot take care of itself. It's almost impossible. Years ago, Alice and I found a baby bird. Neither one of us can remember if the dog brought the bird up in the mouth or if we found it in the yard somewhere. I don't know.
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But we had a screened-in porch, which was about a quarter the size of this room. And so we put that little bird in that room. And I even fixed little branches for it to sit on. And we had a little box under it it could get in, and towels in the box to keep it warm and that kind of thing. And Alice and I would go in and feed it every day. Usually, she would feed it most of the time.
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Occasionally, I would do so. And we would carry little insects in there, little worms and bird feed, and I could never get Alice to put those worms and all in her mouth like the mama does and poke it down their throat, but at least she would feed it. And so finally the bird, you know, feathers got to growing and the bird started hopping and flying around in a little room like that. And so we decided we have to be very careful because although the bird can now fly, it's still very young and we weren't sure whether or not it could take care of itself. And so one day, I was going in to feed the little bird and the little bird was positioned just right. Because when I opened the door to go in, it flew right past me. Well, I shut the door and I went back in and I told Alice, I said, "Well, the bird's gone. I said, maybe you'll be able to take care of yourself. I don't know. He flew out, and I couldn't stop him."
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And she said, "Well, we've done the best we can do." And so the next day, she was out in the garden working. And all of a sudden, something fell from the sky right at her feet. That was that baby bird. He landed at her feet with his mouth open, "Feed me, feed me, feed me." Well, she picked him up, took him, put him up, fed him again. I mean, I'm just saying, you know, birds are not stupid, not by any stretch of the imagination. And we took care of that bird.
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Usually mamas and dads do that, but not with ravens. Let me give you a quote from Matthew Poole on these ravens. Listen to what he says. He says, "Having mentioned the noblest of brute beasts or creatures," talking about the lions, "he now mentions one that is most contemptible and loathsome to show the care of God's providence over all creatures, both great and small, which is even more remarkable in ravens because, number one, they devour flesh, which is not
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easy for them to find. Number two, they are greedy and eat very much. Number three, they're generally neglected and forsaken by mankind. Number four, their young ones are so soon forsaken by their dams that if God did not provide for them in a more than ordinary manner, they would soon be starved." And then he goes on to quote, he says, "Volckart observes that the raven expels the young from the nest as soon as they're able to fly.
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In this condition," now listen, "in this condition, being unable to obtain food by their own exertions, they make a croaking noise, and God is said to hear it and to supply their needs." Schubert suggests the reason why the raven is specified here rather than other fowls is that it is an offensive bird and that God means to state that no object, however regarded by man, is beneath his notice. He carefully provides for the needs of all of his creatures.
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So he says that these ravens cannot really provide for themselves even when their parents kick them out of the nest, and they make this croaking noise, which God is said to hear. That's why the Bible says in verse 41, "When his young ones cry unto God," He says, "they wander for lack of meat." In other words, if God did not feed them, then the raven would be extinct as well.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would please, to two passages. The first one is Psalm 50, and the second one is Psalm 147. And I want you to keep in mind what was just said, because in Psalm 50, beginning there with verse 10, look at what is said. Psalm 50 and verse 10. God says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine." Isn't that amazing? God says, "For every beast of the forest is mine," no matter what it is. God says, "I own them. I created them. They're mine." I often wondered how the state acquired ownership over all the wild animals to require a license to hunt them because they claim to own them. But God says they don't own them, they're mine. I created them. Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 147 and verse 9. In light of our text, listen to what the Bible says.
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Psalm 147 and verse 9. The Bible says, "He, God, giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry." Now the young ravens are crying. Here's a good quote from Matthew Henry before I begin making some applications. I want you to look at this. Matthew Henry said, concerning this verse in Job 38, verse 41, he said, "See the all-sufficiency of the divine providence.
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It has wherewithal to satisfy the desire of every living thing, even the most ravenous. See the bounty of the divine providence, that wherever it is given life, it will give livelihood even to those creatures that are not only not serviceable, but dangerous to men. And see the divine sovereignty, that it suffers some creatures to be killed for the support of other creatures. The harmless sheep are torn to pieces to fill the appetite of the young lions, who yet sometimes are made to lack and suffer hunger, to punish them for their cruelty, while those that fear God want for no good thing." And that is a quote from Psalm 84 and verse 11 where it says, "They that fear the Lord shall not want or shall not lack for any good thing." So here is the amazing truth of this, that God takes care of His creatures. He takes care of His creation. He takes care and provides for every living thing regardless of how despicable we count them, regardless of how repulsive we count them.
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I've never known of anyone who wanted a vulture or a buzzard for a pet. I don't even want a crocodile for a pet. You know, I might consider an alligator, but not a crocodile. No, I don't really want an alligator either. But I'm just simply pointing out God takes care and God provides for every one of those. Now, listen to me. Here's the amazing thing. A lot of these animals, you and I would consider extremely dangerous, and we do not even want to be around them. And we sometimes wonder why God even allows them to live. I've said it before. You know, I can see a purpose for everything except maybe gnats and mosquitoes. And sometimes I wonder, but I know God has a purpose for them as well. Think about this, when you and I think about the wicked animals and the dangerous animals, here's another question. Why does God allow such wicked men to live and dangerous men? I don't have to name names right now. You could probably think of a half a dozen right off that are so anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-Christian, it's unbelievable.
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And yet some of these men are billionaires and they use all their money to try to destroy the kingdom of Christ. So why would God allow them to live? I've often said, I'm so thankful I am not God. For if I was, I would have killed me and a whole lot more a long time ago. You know, but I'm going to show you the answer to that.
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If you look in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 5, look if you would please at verses 44 and 45. Look at verse 44, Matthew chapter 5. Our Lord says, verse 44, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven. For he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth the rain on the just and the unjust."
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Now, why is it that God allows the wicked to live? And here's the answer, because of His mercies. In fact, the truth is, that's the reason He allows any of us to live. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. Ah, but listen to me. God is indeed merciful to the wicked, but I want you to note, as you turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 2, the more mercy that He gives them, the more wrath they incur and the more punishment they merit. So in Romans chapter 2, it is hereby explained that they will never ever escape abusing and misusing the mercies of God. So in Romans 2 and verse 4, the Bible says, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Do the wicked really interpret that the mercies of God are for their good and they are designed to lead them to
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repentance? No. What they say is, "Look how God is blessing me. There must not be a God. I'm doing this. He doesn't care. I don't care. I'll just use whatever I want." Oh, now look at verse five. But he says this, "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds." So all of those mercies that God bestows upon these wicked men that they abuse and misuse and interpret as if there is no God or there is no judgment, God says all they're doing is treasuring up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath and they are bringing upon themselves extreme judgment.
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Now, I want you to turn back in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6, and I want us to begin reading there with verse 25. Matthew chapter 6, and let's look at verse 25. Okay? Yes, that's it. Matthew chapter 6, and let's begin reading there with verse 25. God says, "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not life more than meat and the body more than raiment?"
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Now, before I go any further, let me tell you something. What you're going to see in this passage is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Many times in the Bible, this argument is used. So if something is true in the lesser, how much more it is true in the greater or how much surer it is true in the greater. So he said in verse 25, "Therefore I say unto you, you take no thought." Now watch what he says in verse 26.
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"Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." Now watch this. "Are you not much better than they?" So that's an argument from the lesser to the greater. So if God takes care of the fowls of the air, he's asking, "Are you not much better than they are? Are you not going to take care? Is he not going to take care of you?"
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Verse 27, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to a stature? And why take you thought for a raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow's cast in the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Again, he's arguing from the lesser to the greater. If he takes care of the grasses of the field, he's certainly gonna take care of his own. Now watch. He says in verse 31, "Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
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Then he says, "Take no thought for tomorrow." In other words, don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow shall take care, our thought for the things of itself. Sufficient of the day is the evil thereof. Got more to think about today. Don't waste your time thinking about tomorrow.
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Now I want you to turn to Luke chapter 12. Notice he said, Matthew, he said, "Consider the fowls of the air." But when you get to the book of Luke, chapter 12, and you look at verse 24, look at how he says it. Are you there? Watch this. "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them." Here's that argument from the lesser to the greater. "How much more are you better than the fowls?" So in Matthew, he said, "Consider the fowls," and Luke, he says, "Consider the ravens." Now, I want you to turn back to Matthew chapter 7, and I'm going to ask you a question.
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In fact, I'll ask you several questions before I give you the answer. Okay? Here's my questions. Those of you that are married, have children, do you care for your children? And the answer, of course, is yes. If your child gets in distress and gets in trouble and begins crying, do you listen to the cries of your children? And the answer is yes. Do you do and give good things to your children? And the answer is yes. Now, here's my question. If you love your children and will hear your children and listen to their cries, and listen to their needs and listen to their wants and supply them, here's the question: do you think
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that you are any more generous, gracious, kind, loving more than God himself? You would say, "No, I wouldn't think that." Well, let me show you. Look in Matthew chapter 7. Beginning there with verse 7. Matthew 7 verse 7. Look what he says. "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be open unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Hang on.
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"Or what man is there of you who, if his son asks bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent?" Well, of course not.
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Now look what he said in verse 11. "If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more," an argument from the lesser to the greater, "how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" Wow. How much more? How much more? How much more? Please note that He gives to those that ask, those that seek, find, and those that knock, it is to be opened. If raven chicks make a croaking noise, crying unto God for food which they cannot provide for themselves, and they are unclean, ravenous, despicable birds, how much more do you think God is going to provide for His own children, whom he loves and regards as his own?
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Now let me try to tie this together with some applications. The first one is this. We need to learn to cry unto God as do the young ravens. Well, how do they cry? Remember, they're kicked out of the nest. They may be able to fly, but they can't do anything. They can't attack a larger animal. They have no strength. They have no ability. And they make this croaking noise, and they're screaming, begging for food to eat. I would imagine they cry consistently, constantly, and out of desperation, realizing the fact that if God doesn't feed them, then they are gone. I'm afraid if things keep going in this country the way they are, we may really learn to cry like these raven chicks. We may really learn to cry out of real desperation.
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I'll give you two verses. This regards the children of Israel. The first one is found in Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 7. And they said this, listen carefully. "And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice and looked upon our affliction and our labor and our oppression." When we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, they were crying out of desperation. Then in Judges chapter 3 and verse 9, the Bible said, "And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother." I think it's probably time we start crying to God for a deliverer in this country, someone that'll get rid of the tyrants and the wicked and the ungodly.
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Hey, that's what he said. He told us to pray, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just." And that's what we need to pray. David said it like this in 2 Samuel chapter 22 in verse 7. He said, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God, and he did hear my voice out of the temple, and my cry did enter into his ears." I cried unto the Lord in my distress. So we need to learn to cry like these young ravens, consistently, constantly, and in desperation. The second one is this. This message should indeed encourage us and embolden us to cry to the Lord, just thinking about arguing from the lesser to the greater. If God hears these ravens, surely He's bound to hear His own children. You need to look at this through the Bible, especially the Psalms. If you just go to the Psalms and look at how many times David said that he cried. For instance, Psalm 3 and verse 4, "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill."
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And then he said in Psalm 30 and verse 2, "O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me." And then in Psalm 34 and verse 6, "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles." Psalm 66 and verse 17, "I cried at him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue." Psalm 77 verse 1, "I cried unto my God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear unto me." And Psalm 88 and verse 1, "O Lord God of our salvation, I've cried day and night before thee." There's nothing wrong with crying to God.
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We need to cry to him consistently, constantly and in desperation. Here's the third thing. Don't be like a brute beast in the sense that you don't recognize God's sovereignty. You don't recognize God's creation. You don't recognize God's providence. You have to know from whom you receive your blessings, who sustains you, who preserves you, who protects you. He deserves all the honor and all the praise. Years ago, I preached a message and I just thought about it, but I titled the message, "Do you know which side your bread is buttered on?" And of course, it's God who butters our bread. And the Bible says in Psalm 50 and verse 23, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me."
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Which leads me to this. We need to remember to learn from the animals. I enjoy watching cows eat. I feed my cows every day. And they will put their head down in a pan, grab a mouthful of sweet feed, and the next thing they do is they lift their head toward heaven and just chew and chew and chew like they're relishing every bite. And at the same time, looking toward heaven like they're thanking God. "This is so good.
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I appreciate this so much." It's just a joy to watch them eat. And, you know, most people never really even thank God for what he's given to them. I'm just simply saying we need to learn. There are things that they can teach us. And we need to learn to be thankful and grateful. Alice can tell you anyone who's been around our cows. Every now and then I walk out to the barn and one single cow has come up and the cow sees me and starts moving and start slowing. I know what the cow wants. Another scoop of feed.
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And I usually give it to them. I mean, we've got calves that Alice and I raised on a bottle. We've got calves that she and I delivered. There's one right now that weighs about 2000 pounds. He's not full grown, but he thinks I'm his daddy. I'm not, but, but I mean, I delivered him. I, I cleaned his nostrils. I blew my breath in his nostrils. And since he had to be pulled, his front legs were not strong, so I had to hold him up while his mother cleaned him.
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She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. She'd lick him, then she'd lick me. And then for nearly three or four days, I had to hold him up so he could nurse until his legs got strong. And now, of course, he just, I guess, thinks I'm his daddy. I'm just saying, they seem to be so appreciative and so thankful about anything that you can do. And look at us.
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We hardly ever praise God. We need to remember every blessing that God has given us. We need to remember every time that God has delivered us. We need to remember every time that God has done something special for us. And we need to continually thank him and praise him. And that would give us confidence of what God could do now and what God can do in the future. We need to learn a lesson from the birds. We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens. They may be despicable. They may be ravenous, but God hears them. And if God hears them, he will hear his own.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You, Lord, for the illustration that You've given us from creation and from the animals and from the insects and from the birds. Help us to learn, O Lord. Help us, Lord, to understand an argument from the lesser to the greater. And if You're going to take care of those animals, and those insects, and those birds, and those fish, Lord, You're going to take care of Your own. May we rest in Thee, lean upon Thee, trust in Thee, believe in Thee, and praise and glorify Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:57:02Z

Crying Unto God, What We Can Learn From The Birds

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver uses Job 38:39-41 to illustrate God's providential care for all creatures, even despised ravens, whose young cry to God for food. He argues from the lesser to the greater: if God hears and provides for unclean birds, how much more will He care for His children. The message encourages believers to cry out to God consistently, constantly, and in desperation, and to learn from creation about gratitude and dependence on God.

Introduction: Learning from Animals

Weaver introduces the idea that people often fail to observe and learn from God's creation, and that animals can teach us important lessons.

Scripture Reading — Job 38:39-41

"Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens and abide in the covert to lie in wait?" "Who provided for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-3

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me."

Biblical Examples of Animals Being Wiser than Men

Using Isaiah 1:2-3 and Psalm 49:12,20, Weaver shows that the ox and ass know their master, but Israel does not know God, and that men without understanding are like beasts.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:2-3

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. For the Lord hath spoken, I've nourished and brought up children, and they've rebelled against me." "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider."

So he says, in this instance, the ox and the ass are smarter than his people. The ox knows his stall, and the ass knows his crib. They know exactly where they get fed.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 49:12,20

"Nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not, he is like the beast that perish."

Wicked Men as Brute Beasts

Weaver cites 2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 10 to describe those who reject God as brute beasts destined for destruction.

II Peter chapter 2 and verse 12 to begin with. And notice what God says, II Peter 2 and verse 12, talking about these wicked men.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:12

"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not, and they shall utterly perish in their own corruption."

Learning from Insects: The Ant

Proverbs 6:6-11 is used to show that even ants teach a biblical work ethic and preparation.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise."

Well, what can you learn from an ant? He says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provided their meat in the summer and gather the fruit in the harvest."

And then he says this,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"How long will you sleep? O sluggard, when will thou rise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come in as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man."

Now look what he said:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:6-11

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise."

Context of Job 38: God Questions Job

Weaver explains that Job wanted to argue with God, but when God questioned him, Job repented. The questions include who provides for lions and ravens.

Scripture Reading — Job 38:1-3

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me."

Job, you don't know what you're doing. You're talking as someone who has no sense.

The Raven: An Unclean and Despicable Bird

Weaver describes ravens as unclean (Leviticus 11:13-15), associated with judgment (Isaiah 34:11), and neglectful parents who kick out their young early.

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 11:13-15

"And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls. They shall not be eaten. They are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, and the vulture, and the kite after his kind, and every raven after his kind."

God's Provision for the Young Ravens

Despite the raven's neglect, God hears the cries of the young ravens and provides for them, demonstrating His care for all creatures.

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:24, and Matthew 7:11, Weaver argues that if God cares for birds and ravens, He will much more care for His children.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not life more than meat and the body more than raiment?"

Scripture Reading — Luke 12:24

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them."

Here's that argument from the lesser to the greater.

Scripture Reading — Luke 12:24

"How much more are you better than the fowls?"

Applications: Crying to God and Gratitude

Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to cry to God consistently and desperately, to recognize His sovereignty, and to learn gratitude from animals.

Crying Unto God, What We Can Learn From The Birds

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	NzJlsch6Kkc
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: Can We All Just Get Along?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-03-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 082: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	80

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Learning from Animals: Weaver introduces the idea that people often fail to observe and learn from God's creation, and that animals can teach us important lessons.
Biblical Examples of Animals Being Wiser than Men: Using Isaiah 1:2-3 and Psalm 49:12,20, Weaver shows that the ox and ass know their master, but Israel does not know God, and that men without understanding are like beasts.
Wicked Men as Brute Beasts: Weaver cites 2 Peter 2:12 and Jude 10 to describe those who reject God as brute beasts destined for destruction.
Learning from Insects: The Ant: Proverbs 6:6-11 is used to show that even ants teach a biblical work ethic and preparation.
Context of Job 38: God Questions Job: Weaver explains that Job wanted to argue with God, but when God questioned him, Job repented. The questions include who provides for lions and ravens.
The Raven: An Unclean and Despicable Bird: Weaver describes ravens as unclean (Leviticus 11:13-15), associated with judgment (Isaiah 34:11), and neglectful parents who kick out their young early.
God's Provision for the Young Ravens: Despite the raven's neglect, God hears the cries of the young ravens and provides for them, demonstrating His care for all creatures.
Argument from the Lesser to the Greater: Using Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:24, and Matthew 7:11, Weaver argues that if God cares for birds and ravens, He will much more care for His children.
Applications: Crying to God and Gratitude: Weaver applies the lesson by urging believers to cry to God consistently and desperately, to recognize His sovereignty, and to learn gratitude from animals.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Animals can teach humans wisdom

God commands us to learn from beasts, birds, and insects, as they demonstrate work ethic, preparation, and dependence on God.

Proverbs 6:6: 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.'

Ravens are neglectful parents, yet God provides

Ravens kick their young out of the nest early, but God hears their cries and feeds them, showing His care for the helpless.

Job 38:41: 'When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.'

God's care for ravens assures His care for believers

If God provides for unclean, despised birds, He will certainly provide for His children who cry out to Him.

Luke 12:24: 'Consider the ravens... God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?'

Believers must cry out to God in desperation

Like the young ravens, believers should cry consistently and desperately, trusting God to hear and deliver.

Psalm 3:4: 'I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.'

Wicked men are like brute beasts

Those who reject God and live in sin are compared to brute beasts destined for destruction, lacking understanding.

2 Peter 2:12: 'But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed.'

God's mercy to the wicked increases their judgment

God's goodness is meant to lead to repentance, but the wicked abuse it, storing up wrath for the day of judgment.

Romans 2:4-5: 'Despisest thou the riches of his goodness... treasurest up unto thyself wrath.'

Scripture References

Job 38:39-41: God questions Job about providing for lions and ravens, highlighting His providential care.
Isaiah 1:2-3: God says the ox and ass know their master, but Israel does not know or consider Him.
Psalm 49:12,20: Man in honor without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
2 Peter 2:12: Wicked men are like brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed.
Jude 10: These speak evil of what they do not know and corrupt themselves like brute beasts.
Job 12:7-9: Ask the beasts, fowls, earth, and fish, and they will teach you that the hand of the Lord has done this.
Proverbs 6:6-11: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; she provides her meat in summer.
Job 23:3-4: Job desires to find God and order his cause before Him, filling his mouth with arguments.
Job 38:1-3: God answers Job out of the whirlwind, telling him to gird up his loins like a man for questioning.
Job 42:1-6: Job repents after God's questions, saying he uttered things he did not understand.
Leviticus 11:13-15: Ravens are listed among unclean birds that are an abomination.
Proverbs 30:17: The eye that mocks parents will be picked out by ravens of the valley.
Isaiah 34:1-11: God's judgment on nations; ravens will dwell in the desolate land.
Job 39:13-18: The ostrich leaves her eggs in the earth and is hardened against her young; God deprived her of wisdom.
Psalm 50:10-11: Every beast of the forest is God's, and He knows all the fowls of the mountains.
Psalm 147:9: He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
Matthew 5:44-45: Love your enemies; God makes the sun rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the just and unjust.
Romans 2:4-6: Despising God's goodness leads to treasuring up wrath; God will render to every man according to his deeds.
Matthew 6:25-34: Take no thought for your life; consider the fowls of the air; seek first the kingdom of God.
Luke 12:24: Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; God feeds them; how much more are you better than the fowls?

Historical References

Matthew Poole's commentary on Job 38:41: Poole notes that ravens are contemptible, greedy, and forsaken by their dams, so God's providence is more remarkable.
Matthew Henry's commentary on Job 38:41: Henry comments on the all-sufficiency and bounty of divine providence, even for dangerous creatures.

Important Quotes

most people are so busy making a living, they actually forget to live.

Introduces the theme that people fail to observe and learn from God's creation.

a lot of times men are dumber than the animals.

Sets up the argument that animals can teach humans wisdom.

God did not make anything by accident. And everything that God made, He made for a purpose.

Establishes the theological basis for learning from creation.

When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

Key text showing that even neglected raven chicks cry to God and He provides.

If God hears these ravens, surely He's bound to hear His own children.

Summarizes the argument from lesser to greater for God's care.

We need to learn to cry consistently, constantly, and in desperation, like these young ravens.

Main application of the message.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways can observing animals and nature teach us about God's character and our relationship with Him?

[Context]

Weaver argues that God's creation is designed to instruct us (Job 12:7-9).

[Question]

How does the example of the raven's neglect and God's provision challenge our understanding of God's care for the seemingly undeserving?

[Context]

Ravens are unclean and neglectful, yet God hears their young (Job 38:41).

[Question]

What does it mean to 'cry unto God' in desperation, and how can we cultivate that kind of prayer in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes crying consistently, constantly, and in desperation like the ravens.

[Question]

How does the 'lesser to greater' argument in Matthew 6:26 and Luke 12:24 strengthen your faith in God's provision?

[Context]

If God feeds birds, how much more will He care for His children.

[Question]

Why do you think God allows wicked people to prosper, and how should that affect our prayers and trust in His justice?

[Context]

Weaver discusses God's mercy to the wicked and their storing up wrath (Romans 2:4-5).

[Question]

In what practical ways can we learn gratitude from animals, as Weaver suggests?

[Context]

Weaver describes cows appearing to thank God while eating.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:42:52Z