Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, ...
they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!" (Luke 12:22-24 )

  It is a large bird, considerably larger than the crow; and its feathers are very black, very glossy, and very beautiful. People in ancient times seem to have liked a black color, and were especially pleased with black hair; so we read in the Song of Solomon, where one who is beautiful is described, "His locks are bushy, and black as a raven."

 The raven drives out its young ones very early from the nest, almost before they are able to seek their food. This may explain a verse in the Psalms, "The Lord giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry;" and another in Job, "Who provideth for the raven his food ? when his young ones cry unto God, wandering for lack of meat."

Our Savior speaks of this bird in the 12th chapter of Luke, "Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; they have neither store-house nor barn; and God feedeth them." He was speaking to his disciples, and it was as much as to say, "If God takes care of the ravens, he will certainly take care of you; so you need not be anxious or afraid.

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!" (Luke 12:22-24 RSV)

The Raven was an unlikely and unusual instrument of God's care and mercy. Consider the Word of God concerning the Prophet Isaiah while he was fleeing persecution...I KINGS 17:2-6.

 Unusual because only God in his grace and mercy could use such a creature in a productive way to bring a blessing to the needy one that is beloved of God. The Raven is unworthy of such an honorific assignment ...just like us.
Even so, God still uses the creature as an instrument of His love.

The Raven is a constant reminder of who we were, and by God's grace, who we are now. Because of Christ each of us can say " I am an instrument in the hand of God to be used for His glory" It is a privilege that none of us deserve. It is solely due to the work that He has dome (and continues to do) in each of us that makes anything good in us possible. See -Romans 8:7 Romans 5:10,11

 God's Word is a balm to our short-sighted, fearful minds ...God still cares for the Raven and his family and supplies all their needs ... and He still does.

Question... Job 38:41 “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food?

Answer... Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

Jesus Christ used ravens in a lesson about setting priorities in life - obey God first, foremost and always; then take care of worldly needs.

Martin Luther wrote: "You see, he is making the birds our school masters and teachers. It is a great and abiding disgrace to us that in the Gospel a helpless sparrow should become a theologian and a preach to the wisest of men. We have as many teachers and preachers as there are little birds in the air. Their living example is an embarrassment to us. Everyday he feeds and nourishes innumerable little birds out of His hand.'"

 God feeds the birds but not like you feed our pet animals. He provides food but they must gather it up (Psa. 104:27-28). Jesus was specific in naming one type of bird -- the Raven. He said, "Consider the ravens..." (Luke 12:24). The ravens must go and collect the food that God provides (Job 38:41; Psa. 147:9).
We have faith but we must do our part. The birds show us that faith and works can and do go together. 

The central theme of Christ's teaching is how God uses the lesser to establish the greater. He tells us we are much better than the birds. He condescends so low as to take thought for the needs of these little creatures as a tender, loving Father; He looks upon all these small details, not forgetting one, then asks us why we should be anxious about ourselves. We know God takes care of us because we are much better than they. If He condescends so low as to tend to such small things, why would He overlook the greater things?

Anxiety about anything that is outside of our control is the sin of unbelief. We need to focus on what we do with our time today while asking the Lord's guidance. That is the key.

We don't need anxiety about the future; we need to learn the lesson the Israelites learned when they gathered manna day after day. They learned what it meant to eat daily out of the hand of the Lord. Those are blessed lessons. I am not a stranger to them. It is a blessed thing when we understand what it is to look to the Lord for His provision for today. Tomorrow we look to His provision for tomorrow. 

The Greek word from which the word better was taken is diaphero which means "To be of more value." The word diaphero is translated as "better" three times in the New Testament. Our text is one: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better [diaphero] than they?" MAT 6:26.,

The meaning is, "Of more value." Wherein do we have more value than those innocent little creatures? Jesus speaks of them in terms of value in MAT 10:29- 31, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Let's consider how Christ restored the purpose of God in our human nature; for God to accept us in Christ, it was necessary for Christ to be very man. He became the image of God in our human nature. HEB 1:3 speaks of Jesus, "Who being the brightness of his glory [of the Father], and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

"Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; they have neither store-house nor barn; and God feedeth them." He was speaking to his disciples, and it was as much as to say, "If God takes care of the ravens, he will certainly take care of you; so you need not be anxious or afraid.
 

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