| THE OSTRICH Job 39:13-18 Lam. 4:3 |
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| The word of God has a good deal to say about the fool. A biblical definition of a fool is not necessarily one lacking in native intelligence but rather a man who either fails or is unwilling to take God into account. There is an intellectual fool - one devoid of mental sense. There is a spiritual fool - one devoid of spiritual sense. Of these the later is the greates fool. See Ps. 14:1 and Prov. 14:9. The ostrich is to be likened unto the spiritual fool, lacking the spiritual sense and discernment needed to prosper. This spiritual foolishness is indicated by: I. The Ostrich's Habitat No man need dwell in a spiritual wilderness when a vertiable oasis of spiritual instruction and refreshment is readily available in the Word of God. The desert is readily available in the Word of God. The desert is a place without water (the water of the Word.) See Amos 8:11-14. The absence of production of water stifles the growth of all vegetation and consequently the production of fruit. The foolish ostrich lives in the land of perpetual death eking out an existence upon that which God refuses. So it is with the spiritual fool who insists upon spiritual barreness. Only the fool would "starve or famish, while a feast is free." Something is decidedly wrong with the spiritual sense of those who like Lot choose Sodom with its material prosperity but spiritual poverty. II. The Ostrich's Habits A. The Desertion of Her Young The bulk of Job 39:13-18 refers to the ostrich habit of burying eggs in the sand and abandoning them temporarily to go and forage or whatever. This is why Lam. 4:3 refers to the ostrich deliberately plundered by predators or accidentally destroyed by passers-by. Sometimes stray eggs are abandonded completely. Only those devoid of spiritual understanding will leave the rearing of their children physically, morally, intelectually and most of all spiritually to chance. Prov. 22:6. Most problems in the character formation of our children come from one of two sources. (1) Our own character weakness. (2) Negligence on our part to properly train. B. The Depravity of Her Yearnings The Hebrew name ostrich comes from a root meaning "greedy." This refers to the fact that an ostrich has both a voracious and an indiscriminate appetite. The ostrich will eat wholesome things as grain, seed and fruit but they will also eat unclean things as frogs, snakes, and other reptiles. And undiscerning appetite is an indication of spiritual foolishness. The word of God teaches us to discern between the clean and the unclean, the good and the evil. It is this desert experience which results in a lack of discernemtn in appetite. When the soul becomes lean and starved the drive to consumre becomes increasingly voracious. Unfortunately the spiritual fool feds on garbage and instead of satisfying the need he aggravates it. See 2 Kings 6:24-29. C. The Dissipation of Her Youth There is another way in which the ostrich characterizes the spiritual fool. That is her response to temptations and problems. The ostrich is equipped to fight. He has long legs with muscles like steel. The inner toe is 7 inches long, with a claw like hoof. Witht he length and strength of the leg as well as the weight of the foot the ostrich can deliver a blow that can cripple or kill its enemies. Yet the ostrich usually contents itself with hissing and howling in an attempt to scare away its enemies. No truly spiritual man is putting on a front when faced with spiritual conflict. He is in earnest. When hissing and howling fails the ostrich often takes to his heels. He can run up to 60 miles anhour for up to half a day. That is not in itself a disgrace. The word of God tells us to flee youthful lusts. The problem with the ostrich is like the rabbit. He runs in a big circle and returns very much to his starting place. The spiritually foolish may run from temptation but usually leave a forwarding address. Our humanity has an uncanny way of repeatedly returning to that which we've first shunned, then tolerated and finally embraced. The final characteristic of the ostrich which bears a lesson is the folly of attempting to hide from problems by burying the head leaving the body exposed. None of us ever solved any of our problems by hiding from them or ignoring them. The spiritual fool is thereby consumed by his problems. |
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