| ANIMALS OF THE BIBLE 10. The Deer – Running Swiftly “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1) |
|
|
| The deer is a mammal native to most parts of the world, living in every type of habitat including desert, marshland, forest and the frozen Arctic. Deer feed on grass, leaves, moss or whatever vegetation is available in their surroundings. They gather in groups or herds and some, like the reindeer, are migratory. In the wild they may live for up to twenty years. The largest deer is the moose found in North America. The male of this species is more than seven feet tall at the shoulder. The smallest deer is the pudu from the Andes mountains in South America which is just one foot tall. Native to Britain are the small roe deer, the yellow-brown fallow deer and the impressive red deer common to the Scottish highlands. One thing is unique to the deer: it is the only animal that has ‘antlers’. These are horns made of bony tissue which grow out of the skull each year. When they appear they are covered with a soft skin or ‘velvet’ which the deer rub off against trees. Antlers are usually borne by the male deer only. The first antlers carried by a young male or stag are short spikes but as the animal matures they become longer and more branched. During the breeding or ‘rutting’ season, the males use their antlers as weapons to fight each other. The antlers are shed after the mating season. The females are sometimes called does and the young are known as fawns. The deer is often mentioned in the Bible. There the male is called the ‘hart’ and the female the ‘hind’. In different ways the believer is like both. Let us look at the deer and learn from it what we can about the life of faith. The deer is graceful in its character. It is one of the most beautiful animals, whether at rest or in motion. It is generally a silent creature, not wishing to draw attention to itself and blending in well with its surroundings, but there is an attractiveness to our eyes when we see the deer running across the hillside as “a hind let loose” (Gen.49:21). The believer has experienced a wonderful change which we call conversion. His life has been beautified by the Lord. He was once an evildoer and “dead in sins” (Eph.2:5) but now he is alive unto God. The old things of sin have passed away and the new things of grace have come. His whole personality is affected and he becomes more and more like Christ who is “altogether lovely” (Song 5:16). Our hearts must be “established with grace” as we believe the truth of the gospel (Heb.13:9). Our speech should be “alway with grace” as we witness for Christ to others (Col.4:6). Our behaviour ought to be “according to the grace of our God” that Christ may be glorified in us (2Thess.1:12). Conversion will even affect the way in which we worship God: “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col.3:16)! The deer is careful in its walk. When disturbed a deer will often keep still, waiting for the danger to disappear. It is especially wary of man and in some species the doe hides her fawns until they are able to run and flee. The Lord said to Job, “Canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?” (Job 39:1). But the deer is attentive when God speaks to it, for “the voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve” (Psa.29:9). Do you obey the Word of God? Only then will you be kept in this world. David when he was persecuted by Saul could say of the Lord, ”He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places” (Psa.18:33). When the deer crosses the craggy mountains it does so with a sure, steady step, always remaining upright. So the faithful believer is safe and secure in Jesus Christ even in the midst of his trials. The deer is needful in its journey. Deer are swift runners. They have long, slender legs and can run faster than any hunter’s horse or dogs. But after they have run a distance and made their escape there is a longing for refreshment. Only one thing can satisfy the weary deer: it seeks out the cool, thirst-quenching waters of the flowing stream. A natural thirst is one thing; we can easily deal with it. But there is also a spiritual thirst. David’s soul panted after the Lord. He was away from the house of God and he could not be content. Do you have a desire for God? Going to church is good but we should go for the right reason. We should be seeking God in the reading and preaching of the Word and in prayer. Our Saviour cried at Calvary: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?...My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death” (Psa.22:1,15). Christ’s desolation under the sins of his people was their restoration. As Christians reconciled to God the more we know of communion with God the more joy we have in our souls. “Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isa.35:6). Turn to the Lord Jesus and trust in his precious blood, repenting of your sins, and you will know that joy too! |
||
