BIRDS OF THE BIBLE

6. The Swallow – Bird of Fellowship

“The sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God”

Psalm 84:3
Image: www.morguefile.com
When a person, even a young boy or girl, is converted to Christ then we expect to see changes. The Bible says of the Christian, “old things are passed away...all things are become new” (2Cor.5:17). Old desires, habits and friendships come to an end. There are new interests, activities and companions. It is God’s grace that makes the difference.

One new thing that the believer experiences is fellowship. A Christian is someone who comes to know, love and enjoy God and God’s people. We see this in Ruth. When faced with the choice between living in pagan Moab, her own home, or in Bethlehem, the home of Naomi her mother-in-law, her mind was clear. She said to Naomi, “thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16). She wanted to be where the true God was worshipped.

I remember visiting an old meeting-house on the Isle of Skye. Its doors had long since closed for worship. Slates were missing from the roof and the rain was coming in. But inside were the pulpit and pews just as when the people went there to praise God. Sadly the spirit of worship had departed from the community. The building was empty, yet lodged against the pulpit was evidence of at least one ‘worshipper’ who was still frequenting the house of God. A bird had built its nest there!

This reminds us of a bird in the Bible. In the Book of Psalms we find David far from Jerusalem, unable to go to the tabernacle for worship. It was a place he loved dearly. So much so he was envious not only of those who served at its altars but even of the swallows which he used to see on his visits, flying near the building and nesting in the structure. How I long to be in God’s house myself! he says.

The swallow is one of our most familiar summer birds. It begins to arrive from Africa in ones and twos in early April. Perhaps you have heard the saying, “One swallow does not make a summer”. These words are based on close observation. Only at the end of April and into May do swallows appear in large numbers, swooping up and down to catch insects on the wing. Then we know that summer is really on the way. These are the lessons we can learn from studying God’s creation. But there are spiritual lessons too.

Swallows, like swifts their cousins, are careful nest-builders. They often choose the roof of a building, finding a space on a rafter or ledge. The nest is made of mud and grass and then lined with feathers. The swallows David saw had perhaps built their nests high in the corners of the tabernacle where they could not easily be reached. In such a secret place their eggs could be laid safely and their young kept from becoming a prey. It was a good home for the swallow. These things can teach us about fellowship.

Like the swallow, we should use the house of God. It is true that we can worship God anywhere - at home, on the hills or in the fields. We can pray, sing psalms and read the Scriptures by ourselves or with our family. In these ways we have fellowship with God. But in church there is more. There is the preaching of the word and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, through which the blessings of salvation especially come to us. And there is the companionship of all the other believers in the congregation.

As the swallow with its young, so young people should be brought up in the house of God. This is a good place for you also! It is sad when boys and girls are left at home or have their own entertainments while public worship is taking place. We all need to draw near to God, sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying in the preaching of the gospel. Good ministers try to follow the example of the first disciples: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1John 1:3).

We are living in a wicked world and there is sin in your heart and mine. We must seek and find the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The best time to do this is when we are young. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecc.12:1). United to Christ by faith we shall be preserved from every enemy. A believer can say confidently: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psa.4:8).

Finally, like the swallows David remembered, in fellowship with God we have real freedom. The swallow is a free-flying bird. David saw it circling around the house of God in its graceful, powerful flight, always with its eye on home and always returning there. This is how the believer should be, dwelling in the presence of the Lord, walking in the ways of life and looking to his final home in heaven.

”I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psa.122:1).