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| A Dove symbol of peace! |
Why is always dove emphasized on either in Rwanda or in other countries? Is it necessary to study a Dove? What do you know on doves? Increase your knowledge by visiting ujeanlouis.blogspot.com
In the Scripture, doves are said to be the most important bird mentioned. For two reasons: One is that the dove was the first bird, along with the raven, mentioned in the Bible, other than the general references to fowls in connection with the creation story. Then the dove is the sacrifice which the poor man could bring to Christ in Old Testament practices as a sacrifice for his sin. Nobody needs to be left out.
When you open Bibles to Genesis, chapter 8, for the first mention of the dove and the first lesson that might be learned from the dove. Noah sent various animals if waters dries up. Line 8 he sent forth a dove from him for two times, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
Here it is to notice that the raven and the dove were both sent forth. The reason that the raven did not come back was that he fed upon dead flesh. He had no problem finding something upon which to rest and found no problem in finding something to eat, but the dove will not touch dead flesh. She came back until the waters had abated to where she could pluck an olive leaf and brings it back to Noah.
Symbol of Purity
You have seen the dove with the olive leaf any number of times as a symbol of peace, and generally that is the accepted symbol, but more important than the accepted symbol of peace is the symbol of purity, because that is what the Bible emphasizes—a purity that is emphasized by the dove. That is the reason the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove in Matthew, chapter 3, verse 16, at the baptismal scene of the Lord Jesus Christ and lighted on the shoulder of the Lord Jesus—the visible evidence of the Holy Spirit. Why was the dove chosen? Only because the dove is the symbol of purity.
The Song of Solomon that many consider only to be teaching benefits, the blessings and the method of conjugal love also tells us something about doves. Dr Joe Temple says that it has a higher and deeper significance than that “I believe that it refers to the relationship Christ has to the Church and that the Church has to Christ”. it is an symbolic representation of that fact, he continues. It is not to say that events didn’t occur but that it is a representation of the relationship that Christ has to the Church.
Song of Solomon 5 verse 1-5“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
“I sleep, but my heart waked: it is the voice of my beloved that knocked, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night”.
According to Dr Joe Temple, this is a description of a conversation between Christ and His beloved, Christ and His Church, Christ and you as an individual believer. In verse 2, there is the fitful sleeping of the person who is conscious that communion with the Lord has been neglected: “I sleep, but my heart waked”—conscious of a voice, and yet not altogether conscious of the voice clearly, and then the realization, “It is the voice of my beloved that knocked saying to me, ‘Open to me my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled'…”
The dove in this case is the Church as Joe points it out. Christ is seeking, as He does often in the Song of Solomon, fellowship with the Church, but He looks upon His Church as pure, the Body of Christ.
The Bibles to II Corinthians chapter6, talks about the purity of the church and how God despite their sins will dwell in them verse 6 “ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”.
II corinthians17 verses 17-18 that God said that if you come out, if you touch not the unclean thing, you will be received. We are already saved, so this is not talking about salvation. We will be received into fellowship and God will be a Father to us, and we will be His sons and His daughters. The individual has broken his fellowship because of his alliance with the world.
Wings of the Dove
In Psalm 68 verse13, the Spirit of God calls attention to the wings of the dove.
“Though you have lien among the pots, yet shall you be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold”.
Still Joe explore the comparison: …“you will be as the wings of a dove…” Here is our figurative emphasis producing truth. Get the picture: David had oftentimes seen a dove who lodged among the pots. As a matter of fact, the Hebrew word that is translated lien here is translated “lodged,” in the story of the spies who visited Rahab. It is recorded: “They lodged with Rahab.” The dove lodged among the pots.
The other translation of the word pot is the word stand, where the horses were kept. Sometimes the dove took refuge there. David had often seen this, and while the dove was among the pots, regardless of which interpretation any can put on it, the dove lifted, soiled and dirty; but when the dove arose from that place where she was and mounted into the sunrise the sun shone upon the wings of the dove, and David said that she appeared to be covered with silver and her feathers as yellow gold.
The spiritual lesson is that David compared us like that He said that we are like that. We lodge among the pots, figuratively,We are dirty and soiled by sin, and yet when the grace of God takes hold of our lives, we are to climb up out of all of that filth and dirt and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, and that which is dirty and that which is unlovely becomes beautiful in the sight of God. There is nothing any more beautiful, nothing any more thrilling than a changed life in Christ.
Wings of Faith
Another lesson from the wings of the dove is in Psalm 55 at verse 6.
“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest”.Do you get the picture? Oftentimes David had seen the dove mount up and pause for a few moments on the wall that surrounded the palace and then fly off into the distance, and he said to himself, “I wish I had the wings of a dove. I wish that I could get away from it all. I wish I could fly away like the dove, far away and be at rest. Then I would remain in that quiet spot of solitude.”
There is a sense in which it is not wise to be out of it, but there is a sense in which it is possible to be in such fellowship and communion with the Lord
That you don't have to go away to a location to find that solitude. On the wings of faith, you can mount up to that place where you have real fellowship with the Lord.
Get Away to a rest of shelter
Another suggestion of Dr Joe is focused on Dove nesting habits. Here He uses Jeremiah, chapter 48 where Jeremiah is pronouncing sadness, a judgment upon Moab, because of their treatment of the nation of Israel; and yet God, true to His character, is providing a way out for those who want to take advantage of it. In the midst of the judgment that is being pronounced in verse 28,
28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that makes her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth or in the sides of the caves”.
Jeremiah is saying to those who are responsive to God's message, in the land of Moab, to be like the dove and get away to a place of safety, what is even common to all Christians nowadays.
Get Away to a Secret, Quiet Place
The Song of Salomon again notices another illustration of the dove and what her nesting habit ought to portray to the believer. Notice chapter 2, verse 14. “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the clandestine places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely”.
As the dove makes her nest, in high place, It is necessary for us to be in that clandestine, quiet place away from all the busy chaos of life.
Broken Fellowship
The chapter 38 verse 14 of Isaiah, describes one of the characteristics of the dove that causes them to be referred to as lovebirds, for the doves do come in that family where they have a real relationship to one another that causes men to refer to them as lovebirds.
“Like a crane or a swallow [two birds noted for their chattering], so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.”
Naturalists also says that when doves are separated, the one who is left behind sits and mourns with a moaning in her voice because her mate is missing, and there is no satisfying her until she is reunited with her mate. Hezekiah suddenly realized that all of his life was coming to an end, and the worst thing about it was that he lacked a sense of the presence of God. He moaned about it as the dove moans when she is separated from the one she loves. I can let you observe if you have seen a dove living alone this shows even a tender love that we have to adopt in our society.
The Innocent Dove
The other remarkable thing for the dove written in Hosea, chapter 7, verse 11 “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria”
Here Ephraim is compared to a silly dove. A better word for silly would be innocent. Ephraim was innocent enough to think that Egypt and Assyria could come to her rescue when the chastening hand of God was resting upon her. Oftentimes Hosea had seen a dove attentive because of its innocence, because it was not wary of that that would entangle it. He recognized that characteristic of the dove and he said, “Ephraim is just like that.”
In Matthew, chapter 10, verse 16Jesus said to His disciples: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” A better word for harmless is innocent.
We as Christians, He wanted us to be wise concerning the things of God and simple and innocent concerning the things that are evil .The Devil is suggesting to people today that Christian people need to be familiar with all of the sinful things that are going on in the world so that they will know how to react when they face them.
Finally , I don’ doubt You get something new cause much has been said of the Dove, many illustrations is provided from it .It’s up to you to filter and choose what can serve an example to You to satisfy your curiosity or to imitate in your daily life, I believe it is a good example. Any problem let’s stay in contact with Dr. Joe Temple
At. www.livingbiblesstudies.org
By Jean Louis UWONKUNDA
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