I was wondering why a raven. Why did Noah send the raven first? Why didn’t he first send the dove? Well, for those who  make a big deal out of the sex connotation of biblical words, the raven was a masculine noun, and the dove a feminine one. Not that this is the reason, but it could be related.

And its sort of interesting to note, for those who really quibble over the masculinity and femininity of the words, that the word “raven” (the masculine word) is found only ten times in scripture while the word “dove” (the feminine word) is found 22 times. One more thing to note on this topic, is that the word “dove” (again, a feminine word) is the symbolic reference to the Spirit as well as the masculine references that are so often, and quickly pointed out by the men leading the church.

And, its also interesting and funny that as intelligent as ravens are, the raven kept flying to and fro until the waters abated from the earth, wherein the dove seemingly had the sense to go back to the boat. This means then, that the raven worked his wings off for about a week before he was able to set down and take a rest, because he wouldn’t (didn’t have the sense to) return to the boat.

Sounds about right, but all kidding aside, I don’t see any particular reason why Noah choose the raven first, except for a connotation in their name; which points again to the fact that there is power in a name, and beings will often follow the course that their name dictates unless set free from it by God.

Raven:
“a raven” (perhaps onomatopoeic, representing the sound), occurs in the plural in Luk 12:24. The Heb. oreb and the Arabic ghurab are from roots meaning “to be black;” the Arabic root also has the idea of leaving home. Hence the evil omen attached to the bird. It is the first bird mentioned in the Bible, Gen 8:7. Christ used the “ravens” to illustrate and enforce the lesson of God’s provision and care.

These birds are also on a list of birds that are forbidden for consumption by humans.

Deu 14:11 [Of] all clean birds ye shall eat.
Deu 14:12 But these [are they] of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
Deu 14:13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
Deu 14:14 And every raven after his kind,
Deu 14:15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
Deu 14:16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
Deu 14:17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
Deu 14:18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
Deu 14:19 And every creeping thing that flieth [is] unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
Deu 14:20 [But of] all clean fowls ye may eat.

Note that it mentions “every raven after his kind.” That is because of the numerous variations and types within this species, which is also known as a jackdaw, and a rook. This bird was also used as a symbol of punishment which could be the reason, in part, why this bird is viewed as a bad omen.

Pro 30:17  The eye [that] mocketh at [his] father, and despiseth to obey [his] mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

What was really the unusual thought I had about this bird, is the fact that God chose to use this ill-perceived creature as the instrument of hope to one of his chief prophets.

1Ki 17:4  And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
1Ki 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that [is] before Jordan.
1Ki 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

God had a bird that is considered to be unclean, to the point of being inedible for humans because it is a scavenger; bring food (bread and flesh) for the man of God? God sent a scavenger to feed him? That’s pretty wild. It just goes to show that if we are truly listening to the voice of God and obeying it, our supply can come from anywhere, and from the most unlikely places and individuals. But the only way we can perceive and understand this, is that the eyes of our understanding must be opened, and our hearts have to be receptive to what thus sayeth the Lord.

A few days ago, if anyone was paying attention to my tweets, you would have seen that I answered several themed tweets, which are initiated by a # symbol. This is one of the ones I responded to.

#iamsinglebecause although catfish is good eatin’ – there are too many bottom feeders swimmin’ in the shallow end around here.

Well, it strikes me as funny now, because clearly, even bottom feeders can be blessed by God. It doesn’t mean I’m to get with them, but they too can be blessed, and this is why again, the ideology of coveting is such a no-no, because if we are God’s children, we must learn to be content with whatever lot in life He has chosen for us. We should never have the attitude of looking upon anyone else’s blessings and thinking or saying sarcastically, “It must be nice!” Why?

Luk 12:24      Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
Luk 12:25     And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
Luk 12:26     If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
Luk 12:27     Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luk 12:28     If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [will he clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
Luk 12:29     And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
Luk 12:30     For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Luk 12:31     But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 12:32     Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

We don’t have to worry about our provision. Which means if you are going through a time of decrease, you still don’t have to worry. It is only a test of your faith.

I had a friend who’s relationship with God depended on her status. When she was going through her divorce she would say, “This is the first house I ever had, and if God takes that away from me, we’re through.” I couldn’t believe my ears, and I would say to God, “Do you hear this? You really need to do something about this. She needs an attitude adjustment.” Well, she never lost her house, but she lost me as a friend when she continued to lean on her own understanding, and passed judgment on me because of situation I was going through.

You should also know that the raven, that scavenger and despised creature of ill omen; which was one of the birds indicated to prey upon the ruins of Edom (Isa 34:11); was also used to describe the beauty of Christ. The Hebrew ‘orebh means “black,” and for this reason was applied to the raven, thus the reference to the locks of the bridegroom in the Song of Solomon.

Sgs 5:11  His head [is as] the most fine gold, his locks [are] bushy, [and] black as a raven.