Do Not Be Like The Ostrich

In Job 39:14-17 Job describes the ostrich,

"Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding."

As we observe the proverbial ostrich standing in the sand with her head buried, thinking she is hidden from everyone, we can see that she possesses no wisdom.

Sometimes people also feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness from which they want to hide. One's source of despair may be misgivings about job security, family or personal health, the accelerated pace of modern living or any of a number of other concerns. What are we to do? We could be like the ostrich, without wisdom, and bury our heads in the sand hoping the problems will go away. Or, we could pull our heads out of the sand and seek wisdom. The kind of wisdom that comes only from almighty God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10).

When we are so concerned about ourselves and riches, more than the will of God, then we deserve to be called ostriches. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 16:16, "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" When we spend all of our time consumed with our problems and leave out God, we are leaving out the most important part of our lives. The sad part of it all is that we will lose our souls. Jesus puts it this way, " For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul" (Matthew 16:26). David tells us in Psalm 119:104, "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." As we study God's Word (2 Timothy 2:15) and do what God would have us to do in order to be saved; then we can face our problems and say as the apostle Paul said in Romans 8:31, ". . . If God be for us, who can be against us?"

How can we expect to face our problems without God, let alone face eternity without God. King Solomon looked around and saw all that he had accomplished in his life. Having all wisdom and riches that man could ever dream of having, he leaves us with these words of wisdom in Ecclesiastes 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." To know the truth of God's Word man must take his head out of the sand of ignorance, and look to the Bible for truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." In John 14:6 Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

John 14:15 reads, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." So, to prove our love for Jesus Christ, God's Son, we must know and keep his commandments. The only way we can do his will is to follow Jesus' last will and testament given to man. Listen to Hebrews 9:16: "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." Romans 5:8 adds, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Let us look at the New Testament to find out what Jesus wants us to do. He tells us to repent in Luke 13:3-5, "I tell you nay, but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." We must confess him before men. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33) We must believe in Christ and be baptized for the remission of our past sins. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).

Romans 10:17 reads, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Now that we have heard God's Word we can do one of two things: Either obey it as the 3,000 did in Acts 2:37-41 and the Lord will add you to the church (Acts 2:47). Or, you can be as the ostrich and bury your head and pretend God's Word does not exist.