Wondering Loses Respect

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” (Pr 27:8 AV)

 

The understanding of the word ‘…place…’ is the key to understanding the proverb.  The word means standing, post, office, or station.  The word does not mean a dwelling.  When we think of a bird’s nest, we often think of it as a dwelling.  However, rarely is the nest used for living quarters alone.  A nest is constructed primarily for the purpose of bearing and caring for the young.  The bird may temporarily leave the nest for various reasons.  She may be looking for and gathering food for her young.  She may be off looking for more construction materials to improve the nest.  However, while her young occupy a place in the nest, her life revolves around that nest.  Once the nest is empty of young, she moves on and abandons that nest.  Most birds, anyway.  So, the place of which a man may wander is not his dwelling, but his post.  The comparison between a dame that leaves an occupied nest is made to the individual who leaves his place.  When thinking of a dame who would abandon her chicks, we think of a creature who would have no love nor concern for her young.  She would abandon her post for some other care.  Ethically, we would think the dam had no morals.  This is the understanding here.  Like a dame who would be irresponsible, callous, and selfish to leave her post, so too would the individual who would leave their calling in life.

I have spent many hours in the woods and have seen many things.  I have seen adults care for their young.  I have seen Racoons that bore young and then cared for them.  I have seen plenty of doe care for their fawns.  I have seen Bobcat with kittens in tow.  I have seen male Large Mouth Bass ignore lures as they guard their nests.  I have seen Robins feed their young.  Some squirrels gather nuts buried during the winter to feed to their kits.  I have witnessed Eastern Wild Turkeys fend off intruders and steer them clear of their nests.  Back when I lived in the country, we had a bird build a nest right outside our back door.  She built a nest above a light fixture. There were bird droppings all over the place.  Someone had asked why I didn’t knock down the nest the first time I saw it.  Believe it or not, the Bible tells us we are not to disturb a nest while a dame sits upon it.  We are not to interrupt the dame as she cares for her chicks.  It was fascinating watching the swallow care for her family.  She was overly protective as well.  If we didn’t time it right, she wouldn’t allow us to enter or exit the back door.  We had to wait until she flew off looking for a meal for her young.  She took her job seriously.  One wonders how our perception of her would have changed if she saw us as too much of a threat to care for her young.  We wouldn’t have been all that impressed.  

Wildlife teaches us we have a calling and responsibility to those whom the LORD has entrusted us with their care.  We have responsibilities.  We have duties.  We have a calling.  Sometimes we feel woefully inadequate.  We feel we are failing.  We seem to make more errors than sound judgment.  At least that is our perception.  We feel like we are failing the very ones whom we are supposed to be caring for.  So, we get this idea that we and they would be better off if we simply abandon our calling.  Everyone would be better off. Right?  We think perhaps we chose the wrong calling.  We see our limitations as a liability.  We see how much better our young would be if someone else came along.  However, that is not God’s design.  Swallows take care of Swallow chicks.  If the dame abandons the nest, a possum, hawk, or another preditor can devour the young.  To abandon the responsibilities which the LORD has appointed would only result in disdain.  Those who see the quitter quit would have no respect for him.  He has left his post.  He has left his office.  And there sits those who once needed him.  Starving and fending for themselves.  How horrible.