Sparrows And Swallows In The Bible – Introduction

Sparrows and Swallows are not frequently mentioned in Scripture. Both are Passerines and part of the Passeriformes Order. These are easily the largest group of birds in Israel and include Flycatchers, Larks, Martins, Nightingales, Robins, Tits, Warblers, Wrens, and of course the Sparrows and Swallows in the Bible. Birds help control the insect population, spread seeds, help pollinate plants, and of course at times provide beautiful music. This post explores the contributions of birds, specifically Sparrows and Swallows, to the Bible narrative.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Genesis 1:20-23 KJV

The Creation Of Sparrows And Swallows In Scripture

On the fifth day of God’s restoration of the Earth, He made the ocean creatures, and all the birds on the planet, including the Sparrows and Swallows. They are not mentioned specifically, but being one of the largest groups, and two species widely dispersed over the planet, they surely were included. It is interesting to note the order of creation. The trees and plants were created first on the third day, so that there would be food available for the birds and fish made on the the 5th day.

Science attempts to reason away the diversity of birds with ideas of natural selection, a mechanism of evolution. They are clever ideas, but they are foolishness compared to God’s Wisdom. Each species is well adapted to their home. They know how to build nests, where to hunt, what to eat, how to avoid and/or defend against predators, and when necessary how and where to migrate. And the latter they do with expert navigational skills, generation after generation. (Jeremiah 8:4-7)

Naming The Animals – Sparrows And Swallows In Scripture

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:18-20 KJV

The naming of the animals, including the birds, was far more than simply coming up with creative names for them. This was Adam and His Heavenly Father by faith declaring the destiny of each animal. This task could not be accomplished without God’s Wisdom, and He was happy to delegate this task to Adam, who was to rule and protect the Garden God created for him. God created Earth for man, and yet man rejected His Creator. (Genesis 1:26-31, Psalm 8:4-9)

Sparrows and Swallows – Among The Clean Animals

God taught His people to avoid certain animals. By doing so, He was protecting them from potential health issues, but also establishing them as a Holy people, set apart from the world. Some nations worshipped animals as gods. Others consumed unclean animals, sometimes suffering adverse health consequences. God wanted His people safe from the curse, and separated from a sinful world. The animals that were acceptable for food or sacrifice were declared clean. And those declared to be unclean were avoided. Sparrows and Swallows were not listed among those considered unclean, as they did not consume dead or decaying flesh, and are generally not scavengers. (Leviticus 11:13-20, Deuteronomy 14:12-19)

A House For Swallows, A Nest For Sparrows – Finding Your Happy Place In The Lord

3 Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
Psalm 84:3-4 AMP

In the old Testament, the Spirit of God dwelled in the Temple. People would travel to Jerusalem to worship, sacrifice, and celebrate His Love, Provision, and Protection. The author of Psalm 84 yearns to be close to God, which meant in his dispensation to be at the Temple, near the presence of God. He compares it to the homes of swallows, and the nests of sparrows, how they feel safe and secure. And those who dwell in God’s presence, are truly Blessed. He describes the Lord as a Sun and a Shield and states boldly that God will withhold no Good thing from the upright. And its far better to just be an attendant at the door in God’s House, than relaxing in the tents of the wicked. (Psalm 84:1-12)

In the New Testament, God moves out of the Temple and into the hearts of Believers. Jesus speaks of this dispensational change during His banter with the Samaritan Woman At The Well. It was now time for folks to worship in a truly spiritual manner. Location is no longer an issue, because Believers are now the Temple of God. They can enjoy all the benefits and Blessing the Psalmist mentioned anywhere on Earth! (John 4:3-26, 14:1-27, Romans 8:1-17, 1 Corinthians 3:15-17)

In Matthew 16, God gives Peter a remarkable Revelation. Jesus asked the apostles, “Who do people say I am?” They responded with various names, so Jesus clarified His question. “Who do YOU say I am?” Peter confessed, “You are the Christ (Anointed One, Messiah), the Son of the Living God.” Jesus commended him. This was not something learned through men or religion. It was Revelation knowledge straight from God Himself. And it was this TRUTH that Jesus said, “I will build MY CHURCH!” Jesus was not talking about buildings or denominations – that’s religious thinking. He was talking about PEOPLE, the Body of Christ. Transforming them from the inside out by them believing and confessing the TRUTH – Jesus. Religious folks try to bring people to church – and that’s ok. But Believers take CHURCH, the Living Word dwelling in them, to the World! Jesus ministered far more away from the Temple and Synagogues, than He ever did inside them. The hurting, sick, lonely, lost, and unrighteous, normally don’t hang around churches. (Matthew 16:13-20, John 3:1-21, Romans 8:1-17, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 2:1-22)

Like A Twittering Swallow Or Crane, I Chirp And Chatter

14 Like a twittering swallow or a crane, so do I chirp and chatter; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary and dim with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; take my side and be my security [as of a debtor being sent to prison].
Isaiah 38:14 AMP

The Kingdom of Judah fell into serious idolatry during the reign of Ahaz. The king rejected God and instead turned to the gods of their enemies, even sacrificing one of his sons to an idol. All the places of idol worship that had been previously destroyed were rebuilt. And he even closed the Temple. In one of the biggest understatements in the Bible it is written, He did not do right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his forefather. (2 King 16, 2 Chronicles 28, Isaiah 7:1-8:4)

Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, rejected the ways of his father. He reopened the Temple and tore down the idols and sacred places. He even was forced to destroy the bronze serpent that Moses had set up to end a plague, as the people of Judah started worshipping it too. But he successfully rid Judah of all idolatry and it was noted in Scripture that, he did right in the sight of the Lord. (Numbers 21:5-9)

After all Hezekiah’s success, he fell ill. God sent Isaiah the prophet to Hezekiah to warn him to get his house in order, that he was going die. Hezekiah turned his head to the wall, and cried out to the Lord. He repented of his sins, and reminded God of all the good he had done. Before Isaiah could even leave the building, God told him to tell Hezekiah that he would live an additional 15 years. Isaiah would later record some of Hezekiah’s thoughts during this time, including – Like a twittering swallow or a crane, so do I chirp and chatter; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary and dim with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; take my side and be my security [as of a debtor being sent to prison]. (2 Kings 20:1-11, 2 Chronicles 32:24-26, Isaiah 38:1-22)

Hezekiah thought all his good works were sufficient. And that led to pride in his life. When Isaiah told him his life was about to end, he was overcome with grief. But at the same time, knew ultimately what to do – repent. Plead for God’s Mercy. He compared his emotional outburst to the activities of animals, including the twittering of swallows. Hezekiah should have realized after this experience that his biggest weakness was pride. God gave him an opportunity to work on this – an extra 15 years. But it would ultimately lead to his death, and the end of the kingdom of Judah. (2 Kings 20:1-21, 2 Chronicles 32:1–33)

Are Not Two Sparrows Sold For A Penny?

As Jesus prepared to send out His disciples to minister to Israel, He shared some important Wisdom and encouraged them. He said to not be afraid of those that kill the body. That was the absolute worst possibility they could imagine. Yet even in death, they could not destroy the inner man, who was safely in God’s hands. In fact, God would take care of all their needs. Jesus references the insignificant sparrow. It is an almost worthless bird according to the world. Yet not a single one falls without the Father noticing. And to nail down the point further, Jesus said, Don’t be afraid, you are more valuable than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31, Luke 12:4-7, Romans 8:31-39)

And in that same passage, Jesus notes that God numbers the very hairs of your head. Its an odd statement. Has anyone ever counted the hairs on their head, much less numbered them? Likely not. But your Heavenly Father knows you completely. Nothing about you is a surprise to your Creator. And if you are completely bald, He knows the number is ZERO.

Sparrows And Swallows – Selected Biblical Bird References

Some Other Sparrow, Swallow And (Bird) Suggestions

Bible Verses About Sparrows – List of applicable verses

Birds Of The Bible – Swallows – Applicable verses about Swallows

The Sparrow And The Swallow – Sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon

The Birds Eat The Seed That Falls Along The Path – All about the Parable of the Sower and the role of birds.

The Parable Of The Sower – Additional information and links about the Parable of the Sower.

Noah & Waverly – A Scissortail Love Story – God brings two young Scissortail birds together.

Happy As A Mockingbird – A Christian poem from my Mother about the Joy Believers have in the Lord.

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Images courtesy of: Harrison Woodard