“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?1 Yet God forgets not one of them. Indeed, the
very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more
than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:6-7
According to the authors of the Asbury Bible Commentary, “Luke's primary concern for writing his
gospel account of Jesus would have been to strengthen the faith and increase
the knowledge of existing converts.”
Just as back then, its verses provide much encouragement to all of
todays readers as well.
The
significance of the sparrow in this passage is that they are tiny creatures,
barely noticed. They average
approximately 5 inches in length and weigh anywhere from a half to 1
ounce. That is one tiny bird, yet God is
aware of them every moment of every day and doesn’t forget them. He provides them with food and water to
sustain their lives. We are worth so
much more than the sparrows of the field to God.
While
it may be true that the Lord has to spend less time counting the hairs on the
head of a bald man, the fact remains that every hair on the head of mortal man
is numbered. God created us and knows us
intimately. There’s nothing He doesn’t
know about us. He is in us in the person
of the Holy Spirit if we are redeemed.
He is with us in the midst of our trials and at the end of them waiting
for us, all possible because He is present
in all places at the same time.2
We have nothing to fear.
God is with us. There is nothing that
can harm us unless the Lord either causes or allows it for a greater
purpose. Knowing He can be relied upon
to take care of us should free us to take care of others. This is being God’s hand extended. This is being Christ to the masses. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
1
The
“pennies” are an assarion, equal to
one-sixteenth of a denarius (a
typical day’s wage). Five sparrows sold
for roughly an hour’s pay, but God remembers them all. [Reformation Study
Bible]
2 The meaning of
omnipresence. [American Heritage Dictionary]
