by Lemuel Niere
“Are not two sparrows sold for one copper coin?” “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?” [Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 12:6].
Are you a worrywart? In Matthew 6:25, 26 Jesus tells us to “look at the birds of the air” and be encouraged. The house sparrow is one of the most widely distributed birds on Earth. It is one of the most insignificant and most worthless of all birds. A very drab colored bird. It was the sacrifice a poor leper could bring. Vendors in the market would pluck their feathers, dip them in a spicy sauce, impale two of them on a stick and sell them for less than a cent. If you bought four, dealers would throw in an extra one according to Luke 12:6.
What is the significance of the sparrow? Why was this particular bird chosen over all the others in God’s creation? From reading these verses we see that during the time period when Christ was teaching, sparrows were worth next to nothing materially, since two of them were being sold for such a small sum.
I have read that sparrows are considered to be very common birds—in appearance and plentitude. They have no striking or fanciful colorations, only humble shades of brown and gray. They are not difficult to come across. If you spot one you won’t gasp in shock, or be in awe, and you won’t find them on an endangered species list. But you see, God is watching even the humblest of His creatures.
His eye is on every bird—not just the ones that some might consider to be the superstars of the bird world, due to their material worth, their fancy feathers, or their rarity. It seems this particular bird was chosen because it magnifies the object lesson these verses teach: God doesn’t measure worth in the same way the world vey often does, and we are all unimaginably precious to Him! From Jesus’ words about the sparrow we learn that:
1) God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Purpose. God created the sparrow on the 5th day of creation (Genesis 1:20-23). God created the sparrow for His glory, perhaps, to beautify His global Zoological Park and also for man’s enjoyment. David in Psalm 104:12 praised God for His
greatness seen in the six days of creation. David praised God for creating birds “who sing among the branches.” We are told for example that the the song sparrows sing is a combination of 20 different notes. They sing from morning to evening. From Spring to Fall. A singing sparrow never sorrows.
God created you and me for His glory to bring Him pleasure. In Psalm 104:33, David in response to God’s creation of birds wrote, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” In Psalm 50:23 God said, “Whosoever offers me praise glorifies me.” And then I think through His attributes and praise Him for who He is. For example, sometimes I meditate on His omnipotence seen in creation and then praise for sharing that strength with me in the form of grace which is all sufficient for all my circumstances.
2) God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Protection. Sparrows are sociable birds. They live and fly in flocks. But in Psalm 102:7 one is stranded on a flat Palestinian roof house. Possibly wounded and handicapped. It pleads for the others who have flown away with the high pitched distress cry. The psalmist alone also cried out to God who has His eye on him in verses 1-2. It appears that David had physical problems (“bones” in verse 3); and also interpersonal conflicts that he expresses in verse 8. In your distress cry out to Jesus. In Psalm 84:1-4, the Psalmist uses the sparrow again, but this time, it is the sparrow who has found refuge in God’s house. An ancient custom among many nations protected birds who built their nests in the temple. They were not allowed to be driven away much less killed.
The Psalmist also loves to find refuge from his physical problems in God’s house. At God’s house, he doesn’t focus on his problems but on the living God. Our attention is too horizontal at church and not vertical enough. During prayer we look around at the people instead of focusing on Our Father who art in Heaven. During the singing we stand mute like mall mannequins instead “speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.”
3) God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Provision. This is the first example of birds that Jesus used in Matthew 6:25-26. The little birds works hard for their food, but they don’t worry. God feeds them. “He who feeds the sparrow will not starve His saints.” So don’t be a worrywart. If God feeds the little four-inch, dull-colored, of-little-value sparrow, will He not provide for you who are made in the image of God and have been adopted as His sons and daughters? If God feeds the sparrow, which could be purchased with less than one penny, will He not provide for you who were purchased with the precious blood of Christ?
4) God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Providence. C.H. Spurgeon said the doctrine of providence is the doctrine of the supervision and wise care of God.
A. God providently controls the small things. Not just the archangels, Michael and Gabriel, but the sparrows. Proverbs tell us, “The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord.” Daniel writes that it is God “who puts down kings and raises up kings.”
B. God providently controls the difficult things. “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” This illustration was given in the context of persecution and death (10:16-28). Paul used the same example in one of the worst storms of his life in Acts 27:34. Paul used the illustration to encourage those in the storm that God would spare their lives. This statement was common proverb. The people of Israel used this proverb in 1 Samuel 14:45 to defend Jonathan against his father King Saul who wanted him killed. The people in defense of Jonathan said, “There shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground.” It is also used in Luke’s gospel concerning persecution in the future tribulation which includes death (Luke 21:18). This proverbs teaches two truths about God’s providence. First, nothing will happen to you except what is God’s will; and secondly, if it is God’s will for death to come, nothing can affect your eternal life. Not a sparrow falls to the ground that our heavenly Father does not notice. Jesus said if God cares for the seemingly worthless sparrow how much more does He care for us.
This moving truth prompted Civilia Martin to write the song, “His Eye Is On The Sparrow and I know He Watches Me.” She related that early in the spring of 1905, she and her husband were traveling in Elmira, New York. They had developed a deep friendship with a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle who were true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nearly twenty years. Her husband was a partial invalid who managed his business from a wheelchair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing comfort to all who knew them. One day while Civilia and her husband were visiting with the Doolittles, Civilia asked them how they kept from being discouraged. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “Mrs. Martin, how can I be discouraged when my Heavenly Father watches over every little sparrow, and I know He cares for me.”
The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the heart and fired the imagination of Civilia Martin. The song “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” was the outcome of that experience which she wrote in a matter of minutes.
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.