I have been studying ravens. They are mentioned in the Bible 10 times. And not always in the best light. I was thinking about 1Kings17 where God used ravens to feed Elijah while he was hiding out after declaring there would be no rain until he said so.
Conspiracy of Ravens
Photo by kalpesh patel on Unsplash
In today’s world, a group of ravens is called a conspiracy of ravens, or an unkindness of ravens. That tells you what our modern world thinks of this animal. Things like death, darkness, selfishness, mischievousness, or scavenger have been used to describe ravens. I also found:
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The poem by Poe, The Raven, a mournful remembrance of a lost love.
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The Hitchcock movie, The Birds, I think used some ravens.
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The American football team the Baltimore Ravens (14-2 in 2019).
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Spirit animals representing intelligence and quick learning.
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Totems representing mystery and divination.
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In Native American culture ravens represent change or transformation and are seen as tricksters.
What does God say about ravens? He says multiple times not to eat them. He also shows that He provides for them. He took them on the ark (Genesis 8:7). The raven was released before the dove to see if there was any dry land. When God is talking with Job, he reminds Job ravens are taken care of in His plan (Job 38:41). Their provision is shared again in the Psalms (147:9). The raven would be used as a weapon to peck your eyes out when you disrespect your parents (Prov30:17), even as a reference to the color of hair (SOS 5:11). Don’t take my word for it, look it up and see for yourself.
When I think of ravens a picture pops into my head of a very black bird, so black it almost reflects light instead of absorbing it, with beady black eyes. Bigger than a crow, this bird has a 45” (114cm) wing span, that is almost 4 feet people. One of those blue US Mail Boxes is 3.75 feet tall. About as tall as your average American 6 year old. Weighing in around 4 pounds (2kl), this is like four boxes of butter, a big cast iron skillet, or a solid metal hammer. Do you have a picture of this big black bird?
God used a raven to feed Elijah in the wilderness. An unclean bird that will peck your eyes out. Can you imagine? One raven (or was it ten ravens?) show up each morning and evening dropping bread and meat in front of you. Seems this happened every day for nearly a year. What a miracle. A continuing miracle. Day in and day out these birds bringing food to a man waiting in a cave. I wonder when it became commonplace? When Elijah stopped being amazed? When do we stop seeing Gods miracles that are right in front of our faces?
Ravens, a conspiracy of ravens. I have been thinking about ravens lately.
