“If a Bird’s Nest Happens to Be Before You Along the Way ... Honor Your Father and Your Mother."

Nothing in Scripture is random or insignificant.

The Scripture

Both phrases in the title of this article are Bible verses that you may have thought were unrelated. I wouldn't have considered a connection, except for the following clause shared by both portions of Scripture.

" ... that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days."

(Deuteronomy 22:6-7, Ephesians 6:1-2)

Nothing in Scripture is random or insignificant. Every detail included in His Word serves a purpose. In this lesson, we will examine a specific repeated phrase in Scripture. Repetition of a phrase in the Bible is often connected in thought, theme, and context across all its uses. Linking narratives through these common phrases can give us a more meaningful understanding. With this in mind, this study will move back and forth between the Old and New Testaments.

... every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.
— Matthew 13:52

As we shall see, one will explain the other.

"The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man."
— Chesterton

This is a photo of Killdeer eggs. Killdeer make their nests on the ground, which are hard to see. This makes them an easy target to run into accidentally.

The Common Denominator

First, let me show you the portion of Scripture, in its entirety, that I stumbled upon, which left me scratching my head and inspired the topic and title.

"If a bird's nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days"
— Deuteronomy 22:6-7

My first thought was, 'Why did God think it necessary to include this instruction?' The surrounding texts sounded like weightier matters, such as what to do if you find something valuable belonging to your brothers and how to make your roof safe so people don't get hurt. Many other things are going on in this chapter, but we will zero in on the bird. Just as the command to honor your father and your mother promises a long life of obedience.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth" (based on the Old Testament command in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16)
— Ephesians 6:1-2

Strange, considering that the other instructions in Deuteronomy 22, which seemed possibly more important, came with no such promise. It is tempting to think of this as a "light" matter, honoring a random bird's mother that was accidentally discovered. In Scripture, a bird can be a metaphor for something seemingly insignificant and light compared to human life.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
— Matthew 6:26

Matthew 10 further develops this idea.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
— Matthew 10:29-31

The Psalmist expresses this in terms of "even the sparrow ..."

My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young

— Psalm 84:2,3

Hold on to this thought until the conclusion, as we will be revisiting this at that time.

The concepts of heavy and light are necessary to understand this revelation.

Heavy and Light Things

The concepts of heavy and light are essential to understanding this revelation. These concepts connect us to a New Testament conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, using the same ideas and language.

As in "Honor your father and your mother," the Hebrew word for honor is "kavod," meaning heavy, weighty, and substantial. To honor our God, Father, and Mother, we place them on the scales of our hearts, thoughts, and actions and treat them with great substance, weight, and value.

This concept of weight appears in the "Book of Daniel," when God confronts King Belshazzar of Babylon, who made light of the temple objects carried away during the captivity of God's people. He made light of them by using them to worship his gods of silver and gold.

God makes it abundantly clear that this is no light matter, given that Belshazzar witnessed how his father, Nebuchadnezzar, was humbled for self-glorying and for making light of the God who rules in the Kingdom of men. Part of that confrontation included this statement to Belshazzar.

You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.

— Daniel 5:27

Belshazzar should have taken a lesson from his father's experience.

Through a thorough search of the words "weight," "scales," and "balance," I discovered a connection to the concepts of "father and mother" and the promise of a long life. These themes are linked throughout Scripture. Leviticus 19 begins with the command to honor one's mother and father.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
— Leviticus 19:1-3

Leviticus 19 ends with just weights and scales.

You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
'Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord
— Leviticus 19:35-37

All other matters discussed in this chapter fall between honoring parents and just weights and measures.

The following example, found in Deuteronomy 25, offers a related promise of prolonged life tied to accurate measures, uniting the two themes.

You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
— Deuteronomy 25:13-15

A Chiasm

The following illustration is a type of chiasm, where the occurrences are arranged like a sandwich with two parallel themes on the outside (the outer slices of bread) and a central point (the meat) in the middle. The whole text is in Proverbs chapter 20.

(A) The following is our first slice of bread.

Diverse weights and diverse measures,
They are both alike, an abomination to the Lord.

Even a child is known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
The Lord has made them both

— Proverbs 20:10-12

Notice that the first stanza focuses on accurate weights and measures. The second stanza tells us that even a child can discern and weigh an accurate evaluation.

Also, notice the mention of ears and eyes in the third stanza. Our inner ears manage and process our physical balance. Our center of balance inside our ears illustrates how we hear and balance what we hear, as well as how we perceive it. Two Gospels, Mark and Luke, provide a balanced perspective.

Take heed what you hear.
— Mark 4:24
Therefore take heed how you hear.
— Luke 8:18

The preacher in Ecclesiastes confirms the connection to ears and a balanced perspective.

... the Teacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing (balancing) and studying and arranging many proverbs
— Ecclesiastes 12:9 (NASB)

The Hebrew word for weighing or balancing in the above verse is rooted in the word "ear" and shares the same letters.

Matthew 13 also describes the eyes as tools of assessment.

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.
— Matthew 13:14-15

(B) The meat of our sandwich concerns making light of our father and mother.

Whoever curses (makes light of ) his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.
— Proverbs 20:20
A noteworthy point about the above verse is that the Hebrew word for "curse" is "qalal קלל," which means to make light of or to esteem as insignificant. The King James Version gets it right in this regard.
Cursed (abhorred and detested) be he that makes light (curses/qalah - root qalal) of his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen
— Deuteronomy 27:16

(A) The second slice of bread

Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord,
And dishonest scales are not good

— Proverbs 20:23

If you compare the A's, you can see that they both address accurate measurement and assessment. The central idea represented by "B" is not to curse or make light of one's father or mother. Micah chapter six gives us a glimpse of what this looks like from God's perspective.

Shall I count pure those with the wicked scales,
And with the bag of deceitful weights?
... For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother ...

— Micah 6:11, 7:6

Proverbs chapters 1-4 are a father's instructions to his son, making his appeal in verse eight.

My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.

— Proverbs 1:8

Chapter 2 continues with the father's wisdom and counsel to his son. Chapter three begins with the following.

My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you

— Proverbs 3:1-2

Chapter four continues with this connection of parental honor and long life.

Hear, my children, the instruction of a father
... Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many

— Proverbs 4:1,10

The connection between long life and parental honor is again displayed in the center.

An Application

Jonathan Cahn offers a life application based on this concept in his book The Book of Mysteries.

"Altered weights not only concern corrupt merchants ... but corrupt civilizations. When a civilization redefines its value, when it changes the meanings and definitions of reality away from God and away from created order, when it alters the measures of morality, of right and wrong, to conform them to its will and desires, it is dealing in altered weights, false measures, deceptive balances ... Never bend the truth to fit your will. Bend your will to fit the truth. Never alter the Word of God to conform God to your image; alter your ways to the Word of God and conform your life to the image of God. Beware of false standards ... stay far from altered weights"

James Tissot
Brookelyn Museum

The New Testament Conversation

Jesus addresses the topics of honoring one's mother and father, regarding weightiness, and compares them to light and weighty matters of the law.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

— Matthew 5:17-20

The religious Jews of this time would have been very familiar with the concept. They understood Jesus's intent as he proposed this consideration before them.

Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."

He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"—' (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

— Mark 7:1-13

In another conversation, Jesus details his complaint about this matter and ties it all together.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also
— Matthew 23:23-26

By Dosseman

Unjust Balances

At this juncture, the bird and the nest come into play. In the spectrum of law, honoring a mother bird in the nest would have been considered a light law (recall the comparison to sparrows). On the other end of the spectrum, honoring a parent should have been considered a heavy responsibility. Their matching promise to prolong their days draws a line from one to the other. Consider Jesus's comparison of gnats and camels along these same lines.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that their estimates and balances were incorrect because they used unjust scales that included their self-indulgence in the measure. They made weightier matters light and made light matters weighty to serve themselves.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

— Isaiah 5:20-21

The Pharisees had missed the point in both light and weighty matters. They had failed on all accounts by measuring themselves by themselves.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise ... But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

— 2 Corinthians 10:12,17

The other promises of living long in the land concern obedience to God. He is the true and just standard of measurement.

You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time
— Deuteronomy 4:40

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler by Heinrich Hofmann

The Rich Young Ruler

This order of priorities, or should we say disorder of priorities, is displayed in the rich young ruler's story.

... as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,’ 'Do not bear false witness,’ 'Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.'

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

— Mark 10:17-21

This story is a classic example of Jesus showing what weighed most in his estimation. Notice that Jesus names all the commandments related to human relationships but doesn't forthrightly point to the weightier, more important ones about his sincere motive to worship God and consider Him heavy.

Jesus also slightly changes the order of the commandments. He places "Honor your Father and your Mother" last in all three accounts of this scene. It should have come before the others He named.

Jesus attempts to reveal to the young man that he is "out of order" and, therefore, out of balance in priorities. In two of the scenes, "you shall not commit adultery" is placed before "you shall not murder." This might be a clue that God, not being his top priority, is considered a form of adultery against Him. Our estimation of God should always trump all else.

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.

— Matthew 10:37

FOTO:FORTEPAN / Jezsuita Levéltár

Conclusion

Without God in the balance, all other measures are unjust, skewed, and weighted to serve our own interests. I found the image of the scales and balances interesting because it includes a Cross. At the Cross, God put Himself on the scales of justice on our behalf and paid the weighty cost, the impossible cost we could not have paid.

Who then can be saved?
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

— Matthew 19

Jesus told that rich young ruler that there was only one good: God. Jesus pointed the young man to Himself, showing him what he was missing most. His question to Jesus was revealing.

"What can I do ... ?"

— Matthew 19

It was as if there were a checklist of accomplishments to credit to his account. The truth was that nothing he could do would weigh more than what Christ was about to do for him. Likewise, God calls each of us into sonship with Himself through His perfectly obedient Son, to honor and worship Him so that we may have the hope of eternal life with Him. Our life mission is to follow Him and make Him our top priority. Giving Him weight, forsaking every light thing that stands in His way, means making God the most crucial consideration in all that we do and say. We need to turn our faces to Him, not our backs. Do we also see the connecting promise and the image of honoring parents, resulting in a long life that honors God, our Father, and the connection to eternal life?

... not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and I want you to affirm these things constantly: those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
— Titus 3:5-8

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