“Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:7 NIV)
Migratory birds do not live by calendars or written rules. Yet they instinctively know when winter is approaching and when spring is on its way. At precisely the right time birds fly to warmer or cooler regions, following the order that God has established in creation.
The Lord God uses these birds as an example to teach His people. They claimed to be wise and to possess God’s law (Jeremiah 8:8), but the Lord saw through their empty words. The Israelites had rejected God’s Word and had redesigned His commands to suit their own ideas. As a result, they had lost all true wisdom (Jeremiah 8:8–9). The migratory birds recognized God’s order better than His own people did.
A similar message is found in Romans 1:18–22. Through creation, people can perceive God’s eternal power and understand that He is God. Yet they refuse to honor Him and instead turn away from Him. As a result, their thinking becomes darkened and their moral judgment is corrupted. Their sinful behavior provokes God’s righteous wrath. They should know better—and therefore they should live differently.
These are challenging words. Yet God speaks them to awaken people and call them to repentance.
Take a moment to reflect: Where do you see order in creation? What would the world look like if people followed this order, just as migratory birds do?