SEPTEMBER 24, 2014
The
Language Of Whistling
Read: Zechariah
10:1-8
I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them. —Zechariah 10:8
On La Gomera, one of
the smallest of the Canary Islands, a language that sounds like a bird song is
being revived. In a land of deep valleys and steep ravines, schoolchildren and
tourists are learning how whistling was once used to communicate for distances
up to 2 miles. One goat herder who is using this ancient language once again to
communicate with his flock said, “They recognize my whistle as they recognize
my voice.”
The practice of
whistling also shows up in the Bible, where God is described as a shepherd
whistling for His sheep. This image could be what the prophet had in mind when
he described how God will one day whistle to bring a wandering and scattered
people back to Himself (Zech. 10:8).
Many years later Jesus
said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John
10:27). That may be the whistle of a shepherd. Sheep don’t understand words,
but they know the sound that signals the shepherd’s presence.
Misleading voices and
distracting noises still compete for our attention (cf. Zech. 10:2). Yet God
has ways of signaling us, even without words. By events that can be alarming or
encouraging, He reminds us of His guiding, protecting, and reassuring presence.
Father, it is a noisy
world. Thank You for
always calling to us
above the din and
ruckus that distracts
us. Help us to recognize
Your voice and follow
Your leading.
The
call of God can always be heard.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
