(READ: LEV. 11:55And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. (Leviticus 11:5); PSA. 104:1818The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. (Psalm 104:18); PRO. 30:24-2624There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; (Proverbs 30:24‑26); MATT. 7:24-2924Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:24‑29).)
EV 11:5{SA 104:18{RO 30:24-26{AT 7:24-29{
VERY different from the large, fierce and powerful beasts we have talked together about is the pretty little coney; not much larger than a rabbit, but far more knowing, and capable of running for a short time at a high speed. It is thought to be the same as the Syrian "hyrax," a swift animal, whose flesh is tender and is known to be fit for human food.
At first sight it might be thought that the Bible would not teach us many lessons about so small a creature, but God is able to teach us many lessons in ways we least expect, and just as when He was teaching His servant Elijah we read that when the Lord passed by there was a "great and strong wind," followed by an earthquake, and then by a fire, but the Lord was not in any of these, but in a "still small voice" that came after the fire, and from that gentle voice he heard words of comfort—he was told that although he thought that every one had gone after strange gods, really there were seven thousand others who were faithful to the only true God—so in a like manner we may be taught by the little creature that would scamper away if a little child came in sight.
There are three things that I specially want you to remember whenever you think of the coney, and these are: (1)Avoiding temptation.
(2)Seeking refuge.
(3)Learning true wisdom.
(1)Avoiding Temptation
The coney is suitable for food, indeed by many it is regarded as a delicacy, a toothsome morsel, and from it could be prepared a meal that would tempt even a sick person. And in spite of this the coney was not to be eaten, it was called an unclean animal. Most of you will remember the test for a clean animal, not only must it chew the cud, but it must divide the hoof. It is not enough to do one or the other; unless it passes both tests it must be called unclean. When we look for a spiritual meaning to these things, chewing the cud means making good those things that we have heard or read, letting them become part of ourselves, of our life, while the parted hoof speaks to us of a separate pathway, and I hope you will know more of this in days to come.
The Jew had to learn obedience to God's law, and though he might be tempted, particularly if he was very hungry, to have a coney nicely roasted for his dinner, knowing what an appetizing meal it would be, he had to learn to resist the temptation, or very terrible would be the punishment that he would suffer. Useless for him to argue that there was no good reason for a savory dish being denied him, foolish for him to say that he saw no harm in eating a coney, for God had said that it, in common with its brother the hare, and the huge camel, must not be eaten.
What are we to learn by this? I think we may realize the necessity for resisting temptation, for obeying God's word without question, and thinking of the old saying that "happiness lies in obedience," and if children remember that they are told to obey their parents, how much more should they obey God.
Do you ever find yourself saying, "What is the harm in doing this or that?" Would it not be happier to ask instead, "What is the good of doing it? Shall I bring glory to the name of the Lord by my action? Am I obeying His word, studying it, feeding on it, thinking about it?" If we do this we shall be more likely to resist temptation, and to be true to the Lord who gave His life for our sake.
(2)the Coney's Safe Retreat Our Little Friend Lives Among the Rocks, It Is Extremely Quick and Agile, and Can Leap From Rock to Rock. Its Home Is There Too, and a Very Good Home It Is. Rocks Speak to Us of Firmness, of Solidity, and of Stability, That Is, They Cannot Easily Be Moved. Some Short Texts Which Concern Rocks, and Suggest Shelter and Strength Can Easily Be Remembered, Such As: "Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I," "Thou Art My Rock," "Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church"; While If You Read the Story of the House Built on the Rock You Will See How Safe It Was When the Storm Came.
The coney is a feeble little animal, and if it depended on its own strength to defeat its enemy it would soon come to grief. It does not rely on itself, but on the protection offered by the friendly and solid rock. Here its very smallness is its strength, for when it is pursued by an enemy, it can make straight for the rock, and hide itself in a narrow cleft, where its larger enemy cannot come; it is safe from attack. Does not the great Apostle Paul understand this when he says, "When I am weak, then am I strong"? Why? Because the more he realizes his own weakness, the more he feels the strength of another, of a Lord in glory, from whom he can hear those beautiful words, "My grace is sufficient for thee: my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:99And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9).)
What a great thing then it is to feel our own weakness, our insufficiency, and that "in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing," because then we can know something of the strength of One that really is strong, we can hide behind the shelter of the rock, and "that rock is Christ"!
May each one of us know what it is to have our feet set on a rock, and pray the prayer found in the words of the hymn that begins:
“Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.”
When next you are singing these beautiful words, try and think of the little coney hiding itself in the rock, safe from all its enemies, with no strength of itself, but knowing where true safety can be found. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
(3)the Wisdom of the Coney Is It Not Strange That This Very Small Animal Should Have Been Selected by Solomon, the Wisest of All Wise Men, As One of the Wise Animals. We Might Have Expected the Lion, the King of Beasts, to Be Mentioned, We Might Have Chosen Several Wise Animals, but Who Would Have Thought of the Coney?
Not only are they called wise, they are "exceeding wise." What praise from the wise man! And yet listen, he goes on and calls them "but a feeble folk"! This seems rather strange, and yet it is not so strange as it appears, for their wisdom lies in the fact that they know they are but a feeble folk, they know their weakness, but they know something else, they know where true strength is to be found.
You all remember how the youth David triumphed over the giant Goliath, the lad who knew his weakness was able to defeat a powerful warrior, but only because his trust had been in God.
In the last book of the Bible we read of the church at Philadelphia being specially Praised, not on account of any notable greatness, but just the opposite, "for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
At the end of the Old Testament, when everything seemed going against the will of God, we read of the few who loved the Lord, speaking to one another of the things that were precious to them, and though in the eyes of men they were but feeble folk, they really had their feet set upon a rock, and the Lord Himself looked upon them as His jewels and says, "They shall be mine ... in that day when I make up my jewels." (Mal. 3:1717And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Malachi 3:17).)
Coneys are difficult to catch. They are always on the alert. When they are feeding one of their number is on the watch, and if there is the slightest sign of danger he gives a signal, and immediately they all disappear amid the fastnesses of the rocks. Surely we shall all agree that here is exceeding wisdom, and it will be well if we all profit by the example of this animal, and find shelter where true safety is to be found.
Remember we are in a world where we are beset by many dangers, by difficulties, by temptations, and we can very soon do things that we should be ashamed of unless we have in us a watchful spirit, and are bearing in mind those words of our Lord, "What I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.”
The coney is only mentioned four times in the Bible, but I hope you will agree with me that even the humble coney can be our schoolmaster, and help us to think right thoughts, and to put our trust where true safety is to be found.
Goliath learned how wrong it was to trust natural strength, and I hope all of us can say:
"Poor and feeble though we be,
Savior, we belong to Thee!
Thine we are, Thou Son of God,
Thine, the purchase of Thy blood.
Boundless wisdom, power divine,
Love unspeakable, are Thine;
Praise by all to Thee be given,
Son of God, and Heir of heaven!”