One day in spring, my brother brought home a cardboard box. It had holes all around it, and when he laid it down on the table, there was a funny little “peeping” sound inside, which brought us all at once to peek inside and ask questions.
The box contained a baby chick, and we were delighted. My brother warned us not to pet it to death, as he intended that it should live. It did live too, and feasted upon all sorts of strange things from our hands. It grew to be a pure white hen, and we thought it was very beautiful indeed.
But we had no place to keep it really, and it was finally decided that we should have her for dinner. I remember how sadly we received this news, and how eagerly we all watched as Mother plucked out the feathers, after my my brother had killed it. There was quite a pile of refuse when she was done, and our beautiful white bird had lost all its plumage.
When the Israelites offered a bird in sacrifice to God, all the feathers had to be plucked out, like that too. (Lev. 1:1616And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: (Leviticus 1:16).) The feathers make a beautiful outward show, but God does not want outward show, for He looks on the heart. You may have a very fine appearance outside, but what would be left if God Himself were to pluck away all that outward appearance and put it in a worthless pile? As He looks on your heart, is it clean and white in His presence? Has it been cleansed from sin in the precious blood of Christ?
After plucking the bird, Mother cleaned it, and we watched in wonder as she pulled out the crop and opened. it. It contained a queer assortment of things—little stones and sand, and whole grains of wheat. That all went into the rubbish heap too.
Why did God specially order that, when a bird was sacrificed, the crop must he thrown away? Because the food that the bird has not used is of no value. And the verses that you have memorized are of no value either unless you have used them, really made them your own, and said in your heart, “This Saviour is mine.”
So the crop and the feathers were thrown away, and our bird was roasted for dinner, and a very fine dinner it was too. But we have not forgotten the lesson of the worthless crop and the feathers. We want to remember that “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appeance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:77But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7).
ML 05/20/1951