Cetacea ~ Intelligible Communiqués
In the months leading up to my move to New Zealand, i spent hours poring over information about local flora and fauna. In fact, i successfully memorized every bird species by latin, english, and Maori name! (Don't ask me to do this now because it's been too long!) One class of creatures particularly enchanted me: the cetaceans.
Cetaceans
are a boisterous and intelligent class of sea mammal. In
layman’s terms we call them ‘dolphins’.
Orcas and pilot whales are also dolphins, but are rarely recognized as
such because of their large size. While
the morphology of these creatures is fascinating enough, even more intriguing is their linguistic skills. Pods
(dolphin family groups) are usually formed for life and can result in the
development of unique dialects.[1] These are the only creatures know to have
individual names aside from humans. A
mother names her calf, and the rest of the pod addresses the kiddo with that
name for the rest of his life. What is
interesting about this level of complexity in language is this: pods change
their language when coming in contact with another pod.
It’s hard to understand Welsh people, and
even after living in England for a year I had a heck of a time figuring out
what anybody in Wales was saying. They
had to slow down their speech, increase the volume of their voice a bit, and
really pronounce the words in order for me to comprehend. Good thing they are so patient. Cetaceans do the same thing! Even in the event of one individual coming to
visit the pod, the entire pod will indelibly shift to more general language so
he can understand and join in the conversation.
I wonder if God has to dumb down his language
so we can understand Him. After all, He’s
the one who wrote the most complex linguistic form we have ever discovered:
DNA. And that particular code is a
language consisting of only 4 letters!
How much greater linguistic complexity He must be capable of. In the Bible His voice is often described as
thunderous, suggesting power. The prophet Daniel
describes God’s voice as the sound of a great
multitude. The sound was enough to knock
him out: “But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the
sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the
ground.[2]” The Lord touches Daniel and speaks to him
again, differently this time: “He said to me, ‘O Daniel, man greatly loved,
understand the words that I speak to you…Fear not, for your words have been
heard.” Interesting that Daniel does not
understand at first, for the greatness of that sound is terrifying and
otherworldly. Yet God encourages him to
understand, and emphasizes that Daniel’s own words have been heard by God! This is an amazing thought.
Peter wrote a letter in which he described his day with
Jesus atop the mountain of transfiguration.
He writes this: “We ourselves heard this utterance [“This is my son with
whom I am pleased”] made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy
mountain.[3]” In the letter’s final remarks, Peter explains
that some things are hard to understand, but that we must “grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord” and not succumb to misunderstandings about the Scriptures. (Also see 1Cor14v6)
We need not fear what we do not fully comprehend. Within the scientific community, discoveries that perplex
us are often the most significant. When I
worked in the blood laboratory, I remember the thrill of hearing “Hmmmm, that’s
strange.” The unknowns, not the knowns, are most worth pursuing! Therein the eureka awaits! Understanding God’s voice is not always straight
forward. Oftentimes we must work at
it. But, like the patient Welshmen, like
the understanding family below the sea, he is able to convey meaning to us in a
way we understand. I am so thankful for
His word, though I don’t always grasp it straightaway. It is the greatest love letter ever
written. And like our Lord said to
Daniel so long ago in Babylon, “You are greatly loved, understand my words and
do not be afraid.”
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