Was there a special significance in God's choice of ravens for supply of provisions to Prophet Elijah?
God’s ways are not man’s ways!
There may several reasons or symbolisms attached to God’s choice of using a raven to supply food to the Prophet Elijah, while in the desert.
In fact, I find the choice of God using a raven in such circumstances to be a little bit of an oxymoron, but then the Almighty knows what he is doing! Ravens can be ravenous birds at times.
Not only was the Prophet Elijah helped out by ravens; it is known that at least three canonized saints have been feed by ravens while in the desert. That is something to think about!
The raven, because of his dark plumage, coarse cry, and supposed tastes, sometimes represents the devil; but God seems to have a fondness for them. One was sent to guard the body of St. Vincent Ferrer; and ravens are known to have fed at least three different saints (St. Benedict, St. Anthony the Abbot, and St. Paul the Hermit) while they were in the desert. Because of this, the raven also represents solitude.
The Meaning of the Raven as a Catholic Christian Symbol
Catholic Christian symbolism in art provides a clear graphic illustration which represents people or items of religious significance. What is the definition and the meaning of the Raven? A raven is large black passerine bird (Corvus corax) with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail , similar to the crow, but larger. Ravens feed greedily, eat greedily and prey on or hunt and obtain or seize by violence. The color of the raven is jet black symbolising darkness. The Raven Christian Symbol represents Satan and unrest, a symbol of ill-fortune.
The Catholic Encyclopedia simply states that ”the raven is a symbol of the Jews of confession and penance.”
Some other viewpoints on why God chose ravens in to point out is that with the Creator, all things are possible. He like to confuse man at times in order to get a deeper meaning out of things.
Wikipedia has a few interesting points on the common raven:
The brain of the common raven is among the largest of any bird species. Specifically, their hyperpallium is large for a bird. They display ability in problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes such as imitation and insight.
In the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, the raven was the first animal to be released from Noah's Ark. "So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground." The raven is mentioned 12 times in the Bible. In the New Testament Jesus tells a parable using the raven to show how people should rely on God for their needs and not riches (Luke 12:24). The raven is also mentioned in the Quran at the story of Cain and Abel. Adam's firstborn son Cain kills his brother Abel, but he does not know what to do with the corpse: "Then Allah sent a raven scratching up the ground, to show him how to hide his brother's naked corpse. He said: Woe unto me! Am I not able to be as this raven and so hide my brother's naked corpse? And he became repentant."
Interestingly enough Ravenous Ravens claims that ravens ”decide who is a friend and who is an enemy, give gifts to say thank you [and] have the most vocalizations of any bird in North America.”
Ut in omnibus Glorificetur Deus!
