The Roe or Gazelle
The sermon 'The Roe or Gazelle' highlights the beauty, speed, and agility of the gazelle, drawing parallels between its characteristics and the qualities of a beloved in the Bible.
Harriet N. Cook discusses the characteristics of the roe or gazelle, a small and graceful antelope often mentioned in the Bible for its innocence, beauty, and swiftness. The gazelle's eyes are described as soft and expressive, likened to the beauty of a woman. It is noted for its speed, with references in the Bible comparing individuals to the swift roe. The gazelle is often pursued in the chase, symbolizing the need to deliver oneself from danger. These animals are found in large groups on the hills of Judea, reflecting the abundant life in the land where Jesus lived.
Text
The roe belongs to the class of antelopes-animals very much resembling the deer; they are equally innocent and beautiful, and are often mentioned together in the Bible. The form of the antelope is, if possible, still more graceful than that of the deer, and its limbs still more delicate; but the principal difference between them is in the horns. Those of the deer grow from the bone of the forehead, and are at first small; but they are renewed every spring-the old horns falling off, and being succeeded by larger ones which grow in their place. They are at first covered with a soft, downy substance, called "the velvet;" but this soon comes off in fragments, leaving the horn white and smooth. The antelope never sheds its horns.
The roe or gazelle is the smallest animal of the antelope kind; it is only about two feet in height, and not more than half the size of the fallow-deer. Its eyes are remarkably soft and expressive; so that the people of those countries sometimes say of a beautiful woman, "She has the eyes of a gazelle." Like the hart and hind, it is noted for its swiftness: so we read, in 1st Chronicles, 12 : 8, of men who were "as swift as the roes upon the mountains." In 2d Samuel, 2 : 18, it is said, "And Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe;" and in the Song of Solomon, "The voice of my beloved ! behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills: my beloved is like a roe or a young hart."
The gazelle is often pursued in the chase; so Solomon says, "Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter." They go in very large companies, sometimes as many as two or three thousand; and they are still found in great numbers on the hills of Judea, the land where our Savior lived and died.
"The wild gazelle o'er Judah's hills
'Exulting, still may bound,
"And drink from all the living rills
"That gush on holy ground."
Sermon Outline
- I. Introduction to the Roe or Gazelle
- A. Physical Characteristics
- B. Comparison to Deer
- C. Biblical References
- II. The Gazelle's Speed and Agility
- A. Mentioned in 1st Chronicles 12:8
- B. Described in 2nd Samuel 2:18
- C. Compared to a Beloved in the Song of Solomon
- III. The Gazelle's Behavior
- A. Often Pursued in the Chase
- B. Found in Large Companies
- C. Still Found in Judea
- IV. Conclusion
Key Quotes
“She has the eyes of a gazelle.” — Harriet N. Cook
“Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter.” — Harriet N. Cook
“The voice of my beloved ! behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills: my beloved is like a roe or a young hart.” — Harriet N. Cook
Application Points
- We can learn from the gazelle's speed and agility to be swift and nimble in our spiritual pursuits.
- The gazelle's beauty reminds us of the importance of inner beauty and character.
- The gazelle's ability to be delivered from the hunter's hand teaches us to trust in God's protection and deliverance.