I’ve seen more deer these past few weeks than I have in a long time. I think they know it’s not hunting season. But that doesn’t mean they’re always courageous! They swiftly disappear before I can get my camera ready sometimes! This floppy-eared doe had a tiny fawn right behind her. It was so small I didn’t see it until they both took off running.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.- 2 Samuel 22:34
I saw this doe off of Moon Lake Road. She didn’t move for a long time. I guess she estimated the amount of time it would take this fat boy to cross the canal and get to her and figured she was safe.
I was looking at some Bible verses that mentioned deer. The one I posted above is repeated in Psalm 18:33 - each time by David - each time in a time of victory and praise. When I look at the swiftness of a deer, I can understand how it is a figure of overcoming enemies.
I’m sure if you have a flower or vegetable garden that you can’t keep the deer out of, you might not think they are beautiful. But I certainly think of them as beautiful. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon used the beauty of deer to encourage men to be faithful to their wives (in his case, many wives, but that’s for another post!).
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? - Proverbs 5:18-20
Deer can be elusive. I was surprised at this doe late one evening in Black Bayou. I usually only hear them galloping away through the swamp. But she took pity on me and allowed me to take a few pictures at a distance. In the 42nd Psalm, David thinks about a time when it did not seem that God was near, but he desired to be close to his Father. He was thirsty for God, just as a deer is thirsty for water. We sing a couple of songs in church with this theme.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? - Psalm 42:1-2
The joy and exuberance of a deer making its way through the forest at such a high speed is amazing. Frustrating, for hunters, I suppose. But it is amazing that a creature of this size and weight can seemingly float through the woods in a matter of seconds. The fearfulness of a deer is something that reminds Jeremiah of people who have decided to turn their back on God.
All the splendor has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer. - Lamentations 1:6
Isaiah uses the actions of the deer in a positive way, expressing healing and joy. He reminds us of what God can do and what it will be like when all is made new in the renewal of all things. These were also signs of the coming Messiah.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. - Isaiah 35:5-6
Habakkuk also uses the imagery of a deer when he reminds the people of how God can give strength and stability in life if we will only turn to Him.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. - Habakkuk 3:18-19
If you’re my age or older, you might have the King James Version of that verse in the back of your mind: The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Hinds Feet on High Places is a well-loved allegory by Hannah Hurnard. I haven’t read it for myself, but I have been aware of it for many years.
It’s always a thrill to see a deer in the wild. They are so silent that I find myself grappling for my camera and by the time I lift it to take the picture, they are long gone. I’m grateful when I have the opportunity to capture an image to look at later and share. Sometimes they are grainy or blurry, deer are in low-light areas or I’m trying too hard to get the picture that the camera isn’t exactly still!
Thanks for spending a few minutes looking at the deer I’ve photographed. If you enjoyed this post, a click on the heart would be encouraging!
All photographs by John Dobbs.
One of my favorites! A grand slam!
Really love this post, John, great photos and helpful reflections. Thank you so much. You sent me hunting for some poems about deer I've read by Mary Oliver (discovered that I have more of her books than I realised...). You might want to look out for The Place I Want To Get Back To (from Thirst) and also This Morning I Watched The Deer (in Why I Wake Early).