Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Even though the Dusky-faced Tanager is a fairly common species on the Caribbean slope of Central America and on into the northwestern part of South America, there is not a great deal written about this bird. Perhaps that’s because the more brightly colored members of the family have drawn more of the attention. Or maybe it’s because of its willingness to take up residence in the heavily degraded lands that once were beautiful forests. Another possibility is that while relatively common, it tends to stay ensconced in the low undergrowth and thick vegetation and out of sight of the casual observer.
Quoting the Cornell Lab of Neotropical Birds, “There is a lack of general knowledge about the natural history of Dusky-faced Tanager.” And although I don’t read French, the bird’s name in that language, Mitrospin obscure, leaves little doubt it isn’t what you’d call a headliner.
Ever heard of Shethar-Bozenai? Me either, at least not to the level of any recognition on my part. This fellow was what you might call a Persian bean counter, a government employee who simply did his job behind the scenes to make sure things were working as they should. He doesn’t get much attention in Scripture because his role isn’t central to the salvation story, but that doesn’t mean he is overlooked. His boss was King Darius, in far off Persia, but his own responsibility was to make sure the Jews who had returned from captivity to Jerusalem were behaving as they were supposed to. When the Jews began rebuilding the temple, Shethar-Bozenai wrote to the king asking if they really had permission to do so as they had claimed. In response to his letter, the king wrote back informing him that indeed they did, and that he should even give assistance to the workers in their building project. (Ezra 5:3 and 6:8) Isn’t it nice to know that God doesn’t just give permission; He is an enabler, even using people like this otherwise insignificant government worker to accomplish His purposes.