Fish Who Answer the Telephone

“Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body (Ecclesiastes 12:12).” So quips the ancient wisdom of Solomon who I have no doubt would yet be impressed with the hundreds of thousands of books published each year. From textbooks updated, to vampire teenage romance, stories, data, commentary and imaginings have found their way on to the printed page. Few if any destined to be classics but all with a message someone is passionate about. So where would you place my new favorite title published in 1937 and authored by Pavlov’s student, Yuril P. Frolov, entitled, “Fish Who Answer the Telephone and Other Studies in Experimental Biology?” At first glance one might think this is book not from a Russian professor but rather a doctor… Dr. Seuss that is! Frolov like Pavlov studied animal conditioned responses. Pavlov got dogs to salivate and Frolov conditioned a certain species of carp to gather for feeding when an electric bell was sounded. Hence, fish who answer the phone.

My interest here is not in answering some trivia question about bizarre book titles but that often we make quick judgment about things by reacting just to the surface of things. I have no doubt that Frolov was trying to provoke interest in his book by implying fish were answering telephones. I also believe that the inspired Word of God often wants to grab our attention by making statements that take a deeper understanding. The first will be last and the last first (Mark 10:31) is a statement that begs for more explanation. Prohibition of shaving off the edges of your beard (Leviticus 19:27) has got to be more than a fashion statement. God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is unsettling and turning the other cheek to an attacker just seems cowardly. But each of these have a deeper meaning and a richer story that makes phone answering fish child’s play.

So what are we to do with God’s Word that refuses to let us be casual or superficial with our reading of the text? Exactly… study to show ourselves approved! Meditate and delight over these words of life! Listen intently to not only the words but the silence, the history, the drama, the context of meaning then and now. Such requires our imagination as well as our scholarship. It depends on our common sense and employs us to see both tree and forest. And I believe it beckons us to join heart and mind in an adventure that seeks to not only understand God’s will but delight in the journey. Like little kids discovering fish that make phone calls we are adventurers discovering we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us! -DAN