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All
God’s Creatures
-- What The Holy Bible Has to Say About
Animals
Humankind sometimes forgets that it is not alone on this
fragile Earth. We share it with millions of God’s creatures,
from the majestic elephant to the spider in its web. Although
there are many references in the Bible to animals serving
people much as they do today, as beasts of burden and a source
of food, there are other passages that seem to hold clear
lessons for us all. One of the most delightful of these
is the story to be found in Numbers 22:22-34 in which God uses
a man’s donkey to save his life. It’s interesting that, at
first, only the donkey can see the Angel of the Lord – but I
don’t want to spoil the story!
Here are a few passages from three versions of the Holy Bible.
You might want to look for others!
The New Revised Standard Version:
Genesis 1:20-25: “And God said: ‘Let the waters bring
forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the
earth across the dome of the sky’. So God created the great
sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, of every
kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of
every kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and
fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the
earth’.
And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of
every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the
earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild
animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every
kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every
kind. And God saw that it was good.
1 Samuel 12:1:6 contains an example of David’s anger toward
a man who showed cruelty to a man and his ewe lamb. David is
quoted as saying: “As the Lord lives, the man who did this
deserves to die…”
1 Kings 4:33 is often given as an example of Solomon’s
wisdom, that he “would speak of animals, and birds, and
reptiles, and fish.”
Job 12:7-10: “But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all
these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In His hand is the life of every living thing.”
Proverbs 30:18-19, 24-31 also uses the ways of animals to
instruct us.
Isaiah tells of the coming of the Messiah. Of the signs,
references to animals are included in Isaiah 11:6-9
The
New King James Version:
Psalm 148 calls for everything in creation to praise the Lord.
Included in this invitation are great sea creatures (whales,
dolphins and their kin); beasts and all cattle; creeping
things and flying fowl. “Let them praise the name of the
Lord…”
Psalm 150:6 says “Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord.”
The Good News Bible
Job 12:7-11 says: “Even birds and animals have much they
could teach you; ask the creatures of earth and sea for their
wisdom.
All of them know that the Lord’s hand made them. It
is God who directs the lives of his creatures…”
Proverbs 12:10 is very clear: “A good man takes care of his
animals, but wicked men are cruel to theirs.”
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