God’s View of Animals

 

I.                   The creation

a.       Genesis 1:22:  the “blessing” for creation is that it should be fruitful and multiply.

                                                               i.      Verbs for blessing are akin to those for: create, be fruitful, multiply

                                                             ii.      Blessing is not just for human beings, but for ALL of creation including animals.

                                                            iii.      Genesis 1:24-25:  God saw that the creation of animals was good, and enabled them to reproduce according to their own kind

                                                          iv.      Principle 1:  God blesses animals by

1.      Enabling them to reproduce

2.      Providing for their feeding – through plants

3.      Providing for their care – through human beings

b.      Genesis 1:26:  Human beings are to “rule” over the creation and creatures.  This means:

                                                               i.      “Rule” is to govern, serve, and take care of as God does.  Because humans are created in the image of God, they are to rule as God would rule:  not exploitive, but in a provisional and caring way.

                                                             ii.      Psalm 72:12-14 gives a picture of the benevolent king, here likened unto the characteristics of God, the Father

                                                            iii.      Humans were given the task of caring for creation—in Hebrew, the verb here is to “serve, or to worship”, not to “work” in the sense of abuse or domination.  The sense is conveyed in NIV in Genesis 2:15 where the LORD puts the man in the garden to “work and take care of it”.

1.      Genesis 2:5

2.      Genesis 2:15

                                                          iv.      Principle 2:  We are to care for animals

c.       Genesis 2:18-20:  Animals were first conceived as companions for human beings, yet no suitable helper could be found among them.

                                                               i.      Names were given to the animals, signifying that human beings relationship with the animal world

                                                           ii.      Principle 3:  Animals are our companions

d.      Genesis 3:1-15:  Animals have personality and are accountable for their actions

                                                               i.      The serpent was “more crafty” than any of the wild animals

                                                             ii.      The serpent was able to communicate

                                                            iii.      The serpent was punished for its deception “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals”

1.      Note that “curse” is the opposite of “bless”

2.      There is an ordering of punishment / blessing among the animal kingdom (Genesis 3:14).

3.      God creates created a barrier between the serpent and human beings

4.      Principle 4:  Animals are accountable to God

God’s View of Animals

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e.       God make’s himself accountable to animals

                                                              i.      God’s covenant after the flood was with human beings AND animals.  Notice the wording in Genesis 9:10-17.  The covenant is not with all of creation, with every “living thing”.

                                                           ii.      This reflects the understanding of God’s relationship with that which has “life blood”.  There is a different relationship between God and plant life, and God and life “by blood”.

                                                         iii.      This difference is reflected in the accounting that is demanded by God (Genesis 9:4-5)

                                                          iv.      Principle 5:  God makes himself accountable to living creatures, which includes animals

 

II.                God’s Design for Human Beings to Care for Animals

a.      The Law

                                                              i.      Principles:

1.      Clean or Unclean-ness was ascribed BOTH to animals and to human beings (e.g. Leviticus 7:21)

2.      Blood was sacred and not to be eaten, even of animals (e.g. Leviticus 7:26-27)

3.      Animals were distinguished into categories (Leviticus 11)

a.      Those which could be eaten or not

b.      Those which were clean and unclean

                                                            ii.      Care for animals

1.      Not to have sexual relationships with animals (Leviticus 18:23)

2.      Not to mate animals of different types (Leviticus 19:19) – Notice how this law pertains to two kinds of seeds, or even weaving together two types of clothing. 

3.      New born animals are to remain with the mother seven days (Leviticus 22:26-28)

4.      Animals to be sacrificed are not to be killed the same day with their young (Leviticus 22:28)

5.      Firstborn belongs to God, whether man or animal (Number 3:13)

b.      The Writings

                                                              i.      Solomon’s wisdom extended to teaching about animals (I Kings 4:29-34)

                                                            ii.      God provides water for animals (2 Kings 3:17ff)

                                                          iii.      Animals were considered a part of a person’s wealth (Ezra 1:6)

                                                          iv.      God provides for animals (Psalm 147:9)

                                                            v.      Animals praise God (Psalm 148:8)

                                                          vi.      The righteous care the needs of their animals (Proverbs 12:10)

                                                        vii.      Wisdom can be seen in the ways of animals (ants – Proverbs 6:6-8)

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                                                      viii.      Man and animals share the same physical fate:  both have breath, both die, both come from dust, both return to dust (Ecclesiastes 3:19-21)

c.       The Prophets

                                                              i.      God includes animals in prophecies to nations (e.g. Isaiah 30:6ff, Ezekiel 29, Joel 2, Amos 5:22, etc.)

                                                            ii.      Animals are said to praise and honor God (e.g. Isaiah 43:20)

 

III.             The “Future” of all things

a.      The “new heaven” and the “new earth”

                                                              i.      Isaiah 11:1-9:  “the wolf will live with the lamb”

                                                            ii.      Isaiah 66

b.      The renewal of all things

                                                              i.      Acts 3:21 – the time when God will restore everything

c.       Paul’s view of animals and creation

                                                              i.      Differing kinds of flesh – I Corinthians 15:38-41

                                                            ii.      All of creation is to be liberated from decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:21).

1.      We have the first-fruits of this resurrection to the new order through the Spirit.  Implication of first-fruits is that there is more to come.  A possibility is that in the new created order, our relationship with animals will be restored to what it was intended.

2.      The liberation of creation at the end of time would include animals as well as all other forms of creation:  getting back to what it was supposed to be.

3.      While we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Hebrew/Greek concept of “spirit” also include the life-breath that animals have as well.  (see OT passages above, especially Ecclesiastes 3)