CARE FOR THE ANIMALS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

Proverbs 12:10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Bible has so much to say about the importance of caring for people but as we see in today’s proverb, this call to caring also includes animals.

Go to the very first chapter in the Bible and you’ll find God creating living creatures over a two day period, even before He created man. Here’s how it happened:

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:20-25

Creatures of the sea, sky, and land. God made them all and saw that it was good. And then He placed them under the authority of man. Again look at the creation account in Genesis 1:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28

Note here that God gave man rule over the animals but He never gave them license to abuse them. When anything is placed under the responsibility of man by God, that thing should be treated with the same degree of love, compassion, and caring that God Himself would provide.

This is why it chafes me and makes me bristle when people seem to think they have the right to harm animals, like the animals are some lesser life form so far below humans that they deserve evil treatment forbidden to be extended toward people. One case I saw recently was about a German shepherd who had been chained to a tree by its owner and starved. The dog was so extremely emaciated it’s a miracle he lived. The treatment was heinous and wicked. I’m sure God was paying attention.

For God only favors what is right and righteous, including how animals are treated. Look at this proverb from Solomon:

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

Those who are in the Lord are to care for the needs of animals for the Lord loves them as He does all of His creation. He will not tolerate sinful cruelty or maltreatment of anything that He made. If judgment is required, then He and He alone will bring it.

Friends, we have a long way to go in order to honor this word of God. There are currently more than 164 million dogs and cats in homes today. While many are loved and treated humanely, others are physically abused or neglected. Some pets have food or water or medical care or all three withheld. Many pets are physically abused, beaten regularly or even tortured. We’ve even read where animals are forced to fight and kill one another for the pleasure and sport of their human owners. And many animals are just abandoned and end up in animal shelters where if not adopted, they will be euthanized. Statistically, three to four million dogs and cats are put down a year.

We would never stand for this if we were talking about human beings. In fact, we would be up in arms if it was anywhere close to the abuse that animals take.

In the end translation, if we’re not doing it already, we need to speak up and advocate for animals. For the righteous are to ensure that they receiving caring and have their needs met at a minimum.

God loves all He has created and He expects we do the same. Even if we’re talking about animals.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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