Animals and their importance in the Bible

Table of Contents:

Table of  Contents:  2

  Supplement:  2

1.  Introduction  1

2.  God the Creator  1

2.1  God Created Animals and Man  2

2.2  The Fall of Man  3

2.3  God’s Covenant with Noah  3

3.  Animals in the Bible  3

3.1  Animals and God  4

3.1.1  Talking Animals in the Bible  6

3.1.1.1  The Serpent in the Garden of Eden  6

3.1.1.2  The Balaam’s Ass  6

3.2  Animals in Heaven  7

3.3  Animals Are Important to God  9

3.4  Animals and Man  10

3.4.1  The Treatment of Animals  12

3.4.1.1  What God Says About the Treatment of Animals  12

3.4.1.2  The Treatment of God’s Animals Today  14

3.4.1.3  Animals Are Sentient Beings  14

4.  Conclusion  16

  Bibliography:  1

  Supplement:  

  Bibliography  

1. Introduction

have perished.” (Jeremiah 12:4)

God is the creator of everything. He breathed life into animals and man, and made them living souls. “The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation.” (Psalm 145:9) God created man and animals according to His infinite love and wisdom.

large and small animals. There are too many for us to number.”

(Psalm 104:24-25)

God values everything He created, including animals, and He wants only the best for them.

2. God the Creator

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and He was pleased with all He made. But He wanted more. He wanted relationship and fellowship. His desire to pour out, and receive love in return remained unfulfilled. So He decided to create animals and man.

God created animals before he created man, and placed them in the perfect serenity that was then earth. He has breathed the same breath of life into all living beings from the beginning of time through today.

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2.1 God Created Animals and Man

(Genesis 1:24-25)

it was good.” (Genesis 1:20-22)

God was pleased with His animal creation. I believe God delighted in seeing His creation enjoying the life that He gave them.

After God created animals, He created man.

living thing that moves on the earth.’ (Genesis 1:26-28)

Adam, the first man, was formed by God's hands from the clay of the earth “in God's own image,” and was given the directive to care for the earth and her inhabitants.

God brought every one of His animals to Adam to see what he would call them. He declared His ownership over animals when He said: “For every animal among the trees is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10-11)

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He then entrusted them into Adam’s care, and He commanded both man and animals to be fruitful and multiply.

Our generous and caring God then decided that it was not good for man to be alone and he created a being from Adam's rib to be a help meet for him.

2.2 The Fall of Man

Now at this time there was no death, pain or violence; there was only life, joy, peace and blessings. God provided man and animals a perfect environment within which to live, where all their needs were met. God’s plan was to pour out His goodness on them forever. But something went wrong. Eve and Adam disobeyed God’s command and as a result, the entire creation fell and became subjected to death and destruction.

2.3 God’s Covenant with Noah

Later God made a decision. He made a covenant with man and animals.

with you and all living creatures.’” (Genesis 9:8-12)

3. Animals in the Bible

“God created all the animals.” (Psalm 104)

all, and He was pleased with what He saw.” (Genesis 1:24, 25)

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3.1 Animals and God

“All animals belong to God.” (Psalm 24:1)

(Psalm 50:10, 11)

“God cares for the animals.” (1 John 4:16)

The Bible describes the Angels around God's throne as having features and characteristics like those of a lion, a bull and an eagle (Ezekiel 1). God Himself is likened in Scripture to a lion, a leopard, a bear (Hosea 13:7, 8), and to an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11).

Jesus is described as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Jesus identified Himself with all the innocent animals which had been sacrificed for the sins of mankind and declared that His was the final sacrifice. Jesus abolished animal sacrifices and so Christianity has always rejected the need for further bloodshed of animals (Hebrews 9:12, 26).

For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. For this reason, when Christ was about to come into the world, He said to God:

The Scriptures reveal God's anger against man's sinfulness. God condemned the type of wholesale slaughter of animals in Judaism as a cover-up for their disobedience (Psalm 40:6-10).

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