Animals

Animals Do Have Rights!

One of the most complex issues of modern society is the impact that meeting the needs of people has on animals and their environment. Does the Bible have anything to say about this often divisive topic?

One principle that Scripture seems to affirm is that animals do, in fact, have certain God-given rights. For example, the Lord regards a person's care and concern for the life of an animal as righteousness, while cruelty to an animal is an act of wickedness (Prov. 12:10). The point is that animals have a right to be treated with wisdom and kindness, not cruelty. God pays attention to how we treat animals.

However, it is also true that God has given human beings dominion, or authority, over the other creatures (Gen. 1:26). Animals are a resource to be managed and used as humans see fit. Yet people are accountable to God for exercising this dominion. Wisdom, or the “fear of the Lord” (Prov. 1:7), suggests that we treat animals as God their Creator would treat them. For example, we know that God has an interest in the preservation of species (Gen. 7:1–5, 23–24; 8:1, 17; Luke 12:6). Likewise, He is concerned that farm and work animals be cared for properly (Ex. 23:12; Deut. 22:4). Shouldn't these concerns influence the way we treat animals today?

Learning from Creation

One of the primary ways by which God has revealed Himself is through the world that He has created. As Job discussed his troubles with his critical friends, he challenged them to learn about God through the creatures that God has made (Job 12:7–8). There are other places where Scripture invites us to discover wisdom and find wonder through some of the creatures of God's world:

• Dogs serve as guards against danger for flocks of sheep and other livestock; generally disparaged in Scripture (1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Kin. 8:13; Job 30:1; Phil. 3:2).
• Ostriches are not particularly good parents, but they can outrun swift horses (Job 39:13–18).
• Eagles are known for their sharp eyes that can spot their prey from hundreds of feet in the air (Job 39:27–30).
• Ants can carry loads many times their own weight, and they show unusual discipline, organization, and industry (Prov. 6:6–8).
• Camels have a capacity to travel for days without water and can move quickly, but they can also be wild and stubborn (Jer. 2:23).
• Sparrows are small and seemingly inconsequential, but they are fed by God and are of great concern to Him (Matt. 6:26; 10:29–31).

In looking at creation, wisdom recognizes that “the Lord has done this” (Job 12:9). Are you a wise observer of the incredible wonders of the animal kingdom? The Bible encourages us to look and learn from nature's testimony (Rom. 1:20).

Learning from Little Creatures

The earth is full of small, virtually unnoticed creatures. Yet Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, studied four inconspicuous species and found in them attractive traits that display wisdom:

• The tiny ants plan in advance for the long winter months by storing up food in the summer (Prov. 30:25).
• Rock badgers build secure nests in the strongholds of rocks (30:26).
• Locusts stick together and move in unison even without an obvious leader (30:27).
• Spiders do their skillful work in king's palaces (30:28).

Foresight and planning, safe building, teamwork, and excellence are valuable traits. If tiny creatures such as these exhibit such qualities, how much more should human beings, who have been created in God's image? Reflecting on these creatures, we do well to ask: In what ways do we need to improve our work?

Humane Treatment of Animals

(see Animals)