March 2 9, 2 007
KJV – (King James Version)
NIV – (New International Version)
BBE – (Bible in Basic English)
Scripture of the Day
1 John 4:15
15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (KJV)
15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. (NIV)
4:15 Everyone who says openly that Jesus is the Son of God, has God in him and is in God. (BBE)
Daily Devotional
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs 12:27
27) The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. (KJV)
27The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. (NIV)
12:27 He who is slow in his work does not go in search of food; but the ready worker gets much wealth. (BBE)
Thoughts for the Day:
The book of Proverbs deals with many practical subjects as well as spiritual ones. In this verse we are given advice on hunting. It is not wrong to hunt; however, Proverbs 12:27 says that the man who hunts for game and just kills it, and does not take possession of it for eating is a slothful man. The diligent hunter takes his game for food (roasting) and considers it a precious possession, as he has food for his family's table. Today men are slaughtering animals for wicked reasons. Many elephants and rhinos are killed for their tusks and horns and their bodies are left to rot. Other animals are slain for just the sport of it and their heads and bodies are stuffed to hang on a wall for a trophy of man's prowess, while the meat was discarded. Bulls are slain for men just to watch the sport of bull fighting. Cock fighting is another sport where the cocks are put together to see which one will kill the other. Gambling is usually associated with this sport. We could name other butchery of killing animals which take place with evil motives. God looks on the heart and motives of men when it comes to how we treat His creatures and we shall be judged for it.
Some people consider killing animals as an evil thing and have become vegetarians because they do not want to kill anything. Certainly, this is a noble thing; however, the Bible does not speak against killing animals for food. It does, however, speak against abusing or mistreating animals. In the beginning when God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave man charge over all the animal kingdom, man was given a fruit, grain and vegetarian diet. All the animals were under man's dominion and Adam was given the task of naming all of them. Although we are not given a detailed account of how the animals responded to Adam, it appears they were tame, as they were brought by God before Adam and he named them all.
The Bible says that in the earliest days of creation, all of God's creations, including animals, were vegetarian. When God blessed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He said to them:
Genesis 1:29-30
29) I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be food for you.
30) And to the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so (KJV)
29Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. And it was so. (NIV)
1:29 And God said, See, I have given you every plant producing seed, on the face of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit producing seed: they will be for your food: 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and every living thing moving on the face of the earth I have given every green plant for food: and it was so (BBE)
It appears that all creation was vegetarian until after the waters of the Great Flood receded and Noah and his family were left to replenish the earth.
Genesis 9:1-3
1) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
2) The fear and dread of you will fall upon all of the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands.
3) Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, now I give you everything. (KJV)
1Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (NIV)
9:1 And God gave his blessing to Noah and his sons, and said, Be fertile, and have increase, and make the earth full. 9:2 And the fear of you will be strong in every beast of the earth and every bird of the air; everything which goes on the land, and all the fishes of the sea, are given into your hands. 9:3 Every living and moving thing will be food for you; I give them all to you as before I gave you all green things." (BBE)
It is interesting to note that because they didn't eat meat, it could have been one of the reasons that Noah was able to so easily gather all the animals into the ark--and explains why the animals did not devour each other while they were in it.
After the flood, why did God now deem it fit for His creation to eat each other? A possible clue that comes to mind is this: Man's wickedness had just reached its fullness, and God had destroyed almost all of the inhabitants of the earth because of it. That flood had somehow changed the order of things--and it was as if Noah and his family were like Adam and Eve, beginning things all over again, but without the innocence of Adam and Eve. The first world, which had been created in perfection, was ruined because of sin. For man to function in the post-flood world, evidently God allowed for the eating meat that would become a part of our existence. The distinguishing mark on this particular era of history has to live with the blight of sin.
Because man chose to sin, he lost his proper position of authority over God's creation; he lost it in the Garden of Eden, and then it appears that he lost even more when God decided to flood the world because of man's wickedness. When man lost his original position on the earth, it caused all of creation to lose its proper position as well. And now, everything has been tainted with the perverted character of the Wicked One. Even certain animals must be destroyed at times because demons have entered them. In the Old Testament, when an animal killed someone or was vicious, it was commanded to be destroyed.
Exodus 21:28
28) If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit (cleared). (KJV)
28If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible (cleared). (NIV)
21:28 If an ox comes to be the cause of death to a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned, and its flesh may not be used for food; but the owner will not be judged responsible (cleared). (BBE)
Today, some ask if it is a sin to eat meat. The Bible makes it clear that we can eat meat, even as Jesus ate meat when He was on the earth.
Luke 24:42-43
42) And they gave him (Jesus) a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43) And he took it, and did eat before them. (KJV)
42They gave him (Jesus) a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence. (NIV)
24:42 And they gave him (Jesus) a bit of cooked fish. 24:43 And before their eyes he took a meal. (BBE)
In the millennium, when Jesus comes to restore this earth back to His original plan, we will then be able to enjoy the original plans and purposes for this earth. The animals will once again eat grass and not each other. Man will also enjoy the original foods God made for him and since the devil will no longer be present in this earth, all creation will be free from the curse of sin. The lamb and the lion will lie down together. Man will have no desire to hunt or kill anything. All the earth groans and waits for that day to come when the devil no longer roams this earth but is chained and cast into hell along with all of his followers.
Isaiah 11:6-9
6) The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.7) And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.9) They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (KJV)
6The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (NIV)
11: 6 And the wolf will be living with the lamb, and the leopard will take his rest with the young goat; and the lion will take grass for food like the ox; and the young lion will go with the young ones of the herd; and a little child will be their guide. 11:7 And the cow and the bear will be friends while their young ones are sleeping together. 11:8 And the child at the breast will be playing by the hole of the snake, and the older child will put his hand on the bright eye of the poison-snake. 11:9 There will be no cause of pain or destruction in all my holy mountain: for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is covered by the waters. (BBE)
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your creation of animals. You made so many magnificent creatures. Your diversity is astounding. Some are such a delight to watch. We can learn from so many of them. Your domesticated animals are such a joy to us, while the wild ones challenge us to observe their ways and learn about them. Thank you that You made them for man's enjoyment and use. Since many of them are directly dependant upon us, help us to be good stewards over them. Lord, protect the endangered beasts of the earth who are hunted by poachers for the wrong reasons. Lord, may our prayers create a spiritual ark for the preservation of your animals, especially the ones that are near extinction. Give us Your heart for the animals You created. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Keep each other in PrAyer and display HuMility. Have a BlEssed day and stay ENcourage.
God is Good All the Time!!!
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