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Jhud -> RE: Why Did God Create "Bad" Animals? (8/25/2008 11:24:39 AM)
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quote:
As a pure exercise in speculation, I am curious as to why people think God created "bad" animals or creatures on this earth. Things like snakes, fleas, ticks, alligators, sharks, etc. that are ferocious and deadly....what purpose do they serve? Will they be in heaven?
I can understand the creation of a cuddly, loving animal like a cat or dog or rabbit, but some living things are just gross and dangerous...Were these mutations of original creatures after the Fall? Is it all subjective?...meaning some people like dogs, others don't...and some like rats and others fear and hate them, etc.?
Well, the first thing I think we need to remember is that God is not cute and cuddly - in fact, the effect of His appearance to men in His glory causes men to fall on their faces, frozen in terror. God loves, but God awes us, His wrath can destroy life, His judgment is uncompromising. So it is no little surprise that amongst His creation we find creatures that reflect that awe, fear, and swift judgment.
In fact, in the book of Job God specifically points to these creatures as emblematic of His character:
Job 39:20-25
"Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. "He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength ; He goes out to meet the weapons. "He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And he does not turn back from the sword. "The quiver rattles against him, The flashing spear and javelin. "With shaking and rage he races over the ground, And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet. "As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha !' And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
Job 39:28-30
"Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up And makes his nest on high? "On the cliff he dwells and lodges , Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place. "From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar. "His young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he."
Job 41:1-11; 31-34
"Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? "Can you put a rope in his nose Or pierce his jaw with a hook? "Will he make many supplications to you, Or will he speak to you soft words? "Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever? "Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you bind him for your maidens? "Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants? "Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? "Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle; you will not do it again! "Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him? "No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; Who then is he that can stand before Me? "Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.
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"He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment. "Behind him he makes a wake to shine; One would think the deep to be gray-haired. "Nothing on earth is like him, One made without fear. "He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride."
So we see all these creatures displaying God's majesty, strength, and a very wild power that resists our simple classification.
Beyond that we see this in Genesis as one of the curses of human sin:
Genesis 3:17 - 19
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
So despite the fact that man was created to be in harmony with nature, because of his sinful choices nature now became antagonistic to man's interests, even painfully so. Personally, I think this, like all God's judgments, is ultimately a grace - because were nature to continue in it's state of perfection, man in his weakness would be even more tempted to worship it instead of the Creator - something that occurs still despite nature's antagonism.
And we see this play out in big in little ways. For example, we live with about 30,000 different sorts of microorganisms in our daily life. The vast majority of these are useful, even necessary to our existence - but about 70 are pathogenic, and cause various diseases - and usually the reason for this is because they have become incompatible with our biology through mutation.
There is so much more, but I hope this info is useful.
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