Pets and Profits

(Proverbs 27:26 KJV)  The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

Animal lovers pay attention.  Animals are not our brothers, they are our resources.  Here we see clothing and profit.  In the next verse we see milk.  Other places we see concepts of “the fatted ox” and of course there were the sacrifices in the temple.  It is true that the peasants of that day my have had the cow sleep in the house but that was more a poverty issue than a desire for companionship.  Many cultures thought dogs were edible and also horses.  Cats didn’t seem to have any use.  It has nothing to do with anything but I can’t find cats mentioned anywhere in the Bible. 

So?  Pets can be companionship.  In another context they might be a coat.  Either way they are still animals.  Sorry about that.  Don’t tell my wife.

Donkeys Are For Riding Not Petting

(Proverbs 12:10 KJV)  A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

We are to be concerned with our “beasts” (animal NASB) (929).  Notice that it doesn’t say “pets”.  The concept of a pet in history seems to be focused on the idle rich or perhaps the familiars of those involved in the occult.  It says animal, it means animal.  These are the machines and power sources of the age.  We are to treat them well.  Jesus rode one into Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry.  The Bible does not say that Mary rode one to Jerusalem for the birth of Jesus.

What was interesting to me as I looked at this today is that the Hebrew word is one that we are familiar with.  Actually we are familiar with the derivative.

(Job 40:15 KJV)  Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

In Job the word is masculine.  It is only used there in the Bible.  The feminine noun, used in Proverbs, is more common, over a hundred times.  You have heard speculation on what the behemoth was.  Some speculate on dinosaurs and such.  Notice how it is defined in the context of Job.  It eats grass like an ox.  That is God speaking, not me.

So?  Love your animals but keep them in their place.  They should not replace your neighbor, your children or your spouse in your concern or priorities. 

Doggerel

(Proverbs 26:11 KJV)  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Why does the Bible take such a dim view of “dogs” (3611)?  They are rated with pigs in the hierarchy of creation.  They obviously exist but seem to be nothing much but scavengers.  When you think about it the Bible doesn’t seem to make pets a major topic.  What does that say about our modern culture where we hear about people leaving their estate to a favorite animal?  When we had our will redone lately the lawyer stuck in some boilerplate about animals.

So?  Think of your priorities.  Think of your preferences.  Should pets have the place of honor that they do in our homes?  I am not an animal person but consider me like the ignorant child who asked why the king was running around naked. 

Food, Clothing and Profit

(Proverbs 27:26 KJV)  The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

I will grant you that this is not a call to stoke up the grill and get ready for a barbeque.  It is a reminder that animals are not our brothers.  You may be a vegetarian and a contributor to the local animal shelter.  That is well and good as long as you realize that the animals were not created in the image of God.  Only men and women have that mark.

Here they are for clothing and investment.  Other places they are for food.  You have the first indication of that in Genesis.

(Genesis 9:3 KJV)  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

Then you have the entire sacrificial system in which people are directed to eat certain parts of the sacrifice and not others. 

So?  It may not effect you.  You may already understand.  Animals are to be treated with kindness but not to be embraced as equal to people.  Just a reminder. 

Killer Logic

(Proverbs 9:2 KJV)  She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

Some vegetarians I can respect, some I tolerate.  The difference is not what they eat but why they eat it.  You can be a Christian and vegetarian but please don’t act like you are a vegetarian because you are a Christian.  This verse makes it clear that meat is an accepted part of the diet of believers.  It also has the endorsement of Wisdom.

It is hidden in the NASB which has “food” (2874) instead of the KJV “beasts”, but the best is found in the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible where it says “she has slaughtered her slaughter.”  The verb and the object are the same word.  Wisdom puts meat on the table.

Some people don’t eat meat because they consider the cow their brother, or sister.  This is pagan, new age nonsense.  If that is your reason I will sit next to you and be polite but I will have some serious questions about how you understand scripture.  If you don’t eat meat because you feel too much grain is used to feed them and people are hungry, okay.  I disagree, but I can accept that.  If you just don’t like meat then I want to go to breakfast with you so I can have your portion of bacon.  Just don’t claim it is a spiritual position.

So?  Why we do things is very important.  The standards of the world are frequently based on a different philosophy and concept of truth.  Know you stuff. 

Fellow Travelers

(Proverbs 6:7 KJV)  Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

As I was looking at the three types of leaders here I was thinking about the ants I have seen.  There is no one leader that we can see.  They all seem to be marching by pure instinct at first glace.  But if you get closer and watch you will see that they are constantly touching their heads as they stream along.  I can only assume that there is some kind of communication going on.

And they listen to their fellow travelers.  When the word is that there is a rich source of food ahead the individual ant doesn’t go out on his own.  When there is no known source of food they spread out, after getting a touch from another.

So?  The ants seem mindless, and maybe so, but even in that mindless state they are able to work together and cooperate.  We are not mindless.  We have written instructions if we will bother to read them.  We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  And we have each other.  We should be working together even if we are on a solo mission at the moment.

Hairballs and Wool Coats

(Pro 27:26 KJV)  The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

Are you a pet person?  My wife and daughter are cat people.  They cannot live without hairballs and shredded carpet.  They have graduated to taking the animals with them when they fly somewhere.  At the same time they are aware that the cats are for their pleasure no matter what the animals think.  We need to be reminded of the Biblical reality.  Animals are here to serve us.

This verse gives us two examples.  Animals provide clothing and are used as investment for profit.  Granted, this is not advocating fur coats and leather dresses.  Lambs, when they grow up, give wool.  I think that is what is meant here.  But don’t forget that when the prodigal son returned the father ordered the fatted calf prepared for dinner (Luke 15:23).  I don’t think that meant it had a place at the table.

So?  Enjoy your animals.  Worship your God.  Serve your family, church and community.  Don’t get it all confused.