Psalm 8:6-8 “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”
Animals are a fascinating topic that we (at least I) tended to approach with wonder as a child, and then thought little about as I grew. Having small children, I have reabsorbed a lot of animal information and see it now with a greater awe. I sent out a text to some family asking for random animal facts and here are some that I received…
Sloths have a slow metabolism and can take up to a month to digest a leaf.
Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp.
Dogs sweat out of their paw pads.
I am sure you could contribute a lot more as well, but when we stop and think about it, we are reminded of how awesome God’s creation is and what a powerful reflection it is of the Creator. Our verses this week tell us that God put us (humans) in charge of the physical world He created, specifically the animals.
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What does it mean to be “rulers of the works of your hands” in a way that glorifies God? I posed this question to my children who gave me blank stares. Their blank stares quickly led me to realize I didn’t have an answer for them. I then looked to my husband (enter seminary degree) and he, too, struggled to articulate his thoughts on this one. Eventually, our children’s answers surrounding the topic centered on being kind and helpful to animals. We acknowledged this can be important, but we then reminded them that we did eat chicken kabobs for dinner 30 minutes prior… So what does it mean to glorify God in how we rule over creation? I don’t know that there is one easy answer for this. Many God fearing believers have a spectrum of convictions on the topic. I have found that when I struggle to understand what something should look like on this Earth, I find hope in going back to scripture to see what it will look like once God’s redeeming work is complete. In this sentiment, Mark turned to Isaiah 11:6-9 (see selection below)
“The wolf will live with the lamb…The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest… for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
At no point did we conclude that our children should get close to a snake’s den… the verses above are not the world we live in now. But one day when Jesus comes again all will be made new. In the meantime, it is important to be mindful of how we can steward His creation in a way that glorifies Him, however the Holy Spirit may lead us to do so.
Happy Friday!
Anne
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