Psalm 36:6, "O LORD, You preserve both man and beast."
Psalm 145:21, "Let every creature praise His Holy Name forever and ever." That sounds like eternity to me!
Psalm 50:7, 10-11, "GOD claims His animal kingdom for Himself when He says, "I Am GOD...every animal of the forest IS MINE, and the cattle on a thousand hills (ARE MINE). I know every bird in the mountains and the creatures (of all kinds) of the field ARE MINE." GOD claims His animal kingdom! I believe the word "creatures" includes the bugs, insects/spiders right on up through what we label as the animal chain.
Genesis 2:30, "GOD brought the animals to Adam to give them names." Modern man has classified the animal kingdom into the categories of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibian, insects (bugs of all kinds), spiders, and even other groups into the microscopic level.
Genesis 2:19 states the animal kingdom (as was man) was formed out of the dust of the earth. However, man is the only one GOD mentions of breathing the breath of life into making man to become a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)
Genesis 1:27 Also speaks of man being created in the image of GOD. What is this image? It is 1. Personality - GOD is perfect, sinless, and hates sin. Each individual person has their own individual personality recognizable by other individuals.
2. GOD became flesh in the Man of Jesus Christ. - We all have a body of flesh. Christ has always existed. Genesis 1:26 says, "Let US make man in OUR image." We each have a body of flesh recognizable to others.
3. GOD is also Spirit. At the first of the Creation, GOD's Spirit was hovering above the waters. (Genesis 1:2) We each possess a spirit which became dead at the fall. Now our spirit becomes reborn in the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior. "To all who receive Him, to those who believe in His Name (Jesus Christ) He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12, 13) The rebirth of our spirit occurs at salvation in Jesus Christ.
The animal kingdom is paralleled in that they have a body of flesh (according to their own kind) which also entails their individual attitudes and characteristics. (Genesis 1:21, 25) Some animals are even spoken of by being "spirited," dealing with their personality.
Animals and man were vegetarians before the fall of man. Genesis 1:29 says for man, "GOD gave every seed bearing plant for food." Genesis 1:30 says for the animals, "To the animals GOD gave every green plant for food."
Genesis 1:31 says, "GOD saw all that He had made and it was very good."
Genesis 3:8, Everything was heavenly bliss as our Almighty GOD walked in the Garden of Eden with man, woman, and the animals that surrounded them.
BUT THEN...THE FALL
Genesis 3:1-11 Shares when man chose to disobey ONE rule, "Do not partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life." Once Eve and Adam did, the Fall occurred! Sin entered and corrupted everything GOD had created! It wasn't the animal kingdom's fault that man chose to sin and bring down all creation including them! Some may want to blame it on the snake (as Eve did) but it wasn't the snake, it was Satan through the snake that tempted Eve. (Revelation 12:9) In the Garden did animals have free will to talk? Possibly so, since Eve was not surprised when the snake began talking to her. However, today, I think we would think twice if a rattle snake slithered up to us and started talking to us! Of course we are now in the fallen world, where even the animal kingdom has had the curse of death through predator/prey, food source for man, old age, and disease come upon them as well.
The animals along with man were expelled from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:23) Man was cursed to till the soil by the sweat of his brow for food. (Genesis 3:15)
The joy of all is: GOD has His Eternal Plan
For the animal kingdom and man.
Continued next Sunday!
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