Creation
Care
By Stephen
Terry
Sabbath
School Lesson Commentary for February 18 – 24, 2012
“We
know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time.” Romans 8:22, NIV
According to the creation account in Genesis, chapter 1,
God filled the earth with life and placed man in charge. The world he inherited
responsibility for was idyllic. Animals did not eat one another. Instead they
enjoyed a peaceful co-existence. Even man was not a carnivore in the beginning.
The Bible tells us, “Then 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. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in
the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has
the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.”
Genesis 1:29-30, NIV
We don’t know exactly how long this peaceful existence
endured. But even if it lasted for thousands of years, it would have been far
too short, for what replaced it was much worse. The Bible leaves out a lot of
the details, but once mankind turned from trusting God (See Genesis 3), things
began to change. Death came into the world. The first deaths must have been the
animals that provided clothing for the primal pair, Adam and Eve. (See Genesis
3:21) Death eventually came to visit the dwellings of men as well. (See Genesis
4:8)
The Bible does not say when it occurred but some of the
animals began to develop into predators. Feasting on the remaining herbivores
and each other, these meat-eating animals filled the earth with violence, spilled
blood and carcasses. As the violence of the animals raged, so, beginning with
Cain, violence entered the hearts of men as well. The circumstances of that
first murder are very perplexing. The account in Genesis, chapter 4, tells us
that Abel slays a lamb in offering to God and his offering is accepted, but
Cain, who offers vegetables instead, is rejected. It is as though the God who
created a vegan utopia can no longer stomach vegetables on His plate and craves
some juicy lamb chops instead. The Bible is silent about the purpose for Abel’s
flocks. I suppose some might claim that they were used only for their wool, but
I doubt it. God had already revealed how great animal skins were for clothing.
In all likelihood, sheep were slain to give up their skins for that clothing,
but this would not have required large flocks for the handful of people
inhabiting the earth at the time. Eating the sheep or regularly sacrificing
them would have placed a much greater demand on the sheep population than
clothing would. That would have necessitated flocks instead of a single small
flock of sheep.
In time, so much violence and evil filled the Earth that
God had to wipe the slate clean. In doing so, He eliminated not only most of
the people but most of the animals as well according to the account of the
flood in chapters six through nine of Genesis. Only a small remnant survived.
This concept of a surviving remnant became thematic for the Bible and as the
theme is presented in the beginning it is also echoed in the final chapters of
the Biblical narrative. (See Revelation 12:17)
Perhaps had God not wiped the earth of life, man would have perished,
not only at his own hand but also from the predatory animals in the land. That
this could have been a concern may be supported by God’s statement to Noah
after the flood. “The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the
earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the
ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.”
Genesis 9:2, NIV This statement makes it apparent that the animals did not fear
mankind before, but now things were different. Man was to become the supreme
predator. In the very next verse God tells Noah, “Everything that lives and
moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now
give you everything.” Genesis 9:3, NIV
Perhaps in an effort to keep man from going too far and
to forestall cannibalism, He goes on to prohibit the killing of men by either
other men or animals. One cannot help but wonder, "If the original diet was
vegan, why would God so completely reverse Himself?" First, He rejects
Cain’s vegetables in favor of Abel’s offering of meat and then instead of
reinforcing the original diet of plants and seeds, He opens wide the door for a
meat-based diet. Some might speculate that He did this out of mercy. Not only
are many modern studies pointing out the medical issues related to a meat-based
diet, but we also see in the Biblical narrative a dramatic decline in the life
spans of men after the flood. Perhaps with His knowledge of the frowardness of
men’s hearts, He used this as a mean’s to shorten men’s lives in mercy. Today
we see many who are afflicted with painful, unexplained illnesses. Even with
our shortened life spans of today, there are those who feel that it is too
long. This is evidenced by the “Doctor Kevorkians” who have found a calling in
assisting people through euthanasia.
We have illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus,
Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia that no one can explain beyond the
statement that they are auto-immune diseases. They don’t know what triggers
them or how to cure them. Some feel that they are the result of eating meat,
but my first wife perished from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis and she was a
vegetarian from birth. She suffered so greatly toward the end of her life that death
was a merciful relief for her at the early age of 51. However, the idea that
meat eating was to shorten lives in mercy has its own problems. It is more an
argument for a heavily flesh-based diet rather than against it, because it
presumes that it is God’s will that we consume it to receive His mercy. It
turns God into a heavenly “Kevorkian” who is prescribing death for our entire
lives. This seems counter to the purpose of a God who gave His Son that we
might live (See John 3:16) and desires our prosperity. (See Jeremiah 29:11)
Whatever the reason that God approved the eating of
flesh, men have a problem when God says, “Yes.” We see this in the command to
be fruitful and multiply. (See Genesis 1:28) This is perhaps one of the few
commands that mankind has pursued fulfilling with gusto. We have been so
zealous about it that population density and the population growth rate have
become worldwide concerns. In the same way, man has also eagerly pursued the
slaughter of animals for consumption, for clothing, and sundry other purposes
to the extent that he has driven many species to extinction with many others
soon to follow. Whether it was buffalo in the American West, Mink whales in
Denmark, or factory farms all over the world, the Earth has been saturated with
the blood of unknown millions of animals that have perished as victims to the words
of Genesis 9:2. This was in spite of the animals being given no choice in the
matter of man’s fall in Eden. Adam and Eve did not consult with them about the
wisdom of eating the forbidden fruit. Nevertheless, they have suffered tremendously
with the results of that day.
When man eventually crossed the threshold of murder in
Cain’s killing of Abel. The value of a man’s life diminished in direct proportion
to the anger his fellow man had toward him in his heart. If the life of a man
became worth little, the life of an animal by comparison became a thing of
almost no worth. Animals became nothing more than commodities to be used and
thrown away with no more thought than one would give to a candy wrapper. Yet,
these same animals have never rebelled against God as we have. They naturally
glorify Him but suffer nonetheless.
The Bible says that the conditions that existed in Eden
will be restored one day. “‘The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the
lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will
neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the LORD.” Isaiah
65:25, NIV If this will be the state of
things on that day, how much of that atmosphere is a part of our lives today? Would
we even feel comfortable without feeding as carnivores on the animals around
us?
All creation is suffering as a result of man’s fall and
is eager for the redemption that is to come. “For the creation was subjected to
frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected
it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to
decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” Romans
8:20-21, NIV Perhaps those who are now,
through the promise, the sons and daughters of God can work to give creation a
little relief until that day. That would be a good thing.
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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