An Interesting Thought

[Ryan&Amber2013]

So I had a really great spiritual experience today, and I thought I'd share it with you guys. When cleaning my back yard porch today, there were a lot of wasps. I knew I had to do something about them, so I sprayed them with bug killer. I have never been able to just easily kill bugs like ants, cockroaches, bees, etc., because it always made me really sad to see them suffer and die. So I was praying while doing this today, asking that the Lord would bless the situation. It was really hard to watch even something such as wasps suffer and die, and I really desired to know if it was something I needed to get over, or if this was normal and healthy.

So at this time, I really realized that death is not natural, but it is a curse. It is a grievous thing that anything should have to die. I really saw that these creatures, even the ones we see as pests in our lives, are only suffering and dying because of our sin (because of sin, death was brought into the world). I think I accurately saw that it is normal to grieve over suffering of all kinds, and we should even be considerate that when we kill something so small such as bugs, that this is not God's original design, but their death is a product of our sin. All life is precious and given by the Lord, and it's a sad thing to see it suffer and die because of our rebellion against the Him. All of creation is groaning for the revealing of Christ, when all will be made new, and death will be no more.

I'm not by any means saying it's wrong to subdue and control the world, even by means of killing animals when necessary, just that suffering and death even in the creatures lives is sad. I know this may sound funny and very petty, but I thought it was worth sharing. Any thoughts?

 

[au5t1n]

Ryan,
I think this is a good example of how a believer takes every thought captive and meditates continually on the Word, more and more seeing the most "ordinary" things in light of eternity. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Your post was edifying to me, Ryan—especially the part about their "suffering and dying because of our sin". When I kill pests of various sorts (or when I killed a cat—I think—who ran in front of my car once) I ask the Lord, "Please grant this one life in Your kingdom." For I don't like killing these creatures, even though sometimes I must. (I don't ask this for roaches, or mosquitoes [laden with malaria, when I was in Africa], and the like.)

I'm deathly allergic (anaphylactic shock) to yellow-jacket stings, but I nonetheless used to exterminate them when I lived in the country and they were around my home. It was necessary.

When my daughter was little, and we had a pet die, or had to put it "to sleep", I would tell her, "You may ask the Lord to grant it life again in His kingdom on new earth—BUT you have to be there yourself to ask Him this." On New Earth (Rev 21:1) the Lord will replenish the animals of the world there, along with His redeemed people, so it falls to reason that animals we have loved, or ask in behalf of, would/could be part of that. For it is written, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, emphasis added)

Part of this is what I consider an appropriate reverence for life, and a revulsion when I have to take it—or it is taken in my behalf—as in eating beef etc (the Native Americans used to thank the "Great Spirit" for animals they killed to eat, and I thought that a right attitude). Or when I lived in Woodstock, and the aggressive vegetarians would seek to guilt-trip those who were meat-eaters, I would tell them these things, to show my heart was not cold but reverent to life—and effectively so, as my God could restore their lives.

Anyway, thanks for your post—I appreciated it.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."-Proverbs 12:10

Yes it is often necessary to take the lives of animals, for one reason or another, but it is altogether appropriate for a righteous man to take this duty upon himself with care and consideration and even with lament.

 

[timfost]

I'm not by any means saying it's wrong to subdue and control the world, even by means of killing animals when necessary, just that suffering and death even in the creatures lives is sad. I know this may sound funny and very petty, but I thought it was worth sharing. Any thoughts?

It's funny that you should mention that. I've recently studied the Noahic covenant and realized that God is in covenant with those wasps:

“And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you.." (Gen. 9:9-10a)

If God considers all creatures, shouldn't I? Under severe hyper-Calvinism growing up, I was taught that God's hatred for the reprobate is of such an extreme quality that He is fattening them for the slaughter. In other words, even the "good" they experience from God is simply God preparing them for judgment. I am very ashamed of having believed this. When my thinking was changed on this, I started treating people and, yes, animals differently because I realized that God was kind to all of His creation as the fountain of all good (Matt. 5, Luke 6).

Thanks for sharing!

PS. Raid kills wasps much faster than Hot Shot.

 

[Peairtach]

Funny this should come up. Our little cat of three years has gone missing. You can get quite attached to these little creatures.

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[Jerusalem Blade]

So it is right to care for animals, though when Paul was bitten by a venomous viper it is written of that, "he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm" (Acts 28:5). And when predators attacked his flock he told Saul of it in these words, "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear" (1 Sam 17:36). In this world we protect ourselves against creatures twisted by the fall (our doing), yet in the world to come we will abide in peace and love with all God's creation, and they with us (the result of our Saviour's doing).

 

[Pergamum]

What if I like killing pests and I gain pleasure out of killing wasps and mosquitoes and cockroaches? I praise God for every crunchy dead roach underfoot.

 

[johnny]

Funny this should come up. Our little cat of three years has gone missing. You can get quite attached to these little creatures.

My wife and I are cat people.

When cats go missing, they can come back.

Go to google earth and draw a circular radius around your house of approx half a mile.
Seach in this area, as often cats get stuck in garages while people go on holidays.
Ask the neighbourhood kids, as they generally know all the animals in the street.
Do letterbox drops of your target area with a color photo, and small reward offered.

For the record, our cat Bam Bam did come back after 5 days, very hungry.

 

[MW]

These are good points from the perspective of ultimate redemption, but let's not forget that redeeming grace has restored the sanctified use of the creature for our good in this now/not-yet state of existence. 1 Timothy 4:4-5. It is part of the dignity of the animal world to serve for the use of man as man serves the glory of God. Hence, though we are in a fallen and suffering world, under the redemptive order the creature's death is to be received as a good thing when made to serve a higher purpose and used accordingly.

 

[Peairtach]

Funny this should come up. Our little cat of three years has gone missing. You can get quite attached to these little creatures.

My wife and I are cat people.

When cats go missing, they can come back.

Go to google earth and draw a circular radius around your house of approx half a mile.
Seach in this area, as often cats get stuck in garages while people go on holidays.
Ask the neighbourhood kids, as they generally know all the animals in the street.
Do letterbox drops of your target area with a color photo, and small reward offered.

For the record, our cat Bam Bam did come back after 5 days, very hungry.

Thanks for these tips. We're already engaged in some of this, but will take on board what you say.

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[Peairtach]

Good news.

Puss has been found in positive answer to our prayers after nine days trapped in a neighbour's basement that had previously been superficially searched.

He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.(Psalm 147:9)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.(Matt 10:29)

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Wow, that is awesome to hear! Congratulations.

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Your thoughts are well-put, Matthew. Thanks. And glad to hear your cat is found, Richard!