Does It Matter How We Treat Animals? Or Are They “Just Animals”?

“A righteous man has REGARD for the life of his animal…”

Proverbs 12:10

Does it matter how we treat our animals? Or are they “just animals”?

I learned a lot this morning. When I read Proverbs 12:10, I was curious. Knowing so many things get “lost in the translation”, I decided to go to the original text to see what it deeply meant. As I read, I used my Strong’s Concordance to assist me with understanding the deeper meanings in this passage.

The Strong’s Concordance is a large thick book…or app. In it you can look up the original text word for what was translated into English. Sometimes the findings of the truest deepest meaning of a word is quite profound and often surprising, just as in this verse.

Let’s Dive In…

“Regard”… A lot of people take that as just acknowledging that your animal or pet is alive and making sure they’re fed. Yet, this word is such a poor representation of what the original Hebrew word “yada” really means.

According to the Strong’s Concordance, “yada” is a small word that carries a HUGE amount of meaning: a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.) (as follow):–acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-)awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, X could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be (ig-)norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have (knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), X will be, wist, wit, wot.

Say What?…

More simply put, “regard” means we are to KNOW our animal. We know our animal by watching it. We know by learning from what we observe.

Watching and observing can teach us how to care for our animal. What does it need? We can observe and learn whether it is healthy or in pain, happy or sad, hurt in any way (including physically or emotionally), etc.

We are to:

• recognize its needs and provide the care it needs for what it’s expressing by what we observe/see/hear.
• give appropriate correction in a way that is not harmful, injurious, or uncaring toward the animal.
• acknowledge and be acquainted with how it is feeling and what it needs. This isn’t just to sustain life by providing food and water, but to be aware, comprehend, consider and be cunning about what their life needs beyond merely sustenance.
• diligently discern and discover what our animal needs to be healthy.
• to remember that it is a life God has entrusted to our care, and a responsibility we accepted, thus treating it well.
• skillfully show respect for it and dwell in understanding with it to the best of our diligent ability.

Which Came First?…

In the Bible, Genesis records what scientists may refer to as the “Creation Theory” or “Intelligent Design”. This is the foundation on which all “Creationists” stand and base the rest of the perception and beliefs regarding all living things, and life in general, both physical and spiritual.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Rule Over the Animals…

Many think “rule over over the animals” means to lord power and position over them, even to extreme levels. Sometimes correction is needed. For an animal that is usually loving and desiring to please, causing harm or injury is not at all what “regard” implies.

Take dogs, for instance. The only way they can communicate is through barking, whining, growling or howling. Sometimes it’s to have fun. Sometimes they are bored. Yet sometimes they hurt, either physically or emotionally. Dogs are animals that were created by God to be vocally expressive. for a dog to exist completely silent, except only when given permission to make a sound, is torture for them, just as it would be for us.

Ever grow up in a home that said “children should be seen and not heard”? Or perhaps you were allowed to show only positive emotions and expressions because anything less would receive a verbal response of “quit your crying or I’ll give you something to cry about”, followed by apathetic abusive punishment.

Yes dogs are dogs, and people are people, and yet these scriptures tell us how to treat animals…with yada. Animals need love, and thoughtfulness.

We chose to have the animals we have so we must choose to give them the care God intended. (Remember, God created the animals, too.) Especially now that animals are so domesticated, they all the more have a genuine need for “regard” as defined above…yada.

So next time dogs bark without a cause WE can define, consider first if it’s causing harm? Or if they are barking just a way for them to vent? Perhaps it’s just their way of having a little fun? Or perhaps it is to show a protective desire for us.

Never Eat Meat???

Am I saying “never eat meat”? No. Everyone has to follow their own convictions according to prayer and research. History records that even Jesus ate fish and lamb.

Yet when someone hunts, it should be for food and not for sport. It should not be done with a sense of conquering pleasure and satisfaction, but with respect for the fact that God is who gave the animal life. In hunting, every effort should be made to avoid causing the animal to suffer.

Yes, we have God-given reign over every animal, yet that doesn’t mean to be apathetic in our treatment of them for our convenience. Yada, or regard, clearly points that out.

So next time we get irritated with our loving family companion, let’s remember what yada really means. We can then proceed in a way that glorifies God and the position that He has entrusted to us in regard to all His creatures, even animals.