Proverbs 12:10, Human Rights and Animals Rights!

June 8, Proverbs 12:10

Matthew 6:24-34 “Behold the fowls of the air; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.”

Human Rights and Animals Rights!

This proverb, like the one before and following, deals with domestic matters. discusses different reactions of man to the treatment of dumb beasts. Here we have the Biblical balance for both man and beast. It deals with the proper treatment of all animals, and has a special application to our domestic flocks and herds even today. Surveying the whole of Scripture, and taking it for our moral standard, what would be clearer than that mercy is one of the sacred duties of man, even as it is one of the main attributes of God?

1. A Rebuttal: A righteous man regards the life of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. a. This is no trifling subject, but one worthy of our serious consideration and concern. It is a matter of moral and spiritual obligation, and is not to be thrust out of sight because it is not considered to be of the first importance. It deals with the duty of mercy, and of man’s dominion over the Creation. b. It is an outcry against cruelty to animals, and is therefore no mere sentimentalism. All animals must be respected, since they too are part of God’s creation. Every right-thinking person must condemn all acts of senseless cruelty or of unjustified injury. c. If every man is charged with this responsibility, how much more should a Christian be sincerely sensitive to this issue? No Bible-believer can be indifferent to the cruel treatment of either man or animals, and to those who would viciously sport with their lives. What is out of sight may be out of mind, but sadly, it is often in sight, and may still be out of mind!

2. A Response: The animal rights activists must not be allowed to hi-jack this issue! The Bible dealt with animal rights long before the activists appeared on the scene. “Goodness sweeps a wide circle touching the throne of God and the stall of the cattle” (Maclaren). God legislated how animals were to be treated. They were given to man, by the Lord of creation, for his use, for his comfort, and for his food (Gn. 1:28; 9:3). Clearly, laws were also given for their care and protection (Ex. 9:19; 23:5; Dt. 5:14), for which man will be held accountable. Take, for instance, the Mosaic Law, often dismissed as harsh. If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee, thou shall not take the dam with the young, that it may be well with thee. What other lawgiver, beside the mighty Moses, showed such care for the bird in the furrow of the field? Thou shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the corn. Why? Because God cares for oxen! (22:6, 25:4). The man who is kind to his animals shows himself to be righteous, walking in all the commandments of the Lord. On the other hand, this proverb clearly implies that anyone who regards not the life of his beast forfeits any claim to be a righteous man at all. The Hebrew says, A righteous man is one who knows, i.e., regards, the soul of his beast. This verb, knowing, when used of God is equivalent to love (Amos 3:2). Here it illustrates the warm, personal quality of the word as sympathetic understanding and treatment of dumb creatures. Is not this a reflection of God Himself (Ps. 145:9; 147:8-9; Jonah 4:11)? Dumb animals are not to be cruelly treated or mindlessly exploited for man’s greed or amusement.

Thought: “Orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.”

Prayer: Lord, help me to treat all Thy creation with respect.