Walking with the Wise #118: Regarding Animals

“Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.” 

—Proverbs 12:10 

It might sound strange, but God wants us to treat animals with kindness and respect. While man is the only one made in the image of God, animals are still His creation and we are to treat them respectfully. When God comes into our lives, He transforms us from head to foot. There is nothing of our life that He doesn’t want under His rule. And, one aspect of that is how we treat animals. We are to take care of the animals under our care. In today’s proverb, it is a “beast,” which is most likely a beast of burden, a cow or an ox, which was used to help in farming. The farmer was to treat him well—i.e., feed him, give him rest, don’t run him too hard, etc. If one is a righteous person, then his regard for life will also extend to all of those under his employ. But, the wicked don’t operate in the same way. Even their “mercy” is cruel when compared to that of the righteous. They couldn’t care less about the animal and treat it like garbage, so depraved they are.

How do you treat your animal? Are you mean and cruel? Don’t be. Feed it and take care of it. This doesn’t mean that an animal can’t be eaten, but it does mean that you are not to be cruel or malicious to it. If you must kill it, then do so swiftly and honorably, making sure that you are using the meat and are not wasting it.

Honor God with all of your life and let Him direct the largest and the smallest details—even how you take care of animals. Don’t be cruel, but compassionate, for God’s glory and your joy. Amen.