Jewel # 435 (Feb. 10, 2021)

 

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

The Lion and Other Carnivores  (Part 3)

“How unsearchable are God's judgments, and His ways past finding out!”  Romans 11:33

Have you ever asked, “Why does God allow lions to kill and eat other animals?"  This is a good question.  When God created these great beasts, death, the shedding of blood, and eating flesh were unknown (Genesis 1).  But Adam and Eve were warned by God that if they disobeyed His commands, death would result.  As we know from the Bible, they did disobey, and immediately they saw an example of the penalty of sin when God killed animals to provide them with clothing.

After sin entered into the world and after the flood, God oversaw a change in many of His creatures, allowing some to become flesh eaters—carnivores—while others remained vegetarians.  This certainly is an evidence of how dreadful sin is in God’s sight.  The animals He had created for His pleasure were now to display the penalty of death through their activities, certainly not pleasing to Him.  But in His perfect way, He saw that the needed changes were made in the appetites and bodies of these animals so they would hunt and then be able to digest the food they now ate.

Happily, in a coming day, the Bible tells us the original peaceful order will return.  This will be after those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have been called into heaven and after God’s rightful anger against the world that has refused His love results in His terrible judgment on them.  Then an earthly people pleasing to the Lord will live on earth, and the animals will be changed to be as they were when God first created them.  One Bible verse that talks about this says, “The calf and the young lion . . .  shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:6-7).

All life now is dependent on the minerals, vitamins and nutrients provided in the soil by the Creator which come to us in vegetation, fruits, seeds and nuts.  So how do lions and other carnivores that don’t eat vegetation get this important nutrition?  The answer is another wonder of God’s ways.  As a grazing animal, such as an antelope or zebra, eats vegetation, these important necessities are deposited in its body and then are carried into the body of the carnivore that eats it.

God has also planned for the good of the herds from which lions hunt.  Many of the animals that are killed are not healthy.  It is a mercy that they are killed quickly rather than lingering on as weak and sickly animals to die a slow death.  Also, if the herds were not made smaller in this way, they would get too large for the food available for them, and many would starve.  So, we see God’s wisdom in all things.  “Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out:  He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice” (Job 37:23).

Love you all - Grandpa