All God’s Creatures

Introduction

Last year I presented a series on the trees of the Bible which ran all through the season of Trinity or Ordinary Time. This year we will engage with the members of the animal kingdom that appear in the Bible.

In this occasional series I may suggest that you to do some additional reading and investigation for yourself and I may not use the most obvious texts.

The list of animals in the account of Creation in Genesis chapter 1 is very familiar but there are other descriptions of creation in different books of the Bible and many more animals appear throughout the text. I will take a very broad approach including living creatures from smallest to largest; virus and gnat to elephant and whale; vertebrates and invertebrates; and various borderline cases. Texts are from the New Revised Standard Version, Anglicized Edition, with the Apocrypha and Deutero Canonical Books. The collection of animals included in this series is not exhaustive and the names for some creatures may differ in other translations.

Do take some time to look at our creation window: the great west rose window in St George’s.

Consider the variety and beauty of the creatures depicted there.

In the song of praise sung by the three young men, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who were thrown into the burning fiery furnace we find:

The three with one voice praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace:
“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever.
…
Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
…
All who worship the Lord, bless the God of gods,
Sing praise to him and give thanks to him,
For his mercy endures for ever.

                                           [Prayer of Azariah. 28, 29, 57 – 59, 68 (Apocrypha)]

Strange Animals

In the first review of the animals of creation, in the text from Job
the creature, Behemoth, is mentioned along with Leviathan.
They are spoken of together in 2 Esdras [2 Es 6.49 – 52].
From their descriptions it seems that Behemoth
is a very strong land mammal which eats grass [Job 40. 15 – 24].
Could this be a dinosaur?

Leviathan, on the other hand, is clearly a water dwelling animal,
since it is too strong to be caught on a fish-hook or with a harpoon
and it has a coat of mail and shields, possibly referring to scales,
on its back [Job 41.1 – 34]. Leviathan, the many headed serpent,
will be killed in the last days [Ps 74. 14; Is 27. 1].
Could Leviathan also be a dinosaur or a crocodile or some other sea monster?

                                                                                Picture by William Blake

Another mysterious animal mentioned in the Bible is the unicorn. The word used has been translated in several ways: unicorn, oryx, wild ox, wild bull, buffalo or rhinoceros. The single horn symbol seems to indicate a rhinoceros rather than the other suggestions. In describing the tribes of Israel, Moses likens Joseph to a first-born majestic animal that gores enemies with his horns
[Deut 33. 17]. In the King James Version this animal is called the unicorn whereas more modern translations speak of a wild bull or ox.

The Dragon that is in the sea [Is 27. 1] is a symbol of the forces of evil which God overcame when God quelled the primeval chaos [Ps 74. 12 – 14]. This dragon is also known as Rehab [Job 26. 12; Ps 89. 9 – 10; Is 51. 9]. It often appears with or in place of Leviathan. More about the dragon will appear in session 4.

In Revelation the huge red dragon with many heads represents the forces of evil. It is named the Devil and Satan (the Accuser) and is in combat with the army of heaven[Rev 12]. This army, led by the archangel Michael, overcomes the beast. The vision continues with other Beasts. A consideration of the possible meanings of these “animals” in the following chapters of Revelation is beyond the scope of this series.

More about dragons will appear in session 4.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God,
Maker of all living creatures:
fish in the sea, birds in the air, and animals on the land.
May we always praise you
for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, in all your creatures.
Amen