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NASB | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3] |
Bible Question: I think the story of Jonah is my favorite in the Bible. I can relate to Jonah more than any other individual in the Bible since God chose to show me a very similiar lesson in my life. In Jonah, God chooses to use animals as agents of His message...from the whale that swallowed Jonah to the worm that ate the tree that shelterd Jonah. God has used an animal in my life, as well, to get a very similiar message across to me concerning God's love. I would like some thoughts about the fact God communicates so clearly with animals. Does this mean that they most likely have soul and spirit too? Or does God just set them in position and they have no knowledge of Him? |
Bible Answer: Chynna, I don't think your question is a joke. God used an animal in my life to communicate His love and reality. I understand the skeptical responses. We often forget that God is not constrained by anything except His own character. He is not limited in what(or who) He uses to communicate something to us. I don't see biblical evidence for animals having a soul or spirit. I do see many references to animals in the scriptures. Many animal traits are recommended to us for imitation and encouragement Prov. 6:6. Christ Himself(Lion of Judah and Lamb that was slain in Rev. 5) draws on images that these animals represent to us. Whales(great fish), donkeys, birds, bushes, God uses all of creation to glorify Himself and communicate His divine nature(Rom.1:20). Romans 8 poses some interesting thoughts about whether there is any knowledge of God on the part of animals(and all creation). That's something to ponder. Lot's of mysteries in the scriptures. Always more to learn. |