Biblical Zoology
I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. —Eccl. 3:18
The Bible compares us to different animals and some of the comparisons are not very complimentary.
- Men are likened to fish in the Bible (Ec 9:12; Hab 1:14; Mt 4:19).
- Men are called worms (Isa 41:14; Job 25:6; Ps 22:6)
- Psalm 22:12 likens the enemies of Christ at the cross as “bulls of Basham.”
- False teachers are called wolves (Mt 7:15; 10:16; Ac 20:29).
- Jesus referred to the righteous as sheep and the wicked as goats (Mt 25:31-33).
- Lazy people are called slugs (Pr 6:9)
- Genesis 49:14 says, “Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens.”
- Jesus called Herod a fox (Lu 13:32).
- Jesus and John the Baptist called the Pharisees snakes (Mt 3:7).
- Jesus called a Gentile woman a “dog” (Mt 15:26)
- People who wait on the Lord are likened to eagles (Isa 40:31).
- Paul called the Cretians “evil beasts” (Tit 1:12).
The Bible says don’t act like a mule in Psalm 32:9. A mule is usually backward about going forward! Jesus says that His sheep know Him and that sheep follow the shepherd; a sheep is not at home in a mud hole and a Christian is not satisfied to live in sin. There is an animal that feels at home in a mud hole; the Bible classifies false teachers who return to their native habitat of sin with sows wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2:22).
We need to brush up on our Bible zoology.
Preacher
