Genesis 1:26, 29
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”
“And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”
- The initial account of what man was given to eat; he was vegetarian.
- They were allowed to make clothing out of the animals, for, “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them,” Gen 3:21.
Genesis 9:1-5
“So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
- After the flood, man was now able to eat the animals.
Mark 7:17-21
“And when leaving the multitude, He had entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them, ‘Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him; because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?’ (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, ‘That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.’”
- Christ declared all foods clean. This had reference to the fact that under the law of Moses there were animals that the Israelites (it did not apply to the Gentiles) were not allowed to eat. This prohibition Christ removed. The only prohibition that still remains is that we may not eat blood, “{B}ut that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood,” Acts 15:20-21.
1 Timothy 4:1-5
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
- Plainly, God created the animals for man to eat, for He Himself says this, as the Spirit is God.
- Any who forbid marriage and the eating of foods has departed from the faith; so says God.
- Further, speaking of false prophets and unprincipled men, Peter says, “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed…” (2 Pet 2:12). The earth and all that is in it was created for man, for his use (does not Christ say, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth”? (Matt 5:5)); the animals are a resource for him to use.
Proverbs 12:10
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
- Just because animals are there for the use of man, doesn’t mean we can treat them terribly, or that we can’t love them.
- The example the Lord used to convict David out of his own mouth regarding Bathsheba:
“Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: ‘There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.’
"So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity,” 2 Sam 12:1-6.
The animals are also there to instruct us in the ways of life:
- "Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are not a strong folk,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
The badgers are not mighty folk,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in ranks;
The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings' palaces.”
Proverbs 30:24-28 - “Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep —
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.”
Proverbs 6:6-11 - “As a bird hastens to the snare,
He did not know it would cost his life.”
Proverbs 7:23
These are just a few examples.
The animals are there for our use, as we have need. We may eat them, make clothes out of them, and whatever other rightful uses we may have for them. We aren’t free to abuse them, torment them for no cause, etc. And we may certainly love them.