As one reads through their Bible they will come across statements that point the reader to check out how an animal lived or to the actions that an animal would take.
For example, Jesus used animals to teach important lessons:
Matt. 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
In Matthew 10:16 He stated, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin (think two pennies)? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!….. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Solomon used animals to teach life principles. In Proverbs 6:6 he admonished the Sluggard to go to an ant: “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.” 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, 8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 17:12 “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.
Proverbs 26:17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
(Ex 11:7 ‘But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’)
((Judges 7:5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself;)
Proverbs 19:12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like dew on the grass.
Proverbs 20:2 The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life.
Proverbs 22:13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”
Proverbs 26:13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!”
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
Proverbs 30:29 There are three things which are majestic in stride, Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;
31 A greyhound, A male goat also, And a king whose troops are with him.
God uses animals to describe us:
Ps 95:7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:
Ps 100:3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
In Prov. 30 Solomon used the wisdom of four animal to teach us about life.
- Prov. 30:24 There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
- 25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
- 26 The conies (rock badgers) are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;
- 27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;
- 28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings’ palaces.
Lessons from ANTS
- Prov. 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, 8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
- Proverbs 30:25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
Principle Lesson: Preparation with Diligence. Thinks and plans ahead while working hard today.
Preparation quotes: “Preparation Precedes Performance.”
“A winning effort begins with preparation.” Joe Gibbs
“Before everything else getting ready is the secret to success.” Henry Ford
“Preparedness is the key to success and victory.” General Douglas MacArthur
“I will get ready and then perhaps my chance will come.” Abraham Lincoln
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail!
- Today’s actions determine tomorrow’s achievements.
Preparation’s value: It gives us content. It gives us confidence. It gives us credibility.
Lesson from the CONIES or rock badgers
Proverbs 30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks;
Psalms 104:18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the conies.
Principle lesson: They protect what is most valuable, which is their life!!!!
We must know our enemy and we must know our weaknesses.
Do not put yourself in places where you are prone to fall. Build adequate shelter for protection.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. (Be ALERT – Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (He is poised to pounce)
Lesson from Locust
Prov.30 27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;
Principle lesson – Locust are smart enough that even though they have no leader they advance because of teamwork. They value Partnership. They value cooperation.
God revealed the power of cooperation in Gen. 11:6 when He stated “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
Teamwork makes the dream work! One is too small a number to produce greatness.
TEAM – Together Each Accomplishes More
Lesson from the Spider.
Prov. 30:28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings’ palaces.
Principle lesson: I see a spider as one with great Imagination. They are creative. They get to places many feel are unattainable. It makes the most of small opens to get to large places.
Some other value lessons from a variety of animals spoken of in the Bible – and a few not in the Bible.
Lesson from the BIRDS.
- Matt. 6:25 ¶ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Principle Lesson: God is my provider. There are things in life that are not worth worrying about.
Butterfly – it is the pain that produces the strength –
Camels – they are associated with a story of how one becomes extraordinary –
Gen. 24:12 Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 “Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’ — let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Rebekah did extra with the ordinary and became extraordinary and it changed everything for her!
From CATTLE
Psalm 50:7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 9 I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Lessons from the Animal Kingdom
Lesson from the DEER
2 Samuel 22:34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
Psalms 18:33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
Habakkuk 3:19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.
2 Samuel 22:37 You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip.
Principle lesson: God brings to my life security. He makes me able to stand even in the difficult times of life. Knowing that God is my strength, I will be able to attain the high places He has desired for me.
Prayer: Psalms 17:5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.
Lesson from the Eagles
Proverbs 30:18-19 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, ….
Eagles were used to demonstrate God’s power.
- Exodus 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Eagles are used to demonstrate how we have renewed power when we wait on the LORD.
- Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
- Psalms 103:2, 5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:……Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Side lesson from the eagle for PARENTS – Stir up the nest –
Deut. 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,
Lessons from circus ELEPHANTS.
As a baby elephant the elephant is tied to a stake in the ground strong enough to hold the elephant. It cannot break free. As it gets larger the same chain and stake hold the elephant because it the memory of an elephant is set. It continues to believe what happened in the past is true today.
We many time remember our past and it blocks our future. We remember things told to us by others and though we have grown up we still believe those statements. Don’t stay tied to your past.
Lesson from the Fox
SOS 2:15 Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.
Principle lesson: A bright future can be ruined by something very small so be on guard and capture the things that will destroy.
- 2 Corinthians 10: 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh .4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
You better control your thinking if you want to stay victorious.
Lesson from the GEESE –
Geese fly in a formation that allows for them to cut through the wind easier. The one’s at the back honk out encouragement to the one’s up front.
They also rotate having each goose serve as the lead goose. No one goose has to do all the hard work of cutting through the air.
We all need encouragement as we lead – we need to give encouragement to those who are leading.
What works better – compliments or criticism?
Lesson from the Grasshoppers
Numbers 13:33 “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
What is the problem in Numbers 13:33?
“There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Principle Lesson: I must have a spiritually healthy Self Image of myself.
– If you cannot see yourself doing it you will not do it.
You have to ask yourself: What do you see in the mirror?
It is so important to see yourself the way God sees you.
Take test. Know Thyself. Know your strengths. Know God’s strength.
Lesson from the Goldfish.
You are being watched and the places to hide are very few.
We should have a Phil. 4:8-9 mindset and lifestyle.
Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy——meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Lifestyle teaches more than lips.
Lesson from the Horse
Psalms 147:10 He (God) does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
- Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
- Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.
Principle lesson: Be Careful that you do not put your trust in things that will fail you.
For instance – money – 1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Your money rebukes you – Does not say IN THIS GOD WE TRUST says IN GOD WE TRUST
Horse
Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?
Psalms 32:9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
Psalms 76:6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
Psalms 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back
Lesson from Jellyfish – Don’t bring into my life things that destroy it.
Lesson from the Lion tamer with a lion
The four legs causes the lion to be paralyzed – cannot focus on but one thing – because of the four legs it does not know what to focus on
You cannot do everything! Over commitment leads to less commitment!
Lion –
Pr 19:12 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
Pr 20:2 The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
Pr 22:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
Pr 26:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
Pr 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Pr 28:15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
Pr 30:30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
Lesson from the MULE
Psalms 32:9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
Principle lesson: Don’t be Stubborn. Be teachable. Be flexible. Be agreeable.
Lesson from Pigs
- Luke 15:15 “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
The pigpen is where the devil wants you to live.
You should remember that sin will take you further than you want to go; cost you more than you want to pay and keep you longer than you want to stay.
Lessons from the Rabbits – if you chase two rabbits BOTH will get away.
Lesson from the Ravens – crows.
Psalms 147:9 He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry.
- Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?
Principle lesson: They remind us of the power of prayer. They cry for food and God hears them and answers them. God is able to meet our needs and He is willing to meet our needs.
Psalm 50:7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 9 I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Lessons from Vultures and Vipers
Isa. 34:15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay and hatch and gather under her shadow; there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Prov. 23:29 ¶ Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. 31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; 32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. 34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: 35 “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
- There are things that seem bad for you but in the end help you.
- There are things that seem good for you but in the end harm you.
Lesson from Wolves.
- Ezekiel 22:27 “Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.
- Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.
- Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Acts 20:29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
Principle lesson: Everything is not as it appears. Beware of false prophets. One indicator is that they like to profit as a prophet.
Leadership is about serving – not being served!
Animals in the Bible and verses that go with them.
ANTS
Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 30:25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
BEARS
2 Kings 2:24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
Isaiah 11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isaiah 59:11 We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but
there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us.
BEES
Psalm 118:10 All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 12 They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me.
BIRDS
Matt. 6:25 ¶ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
BOAR
Psalms 80:13 The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.
CAMEL
Genesis 24:64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;
Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.
Leviticus 11:4 ‘Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you;
Deuteronomy 14:7 “Nevertheless, of those that chew the cud or have cloven hooves, you shall not eat, such as these: the camel, the hare, and the rock hyrax; for they chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves; they are unclean for you.
1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
2 Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’”
Zechariah 14:15 Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
Matthew 3:4 And John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Matthew 19:24 “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 23:24 “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Mark 1:6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Mark 10:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
No verse If a camel gets it’s nose in your tent it will go all the way through
Sin will take me further than I want to go cost me more than I want to pay and stay longer than I want it to stay.
COW
Leviticus 22:28 “Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her and her young on the same day.
Numbers 18:17 “But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD.
Job 21:10 Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage.
Isaiah 7:21 It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
Isaiah 11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Ezekiel 4:15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”
COWS
Genesis 32:15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
Genesis 41:2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
Genesis 41:3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
Genesis 41:4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
Genesis 41:18 “Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
Genesis 41:19 “Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:20 “And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
Genesis 41:26 “The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
Genesis 41:27 “And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
1 Samuel 6:7 “Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them.
1 Samuel 6:10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
1 Samuel 6:12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
1 Samuel 6:14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
Amos 4:1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!”
DEER
Genesis 49:21 “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.
Deuteronomy 12:15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike.
Deuteronomy 12:22 “Just as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you may eat them; the unclean and the clean alike may eat them.
Deuteronomy 14:5 “the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the mountain goat, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
Deuteronomy 15:22 “You may eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer.
2 Samuel 22:34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
1 Kings 4:23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
Job 39:1 “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
Psalms 18:33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.
Psalms 22:1 <<To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.>> My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
Psalms 42:1 <<To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.>> As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
Proverbs 5:19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.
Isaiah 35:6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
Jeremiah 14:5 Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But left because there was no grass.
Lamentations 1:6 And from the daughter of Zion All her splendor has departed. Her princes have become like deer That find no pasture, That flee without strength Before the pursuer.
Habakkuk 3:19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
DOGS
Isaiah 56:11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
Prov. 30 29 ¶ There are three things which are majestic in pace, Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;
31 A greyhound,
DOVE
Psalms 55:6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
EAGLE
Leviticus 11:13 ‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
Deuteronomy 14:12 “But these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
Deuteronomy 28:49 “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand,
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings,
Job 9:26 They pass by like swift ships, Like an eagle swooping on its prey.
Job 39:27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high?
Psalms 103:5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Proverbs 23:5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
Proverbs 30:19 The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin.
Jeremiah 48:40 For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.
Jeremiah 49:16 Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:22 Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
Ezekiel 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 10:14 Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 17:3 “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, Full of feathers of various colors, Came to Lebanon And took from the cedar the highest branch.
Ezekiel 17:7 “But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers; And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, And stretched its branches toward him, From the garden terrace where it had been planted, That he might water it.
Daniel 7:4 “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Hosea 8:1 “Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.
Obadiah 1:4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.
Micah 1:16 Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, Because of your precious children; Enlarge your baldness like an eagle, For they shall go from you into captivity.
Habakkuk 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
Revelation 4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
EAGLES
Exodus 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
2 Samuel 1:23 “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.
Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Jeremiah 4:13 “Behold, he shall come up like clouds, And his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
Lamentations 4:19 Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
Daniel 4:33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
Matthew 24:28 “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Luke 17:37 And they answered and said to Him, “Where, Lord?” So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Foxes
Judges 15:4 Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.
Judges 15:5 When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
Song of Solomon 2:15 HER BROTHERS Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.
Lamentations 5:18 Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, With foxes walking about on it.
Ezekiel 13:4 “O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Goats
29 ¶ There are three things which are majestic in pace, Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;
31 A greyhound, A male goat also,
Grasshoppers
Numbers 13:33 “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Horse
Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?
Psalms 32:9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
Psalms 76:6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
Psalms 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s backI
INSECT
Leviticus 11:20 ‘All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you.
Leviticus 11:21 ‘Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth.
22 ‘These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
Leviticus 11:23 ‘But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.
There are things in life that are clean and there are things in life that are unclean.
Jellyfish
No verse Story of jellyfish that ate the snail.
Jelly fish eating snails – snails ate the jellyfish
Dr. Lewis Thomas – a well known pathologist… studied the Madusa and the snail in the bay of Naples. (the Madusa is a jellyfish and this particular snail was of the Nuda branch). The Jellyfish would capture and shallow the snail but because the snails shell was so hard it could not digest it. The snail then starting poking its head out to nibble, finding the jelly fish to be tasty. The snail slowly ate the entire jellyfish.
What are you bringing into your life that is slowly destroying you? Your marriage? Your Church? Your friendships?
K
Locust
Prov.30 27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;
Principle of Partnership Team work
Lion
Prov. 30:30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;
Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
OWL
Leviticus 11:16 ‘the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;
Leviticus 11:17 ‘the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;
Leviticus 11:18 ‘the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture;
Deuteronomy 14:15 “the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the seagull, and the hawk after their kinds;
Deuteronomy 14:16 “the little owl, the screech owl, the white owl,
Deuteronomy 14:17 “the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the fisher owl,
Psalms 102:6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
Isaiah 34:11 But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
OX
Genesis 49:6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 21:28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted.
Exodus 21:29 “But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.
Exodus 21:32 “If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
Exodus 21:33 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it,
Exodus 21:35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide.
Exodus 21:36 “Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Exodus 22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
Exodus 22:4 “If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
Exodus 22:9 “For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
Exodus 22:10 “If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it,
Exodus 23:4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
Exodus 23:12 “Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
Exodus 34:19 “All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep.
Leviticus 7:23 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘You shall not eat any fat, of ox or sheep or goat.
Leviticus 17:3 “Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp,
Leviticus 27:26 ‘But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the LORD’S firstborn, no man shall dedicate; whether it is an ox or sheep, it is the LORD’S.
Numbers 7:3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle.
Numbers 22:4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
Numbers 23:22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.
Numbers 24:8 “God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones And pierce them with his arrows.
Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
Deuteronomy 5:21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’
Deuteronomy 14:4 “These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
Deuteronomy 22:1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother.
Deuteronomy 22:4 “You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again.
Deuteronomy 22:10 “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deuteronomy 25:4 “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.
Deuteronomy 28:31 “Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them.
Deuteronomy 33:17 His glory is like a firstborn bull, And his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples To the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Joshua 6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
Judges 3:31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.
Judges 6:4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.
1 Samuel 12:3 “Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
1 Samuel 14:34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there.
1 Samuel 15:3 ‘Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
Nehemiah 5:18 Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
Job 6:5 Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass, Or does the ox low over its fodder?
Job 24:3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
Job 39:9 “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?
Job 39:10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
Job 40:15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.
Psalms 29:6 He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
Psalms 69:31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, Which has horns and hooves.
Psalms 92:10 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.
Psalms 106:20 Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass.
Proverbs 7:22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
Proverbs 14:4 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
Isaiah 1:3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”
Isaiah 11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.
Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the LORD.
Jeremiah 11:19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
Ezekiel 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.
Luke 13:15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
Luke 14:5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”
1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about?
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
R Ravens
Psalms 147:9 He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry.
Genesis 8:7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.
Leviticus 11:15 ‘every raven after its kind,
Deuteronomy 14:14 “every raven after its kind;
Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?
Song of Solomon 5:11 His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, And black as a raven.
Isaiah 34:11 But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
1 Kings 17:4 “And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
1 Kings 17:6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
Psalms 147:9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.
Proverbs 30:17 The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?
Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
Spider
Prov. 30:28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings’ palaces.
Principle of Imagination
U
V Vulture and Vipers
Isa. 34:15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay and hatch and gather under her shadow; there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Vipers
29 ¶ Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
35 “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
There are things that seem bad for you but in the end help you.
There are things that seem good for you but in the end harm you.
Wolves
Ezekiel 22:27 “Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.
Habakkuk 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Luke 10:3 “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
Acts 20:29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
An article written by our founder Dwayne Carson
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