OUR DAILY BREAD : ELEPHANTS DOWN

[cimi]

July 19
Saturday


ELEPHANTS
DOWN

READ:
Jonah 4
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On the seventh day you
shall rest, that your ox
and your donkey may
rest. __Exodus 23:12
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When rainy-season storms caused flooding in a nature preserve in Thailand, seven elephant calves became unlikely victims. As they tried to ford a river at their usual crossing point, dangerous currents swept them over a 250-foot waterfall. Wildlife advocates said the loss could have been prevented. A spokesperson for the Thailand Wildlife Fund complained that the protective barriers, which had been built at the crossing where four other young elephants had died earlier, were useless.

Long before animal rights became a global issue, the story of Jonah shows the attention our Creator gives to all His creatures. As the story ends, the Lord expresses concern not only for the citizens of Nineveh but also for their livestock (Jonah 4:11). And earlier, God gave Moses laws that extended certain protections even to animals (Ex. 23:4-5, 12).

Though humans alone are made in the image of God, the story of Jonah and other Bible texts show a link between caring for people and animals. The Creator gives us reason to provide appropriate, though different, attention to both.

The conclusion seems clear. If God cares even for livestock, how can we ignore the needs of any person for whom His Son died? __Mart De Haan
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``````````````````In trees and flowers of the field,````````````````
````````````````````In creatures large and small,`````````````````
``````````````````We trace the watchful care of Him```````````````
```````````````Who planned and made them all. __King````````````
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God cares for us and calls us to care for His creation.

****************Today's Bible Reading __ Jonah 4*****************

1 But it displeased
Jonah.... 2 So he
prayed.... "Ah, LORD, was
not this what I said when I
was still in my country?
Therefore I fled previously to
Tarshish; for I know that You
are a gracious and merciful
God, slow to anger and
abundant in lovingkindness,
One who relents from doing
harm." ... 5 So Jonah went
out of the city and sat on the
east side of the city. There he
made himself a shelter and
sat under it in the shade....

6 And the LORD God
prepared a plant and made it
come up over Jonah, that it
might be shade for his head
to deliver him from his
misery. So Jonah was very
grateful for the plant. 7 But as
morning dawned the next
day God prepared a worm,
and it so damaged the plant
that it withered. 8 And it
happened, when the sun
arose, that God prepared a
vehement east wind; and the
sun beat on Jonah's head, so
that he grew faint. Then he
...said, "It is better for me
to die than to live." 9 Then
God said to Jonah, "Is it right
for you to be angry about the
plant?" and he said, "It is
right for me to be angry, even
to death!"

10 But the LORD said, "You
have had pity on the plant for
which you have not labored,
nor made it grow, which
came up in a night and
perished in a night. 11 And
should I not pity Nineveh,
that great city, in which are
more than one hundred and
twenty thousand persons who
cannot discern between their
right hand and their left__and
much livestock?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The dying plant (Jonah 4:7) and the reference to "much livestock"
(v.11) are taken from the plant and animal kingdom. This abrupt
conclusion to the book of Jonah demonstrates God's sovereignty
and His care for all of creation. __Dennis Fisher