What Can We Learn From Animals

Introduction (Job 12:7-10)

In this series we are going to be looking at different animals in the word of God to see what they can teach us. It is amazing all the different animals that God put in the Bible as well as the things he allowed them to do. Many writers of the books found in the word of God mention animals. Some animals were used of God to accomplish a certain task. Other animals were used as illustrations.

The introduction covers the passage in Job for which the study is based. In Job 12:7 we are told to ask the beast and they will teach us. In Job 12:8 we are told the fishes of the sea shall declare things to us. As a result of this in the introduction we are going to look at some general case of how animals are like different types of people and what we can learn from this.

1)  Ministers are likened unto Oxen (1 Corinthians 9:9-10)

• Just as the oxen are not to be muzzled when treading the corn. Ministers should be taken care of for what they do.

2)  False Prophets are like dogs (2 Peter 2:22)

• Here the dog that eats his own vomit is likened unto a false prophet.

3)  Saved people are likened unto sheep (John 10:14,28)

• Here Jesus is calling himself the good shepherd. That makes us the sheep.

4)  Self Righteous Pharisees are likened unto snakes (Matt 23:33)

• In this chapter we see Jesus condemning the practices of the scribes and Pharisees and likening them unto vipers.

5)  Prayer warriors are illustrated by eagles (Isaiah 40:31)

• This is a great verse on patiently waiting on the Lord. This is done many times through prayer.

6)  Fowls are types of spirits (Revelation 18:2)

Fish being likened unto men: 

Jesus told his disciples that he would make them fishers of men (Mark 1:17). Also when we think about fish we see many similarities to people. Some are loaners, some swim in groups, some are camouflaged, and some stand out, some are very timid and some are very fierce, some are caught with nets, some are caught with hooks.

What can we learn from this?

1)  God created everything (Job 12:9-10)

• When we look at animals and nature and we see the complexities and differences but yet how each difference has a purpose for a particular animal in a certain place we learn this could be no accident.

2)  If the animals obey God then so should we.

• Have you ever thought about who taught the birds to fly south for the winter or gave them the navigational skills to fly south and return again. They simply obey God.
• We think that we are smarter than animals but in some areas we are not.

What Can We Learn From Animals

Introduction (Job 12:7-10) : Handout

1)  What do we see from the passage in Job concerning the animals?

2)  What are some general ways that God uses animals in the bible to illustrate type of people?

3)  What is two things that we can learn from the introduction to this study?