WHY DO WILD ANIMALS ATTACK US OR RUN AWAY FROM US WHEN WE APPROACH THEM?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Why do wild animals normally run away from us or attack us when we approach them? The Bible has a very fascinating explanation.

In the beginning humans and animals lived together harmoniously. Actually, God brought to Adam all the fowls of the air and all the beasts of the field so that he could name them—yes, that would include dinosaurs! “[19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:19,20).

Humans and animals were originally herbivores, meaning their diets consisted strictly of plants (herbs, nuts/seeds, fruits, vegetables, et cetera), not flesh. Genesis 1:29-30 tells us: “[29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. [30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.”

But, once Adam sinned, the diet of man and animals changed. “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered” (Genesis 9:2). Here, Noah and his family have survived the Great Flood, and they are now exiting the ark. God’s instructions are: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1). This is basically what God told Adam and Eve some 1,600 years earlier (Genesis 1:28), but now God adds a stipulation: Noah can eat flesh.

The LORD told Noah in Genesis 9:3: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Mankind can now eat any creature: he has to first catch or trap it! But, to make it fair, God instilled within animals the desire to flee from us humans, and to attack us when we invade their habitats. Here is one example of where science disagrees with the Bible: scientists (wrongly) classify man as a “higher evolved animal,” whereas God’s Word differentiates between humans and animals.

Today, we do not observe Israel’s kosher food laws (Colossians 2:16). We can eat any animal we choose: “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5). You can eat any and every animal, but first you must catch it! 🙂

It should also be pointed out that this fear animals have of man will be intensified during the seven-year Tribulation, when God’s wrath will be poured out on unbelieving mankind. The Bible says that one-fourth of earth’s human population will be killed by sword (war), hunger, death, and “the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). These wild animals will devour billions of people during Daniel’s 70th week! When Jesus Christ returns, the curse of sin will be lifted, and says the animal kingdom (and even humans), will return to their original strict diet of vegetation. Describing the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Isaiah wrote:

“[6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. [9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). In that day, people and animals will dwell peacefully with each other.

Also see:
» Should a Christian believe in evolutionary theory? (UPCOMING)
» Who were Adam and Eve? (UPCOMING)
» Was the Great Flood of Noah’s day regional or global? (UPCOMING)