Title: When did Animals begin to fear man?
Introduction: The question before us is “When did Animals begin to fear man?” God created man and animal life on the same day of creation and man was given dominion, but what about the animals and their fear of man when did that start? Keep in mind God created the fowls and fish on the fifth day. We see in the bible that God created all things in a seven day cycle, the animals and man on the sixth day and then God rested on the seventh day, but did the animals naturally fear man from the beginning.
Core: Today we see domesticated animals and wild animals why so different and is one acting out of their natural instinct. If they are acting out of natural instinct which instinct is natural in these animals? We need to start where everything started in the Beginning and that will be Genesis.
Body
I. We see Day Six in Genesis 1:24-31 in it we see man and mammals created
A. The animals were created after their kind
1. That would be their biological classes
2. Notice the different animal classes were created as their specific class
3. A horse and all the animals in that classification were horses
4. Nothing came from another class
B. In verse 26 God differentiated man from the plants and animals
1. God created man in His own image.
2. He gave man dominion
3. Dominion over the fish of the Sea
4. The Fowl of the air
5. The cattle
6. And over all the earth
7. Finally over everything that creepeth upon the earth
8. We see in verse 27 God made them male and female, He not we determined gender
C. Here in chapter one we have just the basic facts of creation
1. God created out of nothing the earth and all that is on it
2. He created the whole universe
3. Hebrews 11:3 rings true
4. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
D. Verse 28 says God blessed them, and gave them a command
1. Be fruitful
2. Multiply
3. Fill the earth
4. The Hebrew word ma-lay means to fill not replenish
5. He again affirms that man has dominion over the earth
6. So man is the dominate being of creation
E. Verse 29 is interesting in that it states what Mans food was as well as the animals.
1. Man was a vegetarian in the beginning
2. Then verse 30 every animal was given the green herb to eat
3. Man did not eat the animals
4. The carnivores did not eat meat at this time
5. The sixth day was concluded
6. Man came into being as well as the animals
II. We now move into Genesis 2 verse 7 we see man formed of the dust of the earth
A. Man was formed from the dust of the ground
1. We go back to dust when we pass from this earth
2. Ecclesiastes 3: 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
3. The bodies of both man and beast turn to dust again Solomon said
4. But man is more than dust for we see that God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.”
B. Notice that wasn’t said about the animals
1. God gave man life and an eternal soul
2. Man was created in the image of God
3. Man was created as a Trichotomous being
4. Greek trichotomein to trisect divided or dividing into three parts or into threes
5. After the fall, all humans, with the exception of Christ, were born as dichotomous being two part
6. What does that all mean, man was created with body, soul and spirit
7. Just like God is made up of three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
8. Man is born with a body and soul today and becomes complete at salvation when the Spirit comes to life.
C. Then we see verse 18 of Genesis 2, “the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make a help meet for him”
1. So we see verse 19
2. “God formed every beast”
3. “Brought them to Adam to see what he would call them”
4. So Adam named the animals
5. Gave names to all the cattle and their kind we might say
6. Named the fowls of the air
7. He named every beast of the field
8. But none of the animals was a fitting help meet for Adam
D. So at this point can we conclude that the animals weren’t afraid of mankind?
1. God sent every creature to Adam
2. Each came to him and received the name for their species
3. Each passed and each went back to the field or the air
4. And Adam didn’t find a help meet because they were a different kind
E. So God created woman in verses 21-22
1. God took a rib from Adam and created the woman
2. She came from his side to be by his side
3. Equal in all respects
4. She is the other half of man
5. We see here nothing about the Animals fearing mankind
6. In fact we see that they went to Adam to be named
7. That they weren’t afraid of each other because they were all vegetarians
8. So back to our question when did they become afraid of man.
III. We skip forward now to chapter 6 we pick up some 1500 plus years later
A. We come to the year after the fall 1536 approximately
1. Man is doing evil continually and God is going to destroy everything on the earth
2. But Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord
3. God told him to build an Ark
4. He gave him the specific size and material
5. Told Him what He would fill it with
6. So Noah began to build the Ark
B. We see verse 18-20 the passenger list
1. Noah and his wife
2. Their 3 sons and their wives
3. Two of every sort male and female
4. Of the fowls, the cattle, every creeping thing and their kind
5. Two of everything
6. To keep them alive
C. Verse 21-22 Noah was told to get enough provisions
1. Take all food that is eaten by them
2. What did they all eat at this point
3. They were all still eating the green herbs of the field
4. Notice that the animals ate the same food that Noah ate
5. Verse 21 it shall be food for thee and for them
6. Noah did as God commanded him.
IV. We come now to about the year 1656 after the fall and we see man entering the ark
A. Chapter 7 verse 1 The Lord tells Noah and all his family to come into the ark
1. Noah was righteous
2. Because of His faith in God
3. Hebrews 11:7 tells us Noah prepared the ark by Faith
4. So they enter the Ark
B. Look at verse 2 and 3 now the list of passengers with Noah and Family
1. Clean beast take thee by sevens, two males and his female that would be 14 of each kind
2. Of the unclean we see two the male and female that would be 4 of each kind
3. Of the clean fowls of the air by sevens male and female again 14 of each kind
4. All to keep seed alive of all the earth
C. Verse 6-9 Chapter 7 Noah was 600 years old when they entered the Ark.
1. With all the animals God commanded
2. Two and two in the groups God commanded
V. We now come to Chapter 8 verses 1-4 the Flood ends and the Ark comes to rest
A. It came to rest on the 7th Month
1. The waters decreased till the tenth month
2. Noah in verses 5-6 saw the top of the mountains
3. Waited 40 more days and sent out a raven
4. Then finally a dove
B. After one year Noah and family left the Ark in Verse 13
1. He had to gather enough food for all for 1 year
2. 371 days according to some commentaries Noah and Family were in the Ark.
3. Verses `18-19 we see them leaving the ark along with all the creatures they had with them
4. Then in verse 20 Noah built an alter and he took one of every clean beast and offered them upon the alter
5. He took one of every clean fowl and offered them
6. God made a promise in verse 21 not to destroy the earth and living creatures as He had
7. We see the seasons instituted in verse 22
8. Which gets us to Chapter 9
VI. We see God blessing Noah telling them to do three things
A. They are to
1. Be fruitful
2. Multiply
3. Replenish or Fill the earth
4. They followed that command
B. Now the answer to our question “When did animals begin to fear people?”
1. Verse 2 of Genesis 9 carries the answer
2. The fear and dread of you shall be upon every beast.
3. Right after the flood every living creature began to fear people
4. They are delivered into man’s hand
C. Look at verse 3 of chapter 9
1. Man became a meat eater
2. As well as vegetables
3. Here man and the animals we now have as carnivores
4. Were allowed to eat meat
5. The fear of man and the eating of meat
6. Coincide with each other
Conclusion: When God created man and animals the animals at first did not fear mankind, but a major change took place and they began to fear man. God created man and some animal life on the same day of creation and man was given dominion as we saw. Today we see domesticated animals and wild animals why so different and one is acting out of their natural instinct, the domesticated animal of course is acting out its natural instinct. So after the flood the animals began to fear people.
