Humans Murdering Animals
An all-creatures Bible Message

Humans Murdering Animals

A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

4 March 2018

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Exodus 20:13, 15
Psalm 19:7-14
Psalm 69:9
Isaiah 1:11-12, 21
John 2:13-22

Humans murdering animals is a biblical fact that most people, including clergy, don’t want to accept; in fact, many of them actually promote humans murdering animals.

And these same people say that killing animals is not murder, because they don’t want to admit that they are living a lie.

Exodus 20:13, one of the Ten Commandments, used to be translated “thou shall not kill” but because some people began to point out that they were killing animals against God’s heavenly will, they tried to hide the truth by changing the translation to…

13. "You shall not murder.

Which, by the way, actually reflects the original meaning of premeditated killing or murder, but God never said that it was only directed toward humans; it was just applied that way by other human beings, but that was never God’s creation or heavenly intent.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what hard of heart humans do.

They buy a gun or a fishing rod and the accessories to go along with them for the sole purpose of killing animals, which makes their act premeditated.

Thus when they do “kill” animals, it really becomes humans murdering animals.

And there are other people who say that they don’t hunt or fish; they just buy meat in the market and refuse to accept the fact they are really paying a killer to murder an animal for them, for the people who raise animals for food or fur are raising them for the sole purpose of killing the animals for profit, which makes them hired killers; they are humans murdering animals.

And, before we go on, let’s consider what we are told in Exodus 20:15, another one of the Ten Commandments…

15. "You shall not steal.
NASB

And some people will say that they are not stealing anything, for they bought the meat in a store instead of killing the animal themselves, and if we only look at this from the standpoint of the law, they are technically correct, but they are far from being spiritually correct or following the teachings of Jesus.

Are not people who kill or murder an animal stealing that animal’s life from them, a life that God created for them to have and enjoy in Eden, where there was no killing or death before the humans disobeyed the Lord?

Of course they are.

Let’s now focus upon what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 19:7-14…

7. The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

If we only consider the law of the Lord to be the Law in the Hebrew text, it will only restore the soul if it becomes a living part of their being, and they stop following the corrupt ways of this world.

On the other hand, if we include the teachings of Jesus, and recognize them as part of the Law, and truly repent of our worldly ways and are born again and seek to live in the heavenly will of God, then we will see how really wise we become in the living and heavenly knowledge of the Lord, which is exactly what the psalmist writes next…

8. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.

10. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

This is when we realize that heavenly love and understanding, such as loving our neighbor as ourselves, includes loving all animals, and that our dominion over them means that we are to protect them from all harm.

This is when we also begin to speak out against all forms of humans murdering animals.

We are to bring the animals peace and not death.

11. Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit lets us really understand the heavenly will of God, and in the process we are weaned off of the corrupt ways of this world, much in the same way as a baby is weaned off his or her mother’s milk.

This is when we begin to see this world with the eyes of God.

12. Who can discern his errors?
Acquit me of hidden faults.

13. Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

Even if we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we can still be tempted by the corrupt ways of this world, so like the psalmist, it is a good idea to constantly pray that the corrupt ways of this world do not rule over us.

And this is when we can sing the following benediction…

14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
NASB

Keeping all the things we’ve been talking about in mind, let’s take a look at John 2:13-22…

13. And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.

15. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables;

16. and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise."

They were also turning His Father’s house into a slaughterhouse, for the priests and the buyers and sellers of animals were really humans murdering animals, which is exactly what Isaiah wrote about in Isaiah 1:11-12…

11. "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?"
Says the LORD.
"I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams,
And the fat of fed cattle.
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats.

12. "When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
NASB

Isaiah saw exactly what Jesus saw some 700 years earlier, and God had the Babylonians destroy the Temple shortly afterwards, but when the Lord brought the people back out of exile in Babylon, they rebuilt the Temple and turned it again into the same corrupt place that Isaiah and Jesus spoke against.

And note what Isaiah wrote about Jerusalem and those people in Isaiah 1:21…

21. How the faithful city has become a harlot,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
NASB

And because the people had, for the most part, turned against God and His heavenly will in favor of the worldly ways around them, God allowed the Temple to be destroyed again in the year 70, and it has never been rebuilt.

Isaiah rightly called the people who bought and killed the animals, murderers, for they were humans murdering animals.

And, it’s time we stop, too.

17. His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Thy house will consume me."

They were remembering what was written in Psalm 69:9…

9. For zeal for Thy house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me.
NASB

18. The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"

Those Jews and most of the people in the world today just don’t understand the heavenly will of God, nor do they seem to want to; they just seem to want to do their own things, and continue to be among the humans murdering animals.

19. Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

20. The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"

21. But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

And we should be thinking about our own body, soul and spirit in the reality of continuing to live in the corrupt ways of this world, or becoming a peacemaking child of God who lives in the heavenly will of God and who does everything in his or her power to help free creation from its present corruption, which begins with what we eat and wear.

22. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken.
NASB

Do we also believe?

We pray we do.

Amen.

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