There are over 120 different types of animals in the Bible. Let’s study 8 of them to see what we can learn.
Camels
In the book of Isaiah, we read about God’s blessing on Zion:
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. (Isaiah 60:6)
Questions
- How does the above verse show God’s blessing on Zion?
- As we read through the Scriptures, when is a nation blessed?
One of the best-know references to a camel in the Bible is found in the book of Matthew:
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24)
Questions
- What does this verse mean?
- Why do you think the Lord gave this illustration?
Eagle
In the Bible, eagles show the glory of God’s creation:
There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. (Proverbs 30:18)Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she. (Job 39:27-30)
Questions
- The author of the verse in proverbs says that an eagle is one of things that are “too wonderful for me”. What about an eagle is wonderful?
- In this passage God was showing Job that He alone is powerful. Why do you think He used the eagle as an example?
God often used the swiftness of the eagle to communicate coming judgment:
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; (Deuteronomy 28:49)Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. (Jeremiah 4:10-13)
Questions
- What about the eagle communicates judgment from God?
- How do you think this word-picture affected the hearers of God’s warning?
The Eagle also represents hope:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (Exodus 19:4)Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. (Psalm 103:5-6)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
Questions
- How does an eagle represent hope in the above verses?
- How do these verses contrast with the verses in which the eagle is used as judgment?
Goats
In the book of Job, the Lord demonstrates His glory to Job by telling of His glorious Creation. During this passage, he asks Job if he knows the answers to several questions:
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them. (Job 39:1-4)
Questions
- Could Job answer all the questions that the Lord was asking him? Why or why not?
- What was the point that God was making to Job?
- What can we learn from this passage about the goat?
There’s an interesting story about goats in the book of Genesis. It was during the time when Jacob was tending Laban’s flocks. Jacob and Laban were trying to strike an agreement on how Jacob would be paid:
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. (Genesis 30:31-35)
The story ends with the Lord blessing Jacob. The ringstraked, speckled, spotted, and goats with white patches multiplied greatly - and Jacob’s wealth increased.
Questions
- Who was responsible for Jacob’s increase in goats, sheep, and cattle?
- Why do you think that Jacob made this deal in the first place?
- What can we learn from this story?
Goats are also used in Scripture when referring to judgment:
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. (Ezekiel 34:17)When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:31-33)
Questions
- What is the judgment that each of these two verses referring to?
- Who are the cattle, rams, sheep and goats in this passage?
Lions
Lions are used in Scripture to show the Lord’s glory in creation:
Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. (Psalm 104:20-22)There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. (Proverbs 30:29-31
Questions
- Psalm 104 is a passage that celebrates God’s creation. What do we learn about His creation from the lions?
- In Proverbs 30 how does the lion celebrate God’s mighty power?
The Lion is often used as a form of judgment in Scriptures:
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. (Jeremiah 5:6)And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. (II Kings 17:25-26)
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. (Jeremiah 5:6)
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. (Hosea 5:14-15)
Questions
- Why do you think the Lord used lions in the above passages about judgment?
- What reasons were listed in these verses for why did God judged the people?
In Psalms, lions are used in prayers for provision:
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. (Psalm 34:9-10)But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. (Psalm 35:15-17)
Questions
- How does Psalm 34 contrast lions to those who seek after the Lord?
- In psalm 35, what do the lions represent?
We also read about some brave men’s encounters with lions:
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. (Judges 14:5-6)And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. (I Samuel 17:34-35)
Questions
- Where did the courage to face these lions come from?
- How did the Lord use these encounters in each man’s life?
The tribe of Judah is described throughout scripture as a lion:
Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? (Genesis 49:9)Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt. Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion. And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in their pit. And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 19:1-9)
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:5)
Questions
- Why do you think the tribe of Judah was called a lion?
- In the passage from Revelation, who is the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”?
Sheep
Sheep play a large part in Scripture. Early on we read about the Passover, when God rescued His people from Egypt:
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. (Exodus 12:1-12)
Questions
- What did the lamb represent?
- Why is this special day called the Passover?
- How did the death of the lamb symbolize their salvation?
Later in the desert after God rescued his people from Egypt, He set-up the sacrificial system:
Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. (Exodus 29:38)
Questions
- Why did God begin the sacrificial system?
- After their rescue from Egypt, what special meaning do you think the lamb had for the Israelites?
Many times throughout the Bible, God’s people are referred to as sheep:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (Psalm 23:1-2)Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (Psalm 77:20)
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)
Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. (Luke 10:3)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:1-16)
Questions
- Why do you think the Lord refers to His followers as sheep?
- What attributes of sheep also describe us?
- In John 10:1-6 what the point of Jesus’ parable?
Not only does the Bible call us sheep, but Jesus is also described as the Lamb of God:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:6-7)The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (John 1:35-36)
Questions
- Why is Jesus referred to as a lamb?
- What does it mean in Isaiah that He was brought to the slaughter?
The book of Hebrews records these words by Jesus:
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:8-10)
Questions
- How was Jesus the offering for sin?
- How does this scripture fulfill what was begun during that first Passover?
Stork
In the Bible, we can learn an important lesson from birds who know when it’s time to migrate:
Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7)
Questions
1. What does this verse mean? 2. Why don’t people know the judgment of the Lord?Swine
The Bible teaches lessons using the swine:
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. (Proverbs 11:22)
Questions
- What kind of picture does a pig with a jewel in its snout paint for us?
- What is the point of this proverb?
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (Matthew 7:6)
Questions
- In this passage, who is the swine?
- What is the pearl?
- Why don’t we want to cast our pearls before the swine?
Wolf
In Scripture, the wolf is often used to describe an adversary:
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. (Habakkuk 1:8)Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15)
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:29)
Questions
- What characteristics about wolves make them a great symbol of the enemy?
- What can we learn from the above verses?
End in Prayer
Finish by thanking the Lord for all His wonderful animals - and the lessons we can learn from them!
