Is a Dog God's Runner-up as Man's Helper?

The Bible starts with creation in the book of Genesis. Chapter 1 is known as the story of creation, and it is a chronological story and includes the creation of man. Genesis chapter 2 is sometimes referred to as the second creation story but really it fills in other details that were omitted in chapter 1. Chapter 2 has more details in the story of Adam and Eve, and there is an unusual verse in the second book of Genesis that is often overlooked. God doesn’t want Adam to be alone so He brings all of the animals that He created, presents them to Adam so that Adam can name them and to see if any of them will be a suitable helper for Adam in the Garden of Eden (Ge 2:19-21). We know that all of the animals were made of the same dirt that Adam was made from (Ge 2:19). God gave all the plants He had made as food for Adam and all of the animals (Ge 1:29-30). At that time, we may also conclude that the animals had a more special relationship with humankind because they were not afraid of Adam. We know that because after the flood God told Noah that the animals would fear humankind and also gave Noah and his progeny permission to eat meat (Ge 9:1-3).

So, what does all this mean? First God created man and all of the animals from the same material with the exception that Adam was created in the image of God (Ge 1:26). God expected that Adam would find a suitable helper in one of the animals, but he did not. Eve was not made from the earth but from a bone from Adam. That would make her also made in the image of God just like Adam but also different than Adam in the way she was made. Eve not only became a suitable helper for Adam but also, because she came from Adam, was an intimate part of him and could be considered as “married” to him (Ge2:23). We know that God intended that Adam and the animals would work and be in God’s Garden. With Eve as Adam’s helper, we don’t know if the animals worked alongside Adam and Eve. We do know that a special relationship existed with the animals and both Adam and Eve – this was indicated when Eve started talking with the snake about the apple tree.

So, what about the animals? After Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, there was still a special relationship with animals and humankind as demonstrated when Noah was loading the ark (Ge 7:7-9). After the flood, God told Noah that the animals would fear humankind, and so our relationship with all animals is different than before. That does not mean that all animals are afraid of us now, just that our relationship was changed. God has told us to be stewards of both the land and the animals. In our preoccupation with ourselves we forget our responsibility, and our selfishness causes us to use our resources as if the animals don’t matter. We need to be good stewards as God intended. As to the animals and which animal is first runner-up as our helper, we can look at a poll. Dogs are the most popular animal followed by Cats #2, Chickens #3, and horses #4. Only another human, spouse, girlfriend, etc., is a better companion and helper for a human.

The Disciple Group hopes that you appreciate this enlightening discussion and that you go home and pet your Dog (or Cat?) and give a hug to those significant human helpers in your life. The Disciple Group would also like you to join us so please consider giving up a little bit of your time and join us. Ask Pastor Gary how you can start.