Quote:
Originally Posted by Esaias
The "life" in the creatures was not created ex nihilo, as your statement here seems to suggest. The waters were commanded to "bring forth" the sea creatures and birds, the earth was commanded to "bring forth" animals (as well as plants). So the question is, where did their "life" come from? Was it created ex nihilo? No.
Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 KJV (18) I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. (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. (21) Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Here Solomon is commenting on the similarity between men and living creatures (beasts), that they have essentially the same apparent fate - death. Both are of the dust (earth) and both return to dust. But in his remarks is an interesting statement that the spirit of the beasts goes downward to the earth, whereas the spirit of men goes upward (obviously, to heaven and to God). This is further confirmed in the same book:
Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
From this we see that the spirit (of life, the animating factor) of beasts returns to the earth, and the spirit of man returns to God who gave it. This of course reflects the Genesis account where God "breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life".
Nothing is said or implied about the spirits of beasts or of people being "created ex nihilo", in fact the opposite seems to be suggested - that the spirit of beasts comes from the earth and the spirit of man comes from God.
In any event, the use of terms like "bara" and "asah" do not prove anything one way or the other in regards to these things, as shown.
Edit to add:
Psa 104:4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
The word there is asah - God asah'd the angels as spirit beings. Apparently He did not bara them? |
It seems to me that Solomon asks a rhetorical question in verse 21. He is not actually saying that the spirit of the beast and of man go two different places. He starts verse 21 out with the statement who knoweth? The same breath of life is in both man and beast. O coarse, mankind is given dominion over all the beast, foul, fish, etc... for we (mankind) are created in the image of God.
I have noticed although animals are not as intelligent as man, they have the capacity to love, fear, hate, etc... I am a dog catcher and have seen animals grieve over the death of their masters. I don't believe that there will be a doggy ressurection or anything (there is no biblical mention, although it is interesting that God did save a remnant from the flood of Noah) I think this verse in Ecclesiastes should cause us to value all life.
IMHO
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