| Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My! |
L I O N S A N D T I G E R S A N D B E A R S O H M Y !
No, it wasn't Kansas, and it wasn't Oz.
It was Ohio, USA, near Zanesville.
Sher Khan, from the Jungle Book film
A troubled man who kept a private wild animal preserve decided to make a BIG change. His load had become too heavy for him, and he decided to end his life. First however, he opened up the cages and gates in the animal compound, setting the animals free. Then he shot himself. Because he did not leave a note explaining his actions, his immediate motive is unknown.
And as usual, when a coward refuses to accept responsibility for his own mistakes, other people have to clean up the mess.
That's how wild, exotic animals were now roaming freely over the countryside. About 56 of them were counted by the time the emergency was over. Police and parents were concerned for the safety of the people, and some of the animals were humanely shot with drugs to anesthetize them. Most were shot with the intention to kill.
For years, the local population had lived on constant alert and fear for their families' lives. Quoting a news report:
Sheriffs in Zanesville, Ohio, a mostly rural area about 55 miles east of Columbus, have been working with zoo officials and wildlife expert Jack Hanna and agreed on a shoot-to-kill order, considering the immediate danger presented to the community.
"If you had 18 Bengal tigers running around this area, you folks wouldn't want to see what would happen," Hanna said at a press conference.
The deceased animals include a wolf, six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, a baboon, three mountain lions and 18 tigers, authorities said. They were buried at the location they were killed.
Authorities were able to transport six animals to the Columbus Zoo, a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys."
Since this communications ministry always tries to connect the dots, and to look into the signs of the times through a biblical lens, we are reminded of the following:
Then the LORD said to me, "Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand
before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from
My presence and let them go! And it shall be that when they say to you,
'Where should we go?'
then you are to tell them, 'Thus says the LORD:
"Those destined for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity."'
I will appoint over them four kinds of doom," declares the LORD:
"the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky
and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms
of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah,
the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 15:1-4
What's that? Did God say that he was going to loose judgment on the people
because of the sins of their leaders?
Yes, that is what the LORD told Jeremiah.
Hezekiah had been a pretty good king. He made some mistakes,
but for the most part, he obeyed God. But when the LORD told him
that it was time for him to die and to put his house in order,
Hezekiah cried like a baby and begged for his life. His prayer was answered
and Hezekiah was given fifteen more years of earthly life.
But what happened then was the source of the tragedy now overtaking
the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Hezekiah conceived a son, Manasseh. When Hezekiah died,
Manasseh took the throne at twelve years of age, and became
a curse to the people. His evil rebellion invited the wrath of the LORD.
So when we see wild animal situations, such as in Ohio recently,
let us remember the ancient history concerning Hezekiah
and his son, Manasseh. We REALLY need to impress our children
with biblical examples. They need to understand that
"actions have consequences"
is more than a parental statement of caution.
IT IS A UNIVERSAL LAW.
If we rebel against the commandments of God, and deliberately
continue to sin, if we try to impose our own will over the will
of the Almighty, it will result in death and destruction
to our families as well as ourselves.
Ah, but the God of Glory is also the God of Mercy!
Through Isaiah the prophet, He promised:
It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer;
and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will graze together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
and dust will be the serpent's food.
They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.
Isaiah 64:24-25
Today, wild animals and mankind are still enemies,
but it will not always be so.
When satan and sin have been banished,
ALL OF GOD'S CREATION WILL LIVE IN PEACE,
ONE WITH ANOTHER,
FOR GOD'S LOVE
WILL CONQUER ALL!