When we first consider animals in the Bible, Noah's Ark is probably the first story to come to mind. Different types of animals appear throughout scriptures.
Talking animals?
Two interesting stories appear early in the Bible about animals that spoke. In Genesis 3, it says a serpeant (snake) enticed Eve into disobeying God by eating fruit of the forbidden tree. This particular story may be a figurative way of saying she was tempted and failed the test. But, later on in Numbers 22, the story of Balaam's donkey speaking is a miracluous example of God revealing himself. |
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This may cause confusion and lead some people to believe that animals could speak at one point. Evolutionists have even tried pushing their agenda by teaching sign language to monkeys and apes. If evolution were true according to their theories, no human intervention would be needed. The animals would have learned to speak on their own.
Snakes appear again in Egypt
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In Exodus 7:8-12, Moses and his brother Aaron visited the acting pharaoh in Egypt to pursuade him to let the Jews go free that he held in bondage. To show God's power, he turned Moses and Aaron's staffs (walking sticks) into snakes. While pharaoh's magicians were also able to perform this trick, they were shocked to see their snakes devoured by the snakes from Moses' and Aaron's staffs. This signified that God was more powerful than their "magic". As the rest of the story of Exodus shows, God sent plagues on Egypt to punish pharaoh for treating Jacob's descendants so harshly. |
Miracles with fish
In Biblical days, one way people hunted for food was by fishing.
In the story of Jonah, God instructed him to go witness to the Babylonians to persuade them to turn from their wicked ways. Jonah didn't have compassion on them and believed they deserved the fate they made for themselves. He refused to make the trip and tried running from God. God allowed a large fish to swallow Jonah after he was thrown from the ship during a rough storm that God caused. Jonah stayed in the belly of the fish for 3 days until he was cast ashore and set back on the path of God's direction.
A few miracles were done by Jesus with fish. Not only did he feed over 5 thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish, but He also repeated this miracle by feeding over 4 thousand people with just a few fish and loaves of bread. Jesus also displayed His power to the 12 disciples by having them catch a large catch of fish in John 21:1-14. Matthew 17:23-26 was an interesting story about a fish caught with a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax.
Various other animals throughout scripture
Prior to Jesus on the cross, (Old Testament) animal sacrifices were offered as atonement for the sins of people. Jesus' shed blood put an end to that. He was the last sacrificial lamb.
Job is said to be a book about as old as Genesis and has many mentions of different types of animals.
Horses have been used for riding, and subsequently had uses for cattle herding as well as for traveling. Horses were used to pull chariots by the Mitanni, Hittites, and the Egyptians. We also know that the Mongols and Native Americans used horses to gain an elevated advantage in battle.
Hammurabi is said to have trained elephants in the same manner as horses for mounted attacks.
Donkeys or mules have been used to carry heavy items especially in rocky landscapes. That probably helped early man make the journey through various mountain regions.
Birds were also referenced. Jesus says that God takes care of the birds, so people shouldn't worry about their basic needs being provided. God will take care of us if we follow His ways.
Matthew 6:26 says: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?".