Category
VERSES ABOUT NATURE
Think about this: God created everything. The earth, the sky, the whole world—it all belongs to Him. He made it all, just like Exodus 20:11 says: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." He created it all perfectly, and He deserves all the praise for the amazing things He's done.
You know, we should really stand in awe of God and give Him glory. The time is coming when He will judge the world, so let's worship the One who made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.
When you're out enjoying nature – at the beach, in the mountains, or just looking at a beautiful tree – remember who made it all so beautiful and perfect. Let's give God all the glory He deserves.
A [consistently] righteous man regards the life of his beast, but even the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. [Deut. 25:4.]
The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
He causes vegetation to grow for the cattle, and all that the earth produces for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth–
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?
You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the grain. [I Cor. 9:9, 10; I Tim. 5:17, 18.]
If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying [helpless] under his load, you shall refrain from leaving the man to cope with it alone; you shall help him to release the animal.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your judgments are like the great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy Mount [Zion], says the Lord.
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!–[Job 12:7.]Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler,Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or uncared for in the presence of God.
O Lord, how many and varied are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your riches and Your creatures.
And in that day will I make a covenant for Israel with the living creatures of the open country and with the birds of the heavens and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow and the sword and [abolish battle equipment and] conflict out of the land and will make you lie down safely.
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons not [yet old enough to] know their right hand from their left, and also many cattle [not accountable for sin]?
If a bird's nest should chance to be before you in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother bird is sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother bird with the young.You shall surely let the mother bird go, and take only the young, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.
Six days you shall do your work, but the seventh day you shall rest and keep Sabbath, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your bondwoman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted domestic animal together; and a little child shall lead them.
For your domestic animals also and for the [wild] beasts in your land; all its yield shall be for food.
Who provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
But the seventh year you shall release it and let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat [what the land voluntarily yields], and what they leave the wild beasts shall eat. In like manner you shall deal with your vineyard and olive grove.
You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger or the foreigner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to an alien. [They are not under God's law in this matter] but you are a people holy to the Lord your God. You shall not [even] boil a kid in its mother's milk.
For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills or upon the mountains where thousands are.I know and am acquainted with all the birds of the mountains, and the wild animals of the field are Mine and are with Me, in My mind.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom and will gently lead those that have their young.
You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: [I Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22, 23; Heb. 2:6-8.]All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
And whether [the mother] is a cow or a ewe, you shall not kill her and her young both in one day.
And He said to them, Which of you, having a son or a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not at once pull him out on the Sabbath day?
WHOEVER LOVES instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.
The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen, [Isa. 41:17, 18; 48:21.]
And went to him and dressed his wounds, pouring on [them] oil and wine. Then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
For in the Law of Moses it is written, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it [only] for oxen that God cares? [Deut. 25:4.]
I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before Me.I will accept no bull from your house nor he-goat out of your folds.
For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even [in the end] one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath and spirit, so that a man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!
There shall the arrow snake make her nest and lay her eggs and hatch them and gather her young under her shade; there shall the kites be gathered [also to breed] every one with its mate.
But He said to them, What man is there among you, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit or ditch on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?How much better and of more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and allowable to do good on the Sabbath days.
These all wait and are dependent upon You, that You may give them their food in due season.
DO YOU know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth [their young]? [Or] do you observe when the hinds are giving birth? [Do you attend to all this, Job?]
They give drink to every [wild] beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst there.
Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
And the cow and the bear shall feed side by side, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats [will furnish you] the price of a field.
If a man leaves a pit open or digs a pit and does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it,The owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to the animal's owner, but the dead beast shall be his.
I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season.
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine. [I Cor. 10:26.]
Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; [I Sam. 19:4; Esth. 4:16; Job 29:15, 16.]
Observe and consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn; and [yet] God feeds them. Of how much more worth are you than the birds!
And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
And I will cast you forth into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall upon the open field and not be gathered up or buried. I have given you for food to the [wild] beasts of the earth and the birds of the heavens.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. [Heb. 12:1-3.]
Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young–even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
AND GOD [earnestly] remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters sank down and abated.
And the Angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? See, I came out to stand against and resist you, for your behavior is willfully obstinate and contrary before Me.And the ass saw Me and turned from Me these three times. If she had not turned from Me, surely I would have slain you and saved her alive.
And of every living thing of all flesh [found on land], you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.Of fowls and birds according to their kinds, of beasts according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind–two of every sort shall come in with you, that they may be kept alive.
You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down by the way, and hide from [your duty concerning] them; you shall surely help him to lift them up again.
Likewise shall you do with your oxen and your sheep. Seven days the firstborn [beast] shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.He gives to the beast his food, and to the young ravens that for which they cry.
Say to the Israelites: These are the animals which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. [Mark 7:15-19.]All winged insects that go upon all fours are to be an abomination to you;Yet of all winged insects that go upon all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground.Of these you may eat: the whole species of locust, of bald locust, of cricket, and of grasshopper. [Matt. 3:4.]But all other winged insects which have four feet shall be detestable to you.And by [contact with] these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening,And whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.Every beast which parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you; everyone who touches them shall be unclean.And all that go on their paws, among all kinds of four-footed beasts, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,And he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.These also are unclean to you among the creeping things [that multiply greatly] and creep upon the ground: the weasel, the mouse, any kind of great lizard,Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, any of these animals you may eat.
YOU SHALL not see your brother's ox or his sheep being driven away or stolen, and hide yourself from [your duty to help] them; you shall surely take them back to your brother. [Prov. 24:12.]
There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:The ants are a people not strong, yet they lay up their food in the summer; [Prov. 6:6.]
Of every clean beast you shall receive and take with you seven pairs, the male and his mate, and of beasts that are not clean a pair of each kind, the male and his mate, [Lev. 11.][In fact] the waters became fifteen cubits higher, as the high hills were covered.And all flesh ceased to breathe that moved upon the earth–fowls and birds, [tame] animals, [wild] beasts, all swarming and creeping things that swarm and creep upon the land, and all mankind.Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils were the breath and spirit of life died.God destroyed (blotted out) every living thing that was upon the face of the earth; man and animals and the creeping things and the birds of the heavens were destroyed (blotted out) from the land. Only Noah remained alive, and those who were with him in the ark. [Matt. 24:37-44.]And the waters prevailed [mightily] upon the earth or land 150 days (five months).Also of the birds of the air seven pairs, the male and the female, to keep seed [their kind] alive over all the earth or land.
You shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your livestock that are males shall be the Lord's.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, or your manservant or your maidservant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the stranger or sojourner who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.
You shall not plow with an ox [a clean animal] and a donkey [unclean] together. [II Cor. 6:14-16.]
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: [I Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22, 23; Heb. 2:6-8.]All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green vegetables and plants, I give you everything.But you shall not eat flesh with the life of it, which is its blood.
Have you given the horse his might? Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane?Can you number the months that they carry their offspring? Or do you know the time when they are delivered,Was it you [Job] who made him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his [snorting] nostrils is terrible.He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons [of armed men].He mocks at fear and is not dismayed or terrified; neither does he turn back [in battle] from the sword.The quiver rattles upon him, as do the glittering spear and the lance [of his rider].[He seems in running to] devour the ground with fierceness and rage; neither can he stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet.As often as the trumpet sounds he says, Ha, ha! And he smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your domestic animals breed with a different kind [of animal]; you shall not sow your field with mixed seed, neither wear a garment of linen mixed with wool.
There are three things which are stately in step, yes, four which are stately in their stride:I have not learned skillful and godly Wisdom, that I should have the knowledge or burden of the Holy One.The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and turns not back before any;The war horse [well-knit in the loins], the male goat also, and the king [when his army is with him and] against whom there is no uprising.
Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?
And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creeping things, and [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so.
As for the life of all flesh, the blood of it represents the life of it; therefore I said to the Israelites, You shall partake of the blood of no kind of flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats of it shall be cut off.
[The acts of the hypocrite's worship are as abominable to God as if they were offered to idols.] He who kills an ox [then] will be as guilty as if he slew and sacrificed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb or a kid, as if he broke a dog's neck and sacrificed him; he who offers a cereal offering, as if he offered swine's blood; he who burns incense [to God], as if he blessed an idol. [Such people] have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;
For ask now the animals, and they will teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character]; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
The Lord is [rigidly] righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works.
He causes vegetation to grow for the cattle, and all that the earth produces for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth–And wine that gladdens the heart of man, to make his face shine more than oil, and bread to support, refresh, and strengthen man's heart.
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. [Isa. 66:22; II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1.]
The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, [but] are they the pinions and plumage of love?The ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground and warms them in the dust,Forgetting that a foot may crush them or that the wild beast may trample them.She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labor is in vain because she has no sense of danger [for her unborn brood],For God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has He imparted to her understanding.Yet when she lifts herself up in flight, [so swift is she that] she can laugh to scorn the horse and his rider.
Beside them the birds of the heavens have their nests; they sing among the branches. [Matt. 13:32.]
Like the cattle that go down into the valley [to find better pasturage, refuge, and rest], the Spirit of the Lord caused them to rest. So did You lead Your people [Lord] to make for Yourself a beautiful and glorious name [to prepare the way for the acknowledgment of Your name by all nations].