” 26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth(Genesis 1:26).”
At what point did someone think this was a good idea?
photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org
I was sitting at Seaworld. I understand that can be controversial and my intention for this entry is not to convince you to be pro or con Seaworld, but I was sitting there watching men and women swim with Beluga Whales. These Whales are not predators and are peaceful mammals. There haven’t been any deaths or major incidents with them. It makes sense that men and women can train these whales and jump in the tank with them.
As I watched the show I pondered the other venue across the park. This venue is where they do the main attraction which is the Orcas, otherwise known as the Killer Whales. These mammals at Seaworld range from the youngest being about 2000 pounds and their largest being 9000 pounds. Here is some of the main ideas we know about them in the wild: They rule the ocean. They swim in pods of maybe even 20 whales at a time. They have been known to kill sharks. They are beautiful and fun to look at. They can be trained to do amazing tricks, but make no mistake about it, they may be beautiful, but they are beautiful killers. God made them to be wild predators. Trainers used to swim with the Orcas and the shows were amazing. What these trainers did with these mammals was unreal. It was better than any high flying acrobat at the circus. Man had successfully trained beast, or so they thought. You know the rest of the story. Some of the whales turned on men and women and killed them. Again, my point is not for or against Seaworld, obviously I take my family there and have observed them trying to rebrand themselves.
photo credit: animalia-life.club
But, here is the biblical thought. Someone at some point decided it was a good idea to get in the tank with a Killer Whale and swim. Someone thought, I can ride that whale. Ponder our verse for the day. Before sin came into the world, there was no death, and man and women were to rule over the land and the sea. Before sin we were assigned this task of governing even the animals. After sin we gave up our rightful place.
So, I guess buried under the pride it takes to swim with whales or dance with the devil, is possibly the remnant of some godly desire to rule over even the creatures of the sea. But at the core we are left with only pride. We gave up our status and only Christ can restore our broken world to the state where the lion lays down with the lamb, and the saint swims with the whale. To try to restore this for ourselves will lead to our destruction. We must not swim with whales. Have you jumped in the tank with any whales in your own life? God has you, but don’t let pride win. Get out of the tank before it kills you.
Am I swimming with a Killer Whale in my life? Is there an area of my life that pride rules me in this way? At what point will the animal turn and devour me? Pride is an ugly thing and God hates pride. He loves us, but our pride opposes Him.
Lord Jesus, help me to walk in your holiness, reject pride to rest in your humility. Amen.
Main Takeaway:
Pride Leads to Destruction!
Other Topical Tuesdays:
The Weight of Guilt (Topical Tuesday)
Blessed With Depression (Topical Tuesday – Depression)
Pigs to Promise Luke 15:11-17 (Topical Tuesday – Addiction)
Pigs to Promise Luke 15:11-17 Part II – (Addiction)
Pigs to Promise Part III “The Father’s Love” (Topical Tuesday – Addiction)
Pigs to Promise Part IV “What About Me?” (Topical Tuesday – Addiction)
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Wow! Great analogy and strong message! Amen brother!
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Thank you Brother!
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Great word!!!
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Thank you brother!
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Good post, Aaron. We don’t seem to talk much about pride in the Evangelical Church in America. Yet it’s the original sin. I remember reading CS Lewis’s take on this topic. It was eye-opening. How insidious is pride that it’s really the root cause for many, if not most, of my sinful behaviors. It is what forced Satan from heaven, it’s what expelled our forefathers from the Garden, and it’s what leads me astray now. Yes we had dominion, but what we have left is just a shadow. Good thoughts, man. Thanks.
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Thanks Chip,
You bring up some great points. We don’t talk about Pride much being a huge one. I almost think it is because we value it in some weird way. Pastors who are work aholics – get the pat on the back, to be sure of ourselves and bold and in your face with doctrine is a value. We value being angry about the right things (or the things we consider right). We do all dream of getting the glory, while we talk about Jesus getting the glory. At least I catch myself doing it. Thanks for reading, good thoughts.
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