Distinction with a difference

There is sadness in the declaration of Genesis 9, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea." That represents change in those relationships or it wouldn't be there in this way. The animals are given as food shortly after the declaration of Genesis 8 that "the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth." This is a permanent state of affairs, the fallen nature of creation is now accepted as a given.

There is a distinction in the Bible between humans and animals. From the start, man had naming rights over the animals and was given dominion over the animal kingdom. It established a pecking order in creation. Now that distinction is more sharply drawn after the flood. A reckoning for shedding the blood of man is required for humans and animals because mankind bears the image of God, at some level it is an attack on Him. How horrible then that God Himself is killed my man on the cross at Golgotha.

If murder of man who bears God's image but whose intentions are evil requires reckoning, what must be required for the murder of God's Son whose intentions were not evil? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." As the future of creation depended on the faithfulness of Noah, so did the hope of eternity depend on the faithfulness of Jesus who is more than an image bearer. The writer of Hebrews says He is "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature..." Now about those intentions of the heart, can He do anything about that?