Each Animal After Its own Kind
On the fifth day of creation God brought forth all the different types of animals that teem in the water. God also made all the types of birds and other things that fly in the air on the fifth day.
On the sixth day of creation God finished his work by creating all the animals that live on land. Genesis 1:24-25 says, And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
We need to understand the difference between wild animals, livestock and creatures that move along the ground. Creatures that move along the ground are:
- Annelids – worms
- Mollusks – snails & slugs (gastropods-stomach foot)
- Arthropods – insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes
- Reptiles – snakes, turtles, lizards, crocodiles
- Amphibians – frogs, toads, salamanders
The creatures that move along the ground are cold-blooded animals. That means that their body heat varies according to the outside temperature of air. If it is cold outside, they are cold and can’t move. If it is warm, they are active and warm. If it gets too hot, they have to go somewhere cool. Some of them, reptiles and amphibians, are vertebrates meaning that they are animals with an inside skeleton and a backbone. Birds and fish are also vertebrates.
Wild animals and livestock are made up of mammals. Wild animals are those living in a state of nature, not ordinarily tamed or living with humans. Livestock are animals kept or raised for use or pleasure, farm animals. All mammals have certain characteristics:
- They are warm-blooded (maintain a constant body temperature that doesn’t vary with outside temperature).
- They all have hair or fur in varying amounts at some point in their lives.
- They give birth to live babies (except for the platypus and echidnas) and produce milk to feed their young.
- They have a large, well-developed brain.
Just like the multitude of animals that live in the sea there is a myriad of animals that live on land. Each animal was designed by God and has a purpose. God created a world in which they could grow and flourish. Some of the animals he made useful to people (livestock), others he left to be wild in nature. God knows each and every animal and they all belong to him.
Psalm 50:11-12 says, 11I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
All that God created has a design and fits into his good plan. God is involved in and knows his creation. It is good to serve the Lord Almighty who loves and takes care of us and all his creation.
- Overview Questions: What are the three categories of land animals that God created and examples of each? What are mammals? What does it mean that each type of animal was created according to its kind?
- Prayer: Thank God for all that he has created and the variety and vastness of his creation. Praise him for his incomparable wisdom and understanding. Pray that you would grow in understanding and appreciation of all he has done and continues to do.
- Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 50:11-12
11I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
What can we learn from the animals?
Every living creature is known by and belongs to God.