And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.
Genesis 4:4
In the beginning God create a perfect place for mankind and nature. We could all live together in perfect harmony. The lion literally slept with the lamb. God has promised us that He will recreate that perfect harmony again when He brings us into the New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21).
God created the universe from nothing and out of the whole universe sin entered only one place and that place is Planet Earth. When Eve and then Adam fell into temptation, God’s perfect creation was damaged and no longer sinless. Satan, who was once one of God’s strongest angels found a weak spot in creation, temptation, and from that point on, everything changed.
The lion no longer lay down with the lamb, instead the lion pursued the lamb and killed it. But there was one Lamb that couldn’t be killed and that was the Lamb of God, Jesus. Jesus died on the cross but was raised from the dead three days later. And then on Ascension Day He rose up to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God (Acts 1.9)
Jesus promises us that we will also gain that opportunity in John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” He promises us that there is a place for us that He is preparing.
But let’s go back to the predator vs prey. After the fall of man, we became hunter/gatherers, living off the land and taking everything that was there for us. Human beings are omnivores, along with a few other animals like bears, skunks, rats and raccoons which all eat both plants and animals. Interestingly enough, man rarely consumes either predators or omnivores.
Man is considered an apex predator which means it’s at the top of the food chain. I’d tend to disagree a little because I’m sure a shark or a lion or any of the other large cats would be interested in a taste of humans, given the opportunity. But there’s an interesting trait that separates predators from prey and it’s relatively easy to distinguish.
The eyes of a predator are set on the front of its face to give it the ability to focus on prey. If you watch a lion stalk it’s prey, its eyes will be trained on it and never leave, even blinking is kept to a minimum. As the predator begins the chase, its eyes never vary from the prey.
Prey animals, however have their eyes on the side of their heads. This gives them almost 360° of sight around their bodies and allows them to see motion all around them. As the predator moves from stalking to pursuing the prey rapidly sees that movement and the chase is on.
Although God had created a perfect world when all the life lived in harmony, the animals were prepared by God to fulfill their roles of predator or prey. Our world today is spoiled, and moreso under the current COVID-19 outbreak. This is just another sign that Jesus will soon return and take the worthy home with Him.
God bless.
Shiny Side Up 