Story of the Bible Animals: A Description of the Habits and Uses of every living Creature mentioned in the Scriptures, with Explanation of Passages in the Old and New Testament in which Reference is made to themWood, J. G. (John George)
Religion
Story of the Bible Animals: A Description of the Habits and Uses of every living Creature mentioned in the Scriptures, with Explanation of Passages in the Old and New Testament in which Reference is made to them
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Animals in the Bible; Nature in the Bible
That the Wolf is a special enemy to the sheep-fold is shown in
many parts of the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments,
especially in the latter. In John x. 1-16, Jesus compares himself
to a good shepherd, who watches over the fold, and, if the wolves
should come to take the sheep, would rather give up His life than
they should succeed. But the false teachers are compared to bad
shepherds, hired for money, but having no interest in the sheep, and
who therefore will not expose themselves to danger in defence of
their charge.
This metaphor was far more effective in Palestine, and at that time,
than it is in this country and at the present day. In this land,
the shepherd has no anxiety about the inroads of wild beasts, but
in Palestine one of his chief cares was to keep watch at night lest
the wolves should attack the fold, and to drive them away himself in
case they should do so. Therefore the shepherd's life was one which
involved no small danger as well as anxiety, and the metaphor used
by our Lord gains additional force from the knowledge of this fact.
[Illustration: THE WOLF.]
A similar metaphor is used when Jesus wished to express in
forcible terms the dangers to which the chosen seventy would oft
be subjected, and the impossibility that they should be able to
overcome the many perils with which they would be surrounded. "Go
your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves" (Luke x.
3).
Mr. Tristram several times met wolves while he was engaged in his
travels, and mostly saw solitary specimens. One such encounter
took place in the wilderness of Judah: "On my way back, I met a
fine solitary wolf, who watched me very coolly, at the distance of
sixty yards, while I drew my charge and dropped a bullet down the
barrel. Though I sent the ball into a rock between his legs as he
stood looking at me in the wady, he was not sufficiently alarmed to
do more than move on a little more quickly, ever and anon turning
to look at me, while gradually increasing his distance. Darkness
compelled me to desist from the chase, when he quietly turned and
followed me at a respectful distance. He was a magnificent animal,
larger than any European wolf, and of a much lighter colour."
Those who are acquainted with the character of the animal will
appreciate the truthfulness of this description. The cautious
prowl at a distance, the slow trot away when he fancied he might
be attacked, the reverted look, and the final turning back and
following at a respectful distance, are all characteristic traits of
the Wolf, no matter to what species it may belong, nor what country
it may inhabit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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