It has long been said that a dog is man’s best friend. It is also said that if you live and work in Washington D.C., and you want to have a friend, buy a dog. What that means is that if you want a loyal and true friend in that city which is so filled with human greed, ambition, disloyalty, and lies, you will have to find such friendship in a dog. I don’t know what it is like to live in Washington DC, but that is the truth about dogs. Dogs are great! As columnist Dave Barry wrote, our dogs love us and look up to us; you can say any foolish thing to your dog, and still, your dog will look up into your eyes with an admiring look that seems to say, “Wow, you are right, I never would have thought of that!” If you google ‘dog quotes’ you will find all sorts of grateful tributes to these wonderful animals. Here are a few I found. Andy Rooney says, ‘The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.’ Ben Williams says, ‘There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.’ Another writes this tribute: ‘We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare; and in return, dogs give us their all— it is the best deal man has ever made.’ Finally, this one from Will Rogers– ‘If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.’ I still want to go to heaven, but I understand what he is saying.
Most of you have no doubt known a dog or two in your lifetime, and so you can probably relate to this well-deserved praise of these ‘best friends.’ The whole country would agree. There are 85 million pet dogs in the United States.
However, different cultures have had different views on dogs. I don’t know a single person who would consider eating a dog, but in China that is very acceptable. In Bible times, while dogs were never on the menu, neither were they considered man’s best friend. There are many references in the Bible to dogs, but not ever in the sense of any kind of warm relationship between people and dogs. Dogs were around, but usually spoken of negatively. There are only two passages that even hint at them being around the house. In one passage they are eating the crumbs that fall from the table, and in another passage, they are licking the wounds of a man; but even in those places it doesn’t say they are wanted or appreciated. In all other places, dogs are just referred to as we might refer to a raccoon or a coyote– an animal we are familiar with, but not as a friend or companion or pet. When used figuratively in the Bible, the word dog is always used in a negative sense. Enemies and wicked people are called dogs.
With these differences in mind, we might wonder What is the purpose of a dog? The purpose of cows and chickens and pigs is to give us something to eat. If they did not serve that purpose, there would not be nearly as many of them bred and raised. In this country, we certainly do not see that as the purpose of dogs– but what purpose do they serve? They used to help on the farm, but most dogs now are not farm dogs. They might help out as a watch dog and some use them for hunting; but I would guess most of the well fed and pampered dogs in America do none of that. I know that our dog Morgan did absolutely nothing around the house, and she was often times a bit of a bother. She contributed nothing to the finances, she did not do her fair share of household chores, and she did not even take care of herself– we had to feed her, bathe her, and let her outside. All she did was sleep and eat and beg for treats. Nancy and I survived just fine without her in the years before we had her, and now, since she died.
However, Morgan was a loving companion, and it was a joy to come home and be greeted by her at the door; to have her sit on our lap while watching TV; to see how excited she would get when we say ‘let’s go for a walk’; and, to see how much she appreciated the cheerios or carrots she would get for snacks. Morgan had lots of love to give, appreciated everything, and was always a good friend– and that is purpose enough for a dog. And now we miss her presence. She added so much to our lives.
I said all that about dogs to get you in mind for a bigger question, a question about people. In the same way as we might ask about the purpose of a dog, on another level we could just as well ask, what is the purpose of a person? What is your purpose? You were created by God, but what for? Just like I didn’t need a dog, God didn’t need you or me. God is self-sufficient and does not need anything. We serve no practical purpose for God, and God could get along quite nicely without any of us.
And, just like a dog can be a bother, the human race has been a huge burden and bother for God. The whole Bible can be read as the story of God’s frustration with the people he created. Again and again God attempts to call his people back to the goodness he created them for, and again and again those attempts are resisted and rejected.
The first chapter of Genesis tells the story of God creating the world, and in so doing, God created a home for us. In a sense, that is what we do for our pets. If we were not willing to create a home and a place for our pets, most would not be born. If millions of people were not making the decision to have pet dogs, many dogs would not be bred for sale; or, in other words, they would not exist. In Genesis God is creating a home for the people that he will create next. He would not call us his pets, but his children. In many ways, the purpose is much the same. God is not creating us out of need, no more than most pets are purchased for basic needs. But God created us because of a desire to give us the gift of life, and then, to be in a good relationship with us. It is to God’s great disappointment, anger, and grief that we so often ignore the relationship and are not loyal; just as it would disappoint us if our dog would do nothing but growl at us, ignore us, or run away from us. God sent His son Jesus Christ to earth to restore the relationship, and Jesus was put on a cross. And while we did not put Jesus on a cross in person, we too cause Jesus to suffer when we disobey him, fail to put our faith and trust in Him, or forget to pay him the attention he deserves and demands. In all of this, we could learn a great deal from our dogs.
If we could only be as loyal and faithful and thankful to God as our dogs are to us. We are beings far above our dogs in intellect and ability and spirit, and yet we do connect with our dogs. We are able to build a relationship that can still bring tears to our eyes for years after the old dog is gone. God is a being far above us, but God says we can know and love him, and create and maintain a relationship that will last unto all eternity; if we but give Him the opportunity. God does seem to want to have us around. God even ‘delights’ in us (Zephaniah 3:19).
We are probably a bit of a mystery to our dogs; speaking a language they don’t understand; coming and going, but they know not where or for how long; and sometimes returning with the smell of another dog on our clothes. I am sure they wonder about all of that, just like we wonder and question many things about God. But even without complete understanding, dogs are faithful, they trust us, they love us, and they show that love with enthusiastic devotion.
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Zephaniah 3:19 — The Lord your God is with you… He will take great delight in you.
Therefore, let us love God as our dogs love us; or, best of all, in the words of John in the Bible:
“We love, because God first loved us” (I John 4:19).
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Almighty God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our little brothers, to whom you have given this earth as their home in common with us. May we realize that they live, not for us alone, but for themselves and for thee, and that they love the sweetness of life even as we, and serve thee in their place. AMEN.
–Walter Rauschenbusch (American Lutheran pastor; 1861-1918)
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