Animals are all over God's green earth (even though most of it is blue). They have a key part in God's creation, since they were put on earth before humans were. Seeing as animals appear in multiple stories throughout the Bible, it is important for Christians to have a Biblical understanding of how God sees animals. From this Christians will also be able to understand how we are to treat the animals of God's creation.
When it comes to how Christians should treat animals...Christians SHOULD respect animals...AND treat them like animals.
One of the first places where God describes humankind's relationship with animals in the first chapter of Genesis. In verse 28 God gives the first humans Adam and Eve this command, "Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis). In the original Hebrew the word for "rule" is רָדָה (radah), which translates roughly to "subjugate." This same word appears in Psalm 72:8 where Solomon writes about a new king stating, "May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." It is clear humans have been put in dominion over God's creatures. Ruling over animals is not an uncommon practice. Parents rule over animals when they train the house dog, and the dog brings the family happiness and a sense of companionship. A soldier rules animals when they put a bridle on a horse and mount it, and the horse swiftly carries their rider into battle and home to shelter. God ruled over animals when He "directed the ravens to supply [Elijah] with food,” and the LORD kept His servant well fed. We, as believers, have been given the task of ruling over the animals of the earth and we can use the animals of the world to meet our needs.
Many of the animals God made were made for two distinct purposes. Some animals were made to meet humankind's needs. Humans needed a strong force to help with plowing and tilling their fields, and the ox is a beast of burden a part of God's creation. With the ox for human use, God gave commands on how to best respect this animal, such as how in Deuteronomy God commands His people "Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together" (22:10).
In addition to meeting the needs of humans, some animals were made with the intent of being symbolic. In the sermon on the mount Jesus teahces His followers how they are not to worry about anything, and He uses birds as a metaphor to aide His teaching. He tells those listening to Him, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (Matthew 6:26-27).
God even brings together these two distinct purposes of an animal meeting a need and an animal as a metaphor in the sheep. These meek and woolen creatures were valuable in the homes of the Israelites, because sheep were used as a source for food and for clothing. Lambs were also designed to be a metaphor for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In ancient Israel a lamb from each household was given to the priest, so that he could offer the lamb as a pure sacrifice to atone for Israel's sin. This lamb was a fuzzy metaphor of how Christ would die as the final sacrifice for all of humankind's sins. John the baptist prophesed his knowledge of this, when he saw Jesus and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
As useful creatures and beasts designed to point towards God's glory, Animals meet many of humankind's needs. Because of this, some humans believe that animals should be considered to be of equal value to humans. We, as believers, should not be mistaken, because humankind is above the animal kingdom.
Sources
Sources