The Dog In God's Reflection

“In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money cannot buy...to wit--the wag of a dog's tail.” — J. Billings

Dogs are incredible creatures that appear to have a never ending supply of joy and forgiveness, but why?

Some may say it is due to evolutionary processes. The dog has evolved, you see. The dog learned that if it has a super abundance of joy and forgiveness it will have a better chance at survival with human beings. This is ridiculous. Quite simply: dog’s are this way because they reflect their Creator, Yahweh.

God is a being who has life in Himself. I’ll skip the theological jargon and skip to the easy bits. This means that He is the embodiment of joy. That’s what His life is like. Infinite, weighty joy. It is also described as strength. (Neh. 8:10)

God tells the sun to come up every morning and it is very good. He delights in the mundanity of His creation. A child tells his father “Do it again Papa! Do it again!” Why does he do this? He is so full of life. Everything is full of wonder and enjoyment to him. Life is not dull. So it is with dogs. They will chase the same squirrel, the same ball, play the same fetch, or perform for praise or food or bite until they can’t. The dog is full of life. After the twentieth time you throw that ball they keep coming back for more. “Do it again, master!” They reflect God’s life in Himself.

To God’s covenant people He “remembers their sins no more.” Which is to say He pardons their sins and will never bring up the past. It’s always a clean slate. When they wrong Him, he absorbs it, disciplines them, restores them, and grows them. In a similar way dogs absorb the good, the bad, the lack or presence of self control, and tend to not hold a grudge. They are quite forgiving. God has made dogs in such a way that their memories work in favor of a sinful people. The creature is capable of giving many, many chances. Not only this, but the dog will even treat their master as if they had not wronged them. How much more God to those that call upon Him. He declares them righteous…and then treats them as if they are…

All of this is evident that dogs were created by God and bear His thumbprint. No wonder the Psalmist proclaims, “Praise the Lord from the earth, Ye dragons, and all deeps…Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying foul…Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Ps. 148:7, 10; 150:6)

The next time you see a dog expressing this life, take a moment to thank God and observe, as David did, God’s marvelous creation.