Another Coincidence or God’s Doing?
In order to understand this relationship example, a little bit of background is helpful.
Some quick history. According to Genesis, God created the heavens and earth, then the creatures of the earth, then later God created man to rule over those creatures, each creature in it’s kind serving a particular purpose. God, later still, brought the animals to man so that he could name them. After that God created a suitable helper for man, which man (not God) then named as woman (in that order Genesis 1:24,1:26, 2:19, 2:22 & 2:23).
Don’t worry, this isn’t a bible study, rather an ancient chronology of the order of events as recorded. (1st came the) Creatures, (then 2nd) Man & (finally 3rd) Woman. Some would argue that God saved the best for last or simply improved as he went along. In the interests of peace I’ll just move along. I can’t speak intelligently to the original Hebrew or Greek origins of the historical transcripts which were later translated into English, except to say the words are visually different. Irrespective of this, I’ve long pondered the unusual relationship (symbolic or otherwise accidental) between the alpha reverse word names for “GOD” and “DOG”.
Now, moving along quickly it seems like man, by seniority, got the naming rights (sorry ladies) but it was the later translations (not Adam) that created this unusual comparison. Man chose to name woman as a derivative of himself (again the original words are different and that’s another blog), but one creature group (remember now, the English language still didn’t exist), he named with a word that would one day become the alpha reverse of God, arguably the most important word in the English language. Coincidence? Statistically, coincidences are ultimately a sure thing, no coincidences at all would be an anomaly in an orderly world. So it’s possible I guess but I can’t accept that approach. The following observations have led me to another obvious conclusion.
- Men and women may rule over a variety of creatures but when it comes to dogs, they repeatedly evidence an incredibly tender place in their hearts (love) and their kingdoms (homes).
- All good men and women are tolerant, forgiving and expectant of a simple dogs innocent yet regular transgressions.
- The average dog meanwhile is unusually devoted to it’s master, forgetful at times but always subordinated and appreciative. They constantly offer love, joy and affection to their highly appreciative ruler. If this wasn’t the case, why would 39% of the U.S. population own at least one dog?
- A dog is one of the most forgiving creatures on earth (probably due to short term memory limitations) but still wonderfully so! Why, because these creatures intuitively know that their masters love them.
- Dogs are classic examples of the bible’s first commandment, loving their masters with all of their heart and being.
- A dog, by example relates to man; as man should in turn, relate to God. Man with superior intellect and understanding should be able to offer substantially more, but that same intellect often interferes with common sense. God asks nothing more of man that man asks of his dog, to love, honor and obey.
So how could this be just another random coincidence? Humankind should see and learn from this odd example and show our love, affection and appreciation to our creator and master as many times each day as we can find the opportunity to. If we did this, our LORD and master (GOD who is infinitely superior to man) would surely show his gracious appreciation in our lives!
JC Calkins, with Common Sense 4 Uncommon People
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