Dogs Stay Dogs

It is quite evident that the hypothesis of evolution does not apply in the dog family. Way back in Exodus 11:7, dogs are mentioned and they are again referred to clear down to the end of time in Revelation 22:15. They are mentioned frequently throughout the Scriptures and never in a commendable way. It is true that the dogs licked the sores of Lazarus, but only a dog would do it. It seems strange that this pet which is so admired and esteemed among men, should not find some commendable place in the Scriptures. We all admire those wonderful St. Bernard dogs that are trained to save life in the mountain passes. We love to watch the beautiful posture of the bird dog as it "points" or "sets" before the prey. We admire the swiftness of the greyhound and the courage of the mastiff, but dogs get no word of commendation from the Lord.

"Without are dogs" is the terse comment with regard to the final ending of these peculiarly attractive animals (Revelation 22:15). Why should such a comment be found in Holy Writ. Perhaps it is because men and women spend so much time and money and affections on that which God utterly rejects. Many a one has time for a dog who has no time for God. Have you noticed that "dog" is the backward way of spelling "God"? Those who will not walk with God are glad to walk with a dog. Those who care little for God's glory, often care much for a dog's comfort. Some who give nothing to God will spend much on their dog. God tells us that the dogs will be shut out from Heaven and those who preferred the dog to God will be shut out with their pets.

The price of a dog was not acceptable in the service of the Tabernacle, (Deut. 23:18). The Tabernacle was holy, while the dog was unholy. The Tabernacle was clean, while the dog was unclean. The Tabernacle was for the priests, not for puppies. The time spent in the Tabernacle was profitable, while time spent on dogs was wasted. God arranged for the fellowship of Saints in the Tabernacle. There was no provision there for fellowship with dogs. The presence or the price of a dog had no place in the sacred courts of God.

Our Lord Jesus compared His enemies to dogs in Psalm 22:16, saying, "For dogs have compassed me." There were wild dogs in those days. They were like wolves. They wandered around the cities seeking the dead bodies, killing and destroying and were feared by men. The howling multitude around Calvary behaved like dogs. They shouted their epithets at Christ. They gnashed upon Him with their teeth. They struck Him with their fists. They spit upon Him. They would have torn Him limb from limb if possible. Even today men in hatred call each other dogs, a name of shame. Christ hugged no dogs to His bosom. He did not spend His morning in the park giving a dog its morning exercise. He held no Pekinese against His cheek in loving embrace. Christ chose the company of those who loved His Father, who worshipped God and who followed Him.

A certain class of preachers is described in the Scripture as dogs, in Isaiah 56:10 and 11. They seek to feed themselves on the fat of the land but give no warning to lost sinners. They love their own comforts, but have no care for the souls of the lost. They are not awake to the danger of sinners nor to the fearfulness of the wrath of God. They are sleeping while the battle between the Savior and Satan rages. They do not warn the wicked of his danger but accept the gifts of the wicked as the price of their silence. These are compared to greedy dogs. They are never satisfied with anything. They are not found resting in the love of Christ. Nor are they satisfied with the Scriptures. These must give book reviews, written by others, as blind as themselves, because in their drowsiness they see little beauty in the Word of God. These do not understand the need of God's people, nor the hunger of the Saints of the Lord for living bread. These look for their own gain from their own quarter and live lives pleasing to themselves. God calls them dogs, and God says the dogs will be outside the city walls of the new Jerusalem.

Gentiles were compared to dogs in Mark 7:27 and 28. A Gentile woman pleaded with Christ for her daughter. She was a believing mother. She was a praying mother. She was a mother who came to Christ about her girl. How blessed it would be if every mother did so. Sometimes, the mother, herself, needs to be prayed for, because she has become the prey of the world and of Satan. Christ's answer to her prayer was, "It is not meet to take the children's bread to cast it unto the dogs." Jesus had come to Israel, to the Jews, not the Samaritans. The humble heart of this mother at once took the place given to her and she replied, "Yes, Lord, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." Such faith and trust moved the heart of the lovely Lord and He granted her the desire of her heart, the healing of her daughter. It is not easy to take the place of a dog but she did it. It is humbling to be called a dog, but she was willing to be humble. It would be considered an insult by some if they were called dogs, but she accepted His diagnosis of her case and took the place which He gave her. This is faith. This is victorious faith. This is conquering faith. This faith gave her back her daughter.

On the gates to many farm houses may be seen the sign, "Beware of Dogs." This is really a Scripture found in Philippians 3:2. Paul wrote, and the Holy Spirit has preserved the statement through the centuries, "Beware of dogs." Certainly he was not referring to the animals of the street. His warning was against cruel men, misleading men, selfish men, men who invite the gift of your confidence and trust and then bite the hand that held it out. These are false, religious teachers. These are ungodly men who teach and preach a Gospel which is not of God, and a faith which is not from Heaven. Beware of everyone who denies the deity of Christ, salvation by grace alone through the precious blood, the complete inspiration of the Scriptures, the eternal conscious punishing of lost sinners, and the physical resurrection and return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dogs eat their own vomit but saints feed on the Bread of Life.

Copied by Stephen Ross for WholesomeWords.org from Strange Short Stories by Dr. Walter Lewis Wilson. Findlay, Ohio: Dunham Publishing Company, 1936.