What Are You Hunting For?

July 19, 2026
 
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius
He was powerful and majestic and, as the lion rules as king of the jungle, so he ruled and roamed the Great Plains of America.  His thundering hooves could be heard for miles and miles.  A cloud of dust announced his approaching path.  
 
The buffalo, big and strong as he was, provided food and warmth for the Indians, who roamed the plains with him.  His meat provided food.  His hide provided warmth and clothing.  Out of his bones, the Indians made tools.  The buffalo was revered by the Indians.  He was included in many of their ancient stories, sometimes as a spiritual being.
 
So, what happened to this great and majestic beast, the American bison?  I am sad to report to you that it is estimated that upwards of 60 million buffalo were slaughtered in the 1800’s.  The military believed that if they could eliminate the Indians’ food supply, the buffalo, they could control the movement of the Indians and win the wild west.  Not only that, as trains carried passengers through the Great Plains, many passengers would shoot buffalo from the window of the train car in which they sat as they passed by.  They considered it a great sport to shoot a helpless animal and leave its carcass to rot on the plains.
 
I once knew a man who killed a polar bear and had its head and hide used as a throw rug in his office.  One day he showed me the gun with which he killed the bear.  In telling the story of the hunt, he said he was probably half a mile away when he shot the bear.  I so wanted to tell him, “Now if you had killed that polar bear with a knife, I would really be impressed.” 
 
As I think about how Noah went through all of the work of building the ark to save the animals of the world and how God orchestrated the steps of all the animals of the earth to board the ark, it is quite an amazing story.  When God told Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and rule over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28), I don't think He intended for mankind to brutally slaughter helpless animals to the point of extinction just for sport.  Why is mankind so intent on destroying what God has preserved for him?
 
I'll go hunting with you if you carry the carcass and use what you harvest.  Unless you're hunting for polar bears, then I'm staying home.  They can kill, you know.
 
Love in Christ,
Pastor Allan
 
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