Saturday, September 26, 2020

Disobedient Dogs

In this dream, my husband Richard and I buy a voucher for dog grooming to give to our son. He wants to use it right away for his pet dog, but we realize that we’ve left it at the beach house 90 miles away. A friend of ours is staying at the beach house, so we call him and ask him to read us the instructions for how to redeem the voucher.

But it’s far more complicated than we thought! The fine print says that the holder of the voucher must first submit a video showing the dog obeying a series of prespecified commands. Before the voucher can be redeemed, the video must be reviewed by the dog groomers and meet their requirements.

We set up a video conference call so that our friend at the beach house can submit the video on our behalf to redeem the voucher. But our son’s dog, as affectionate and cuddly as he is, tries to please but doesn’t follow the commands as he should.

In thinking about the symbolism of the dream, I realized that today’s culture mostly views dogs in a highly positive light, treating them as members of the family and spending exorbitant sums of money on them. Generally they are lovable and faithful, relieving loneliness and stress.

But in Scriptural context, “dog” is generally a negative term, referring to an enemy; one who is regarded as evil, who is spreading false doctrine, and who will be kept out of Heaven. Like other animals that do not chew their cud, dogs were considered unclean and to be avoided by God’s people (Leviticus 11:1-8).

Mosaic law refers to dogs as an abomination to the Lord, not to be brought into His house (Deuteronomy 23:18): Job, referring to his miserable state in the midst of the trials God allowed Satan to bring into his life (Job 1), laments that he is held in contempt even by those whose fathers he would have thought unworthy to keep company with his dogs (Job 30:1).

A Messianic Psalm (Psalm 22:16) uses dogs as a metaphor to describe the wicked people who captured and crucified Christ. Because Christ died for the sins of the whole world (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3), we can all be counted in that number who are responsible for the agonizing death of the Son of God.

The apostle John, who was taken to Heaven in a vision, was told by Jesus Christ that those who keep God’s commandments have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14). Sadly, only one Man could keep the law perfectly, the God-Man Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:15).

The rest of us would be doomed were it not for His substitutionary death on the cross, paying for all our sins (Romans 3:25), so that those who trust in Him would have eternal life (John 3:16). Those who reject Him are kept from entering Heaven, and are described as dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and liars (Revelation 22:15).

The prophet Isaiah compares God’s watchmen, who are outcasts of Israel, to dumb dogs ignorantly sleeping, and to greedy dogs that can never have enough, putting their own gain over the needs of the people and over their service to God (Isaiah 56:10).

Jesus warned His disciples not to give anything holy (such as His Word) to “dogs,” meaning those who were not His people (Matthew 7:6). Similarly, the apostle Paul cautioned the church at Philippi to beware of dogs, of evil workers, and of the concision, meaning those who had not trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Philippians 3:2-3).

King Solomon compared a fool repeating his mistakes to a dog eating its own vomit (Proverbs 26:11), and the apostle Peter used the same analogy to describe false teachers who lead their followers back to the bondage of the law, rather than to the liberty found in Christ (2 Peter 2:19-22).

Does the Bible have nothing positive to say about man’s best friend – our furry canine companions? There is one positive note, voiced by King Solomon, that a living dog is better than a dead lion, for where there is breath there is hope! (Ecclesiastes 9:4).

We may be dogs – vile sinners unfit for Heaven – but even with our last breath we could be saved if we place our faith in Christ. Jesus reassured the repentant thief on the cross, who called Him Lord, that he would be with Him in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:39-43), without the need to be baptized, join a church, or do any good works.

Yet it is unwise to delay that decision until we are on our death bed, for we don’t know when we will slip out into eternity (James 4:14), and today is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:2).

In considering the meaning of the dream in the context of these Bible verses, I realized that the disobedient dog represents each of us before we ask Jesus Christ into our heart. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are desperately in need of cleansing, like dog grooming, but that is only possible through the “voucher” Christ Himself has purchased for us to redeem us from the slave market of sin (Isaiah 44:22).

He paid the price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), and all we need do is accept His freely given gift of salvation and eternal life (Romans 6:23). But so many try to make this simple transaction so complicated, and end up forfeiting the gift altogether!

In the dream, the circumstances and conditions of the fine print prevented us from redeeming the voucher. First, the voucher was far away, so that we had to make special arrangements to redeem it. This reminds me of the religions that require a pilgrimage to distant lands before salvation can be attained.

Second, there was a third party involved in the videotaping, which reminds me of religions in which salvation is supposed to come through a “middleman,” to whom sins must be confessed, or “indulgences” paid to assure a loved one’s passage to Heaven.

Thankfully, Jesus Christ Himself is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14) Who tore down the veil between Himself and His people! (Matthew 27:51). Believers need no longer go through a priest to have their sins forgiven, for we can boldly go before His throne of grace!  (Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 9).

Third, there had to be visible proof of compliance with the fine print, namely a video of the dog’s performance. Yet only God knows the hearts (Psalm 44:21; 139:23), and only He can judge us, not on our outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7) or behavior but on whether our heart is receptive to Christ.

Fourth, the dog actually had to obey all the prescribed commands, and the voucher would not be redeemed unless it met the specifications of an unseen Judge. As noted above, only Jesus was capable of fully keeping the law, and if we have failed to keep any point of the law, we have failed to keep all of it (James 2:10). All of us therefore deserve eternal punishment in hell, yet God in His mercy clothes us in the perfect righteousness of Christ (Isaiah 61:10) at the moment we trust His Son as our Savior.

Salvation depends not on our ability to follow commandments, nor on a third party to take our petitions before the Judge, nor on rigidly deceptive conditions we must meet. Being loveable and “good,” like the pet dog in the dream, or attempting to excuse our behavior or evade punishment, will not save us.

Although we in our flesh are no better than disobedient dogs, our sins can be washed clean in the shed blood of Jesus! (Psalm 51:2; Revelation 1:5). He alone saves us by His grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), not by our works, as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven! 

© 2020 Laurie Collett



 


10 comments:

Frank E. Blasi said...

Dear Laurie,
Indeed, here in the UK, the dog is regarded as man's best friend, and indeed often a dog is more faithful to its master than many a friend or even a family member.
But they can be very unpredictable, especially towards strangers.
Dogwalkers are my biggest bane, especially when they allow their pets to walk freely, without a lead. On four separate occasions, I was bitten, with two of these incidents needing hospital treatment.
But I blame the irresponsible dog owners rather than the animal's instinct. Fortunately, we have a law which, for very serious incidents, the dog is put down, much to the loss of the owner.
Worst are the owners of Pitbull Terriers, which, for some odd reason, adds points to their machoism.
Indeed, it's little surprise that the Bible speaks rather negative of them.
As you rightly say, we are all "dogs" to a greater or lesser extent, although I once had as a customer an elderly female atheist, a one-time noted tennis champion, yet treated me very kindly. But as the Bible says, Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven.
May God bless both you Richard.

Laurie Collett said...

Dear Frank,
My husband was bitten by a pit bull who was let out of a neighbor's house, ran across the street, and attacked my husband's leg while he was halfway up a ladder doing a repair! Thankfully, he was wearing long jeans, but still had a nasty bite even through the torn denim. At our beach, where the law demands that all dogs be on a leash, many owners let the dogs run freely, which disturbs not only beach goers but also sea birds and sea turtle nests.
That being said, I grew up with several dogs as pets and love them dearly, as I do our son's dog. Perhaps one of the reasons we enjoy dogs is because we identify with the rebellious aspect of their nature, which the Bible warns against.
Thanks as always for sharing your experience. God bless you and Alex,
Laurie

Brenda said...

Hi Laurie, I have always loved the story of the thief on the cross who chastised the man on the other side of Jesus and called Jesus his Lord. Yes, we are all sinners and repentance (a change of mind) is the most important thing in our walk with the Lord. We also have to be very careful that we do not fall away from the faith as it says that many shall do. A dog is the Word uses in several religions for an outsider, and your dream reminds me that an outsider is very far away from the benefits (represented by the voucher) of being in Christ. God bless you for sharing your encouraging post.

Rick Jones said...

Thank you for this insight. I know Christ is my Savior and I am so glad He opened my heart to know this fact. Glory to God, Father Son & Holy Spirit!!! Bless you, Rich Jones P.S. On a humorous note, I have a dog at each side of me under my arms & one between my knees also, really.

Donald Fishgrab said...


Because a dog is often called man's best friend, some may question what God has against them. People trust dogs to protect their homes, but unfortunately some are not very good watchdogs, either sleeping through a home invasion or accepting food or petting from the invader. They tend to run in packs when given the opportunity, and when they do, they may cause serious problems that would not happen when alone. According to several commentators, the use of the dog in Exodus 23:17-18 is a euphemism for homosexuality referring to the indiscriminate promiscuity of dogs. Such a use fits with the ideas involved in the passage.

While dogs can add a great deal of pleasure to our lives, we need to keep in mind that they are still dogs and may revert back to their natural instincts, and thus need to be monitored closely. We need to be aware of those potential problems when dealing with people we don't know.

Aritha said...

Thank you.

I had a dog when I was a child.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Rick,
Sorry I was out of town and did not see your comment sooner! You are blessed to have Jesus as your Lord and Savior! (And also to be basking in the company of loving canine companions, to a much lesser degree! :-)
Thanks so much for your comment and God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Donald,
Sorry I was out of town and did not see your comment sooner! Thanks for the great points. I had not heard the Exodus commentary before, but it makes sense given the context. Perhaps many people today elevating dogs to a human level is in keeping with Darwinian evolution, which states that we are no better or different from animals, rather than being unique in that we are made in God's image.
Thanks as always for your insights and God bless,
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Aritha,
Thank you for your comment and God bless!
Laurie

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Brenda,
Sorry I was out of town and did not see your comment sooner! Praise the Lord that He saved the thief on the cross who called Him Lord, even though he had no time to do any good works, only to believe. May we continue firm in the faith until He comes again!
Thank you for your comment and God bless,
Laurie