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Nature Notes
Did you know that unicorns are mentioned in the Bible? Indeed,
they are. If we look in the Bible, there are several verses that describe
unicorns. Let’s study a few minutes about what the Bible says about unicorns
and figure out what animal the Bible refers to as a unicorn. The relevant
Bible verses and described attributes are:
·
Strength
(Numbers 23:22)
·
Destroy
(Numbers 24:8)
·
Break
(Numbers 24:8)
·
Pierce
(Numbers 24:8)
·
Push… to the ends of the earth (Deuteronomy 33:17)
·
They do not serve people (Job 39:9)
·
They do not rest by the child’s crib (Job 39:9)
·
They will not pull a plow or furrow rows for planting or
irrigation (Job 39:10)
·
They are fierce and dangerous (Psalm 22:21)
·
When young, they can jump, or skip, like a calf or wild ox
(Psalm 29:6 AMP)
·
His horn symbolizes excessive strength and stately grace (Psalm
92:10 AMP)
Based on the Bible’s own description of a unicorn, this animal
doesn’t sound like a horse with a large horn on its head, does it? Not at
all! Nor does it sound like a wild ox, as other Bible translations call it.
After all, an ox has two horns and can be trained to serve people, pull a
plow and dig furrows.
So what could this unicorn animal be?
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Spiritual
Connection
The unicorn in
pictures we see today is a white horse with a single, spiraled horn
projecting from his head, with the beard and cloven feet of a goat. Does the
picture of a unicorn horse look like the unicorn described in the Bible? Is
the unicorn horse able to break bones? Do horses refuse to serve people and
help on the farm? Are unicorn horses fierce and dangerous?
No. The Bible
is not talking about a horse with a horn. In fact, the unicorn horse is not a
real animal. The unicorn horse is only a cartoon, a drawing; a make-believe
animal.
But the Bible
does talk about unicorns! So what kind of animal has one horn on his head?
Is very strong?
Has the power and strength to destroy and break big things?
Is fierce and dangerous?
Will never help a farmer?
Have you
guessed it?
I’ll give you some hints:
·
In the wild, they live in African and Asia…
·
You
will often see them at the zoo…
·
They are very strong…
·
They are grey…
·
They like to cool off in the water…
·
Some have one horn, while others have two…
What is a unicorn?
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Photos & Prints
Fun Facts About Rhinos
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Closure
The unicorn in the Bible is a rhinoceros! Yes indeed!
“The rhinoceros
is one of the most powerful of animals…” {ST December 9, 1880, par. 10}. They are very strong. No one has
ever been able to tame or train a rhino; they have always been wild animals.
There are rhinos with one horn, and there are rhinos with
two horns, and the babies have no horns at all!
Can you guess what they eat? They eat grass, leaves, and
the shoots of bushes and trees. Do you know what that means? These huge,
powerful animals are vegetarians!
Poor rhinos, they cannot see very well, but they sure can hear
well and they can smell very well, too.
Rhinos are such interesting animals! Do you agree? The God
of heaven must be a wonderful God; He made such interesting animals. When we
get to Heaven, I think I’d like to ride on a rhino; how about you?
Let’s thank God, right now, for making rhinoceroses and
for making our world so interesting.
© Christine Gillan Byrne, 2013. Young
Child Ministries, 406 Polk Road 78, Mena, AR 71953 (805) 490-6055. www.youngchildministries.com
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