Today's Scripture Reading (September 26, 2021): Exodus 9
Melanie Joy in "Why We Love Dog, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows" makes this observation; "We love dogs and eat cows not because dogs and cows are
fundamentally different--cows, like dogs, have feelings, preferences, and
consciousness--but because our perception of them is different."
She is probably right, although I have to admit that I have never eaten a dog,
so I have no idea whether they taste as good as either a pig or a cow. But I
know that other cultures do eat canine flesh, considering it a delicacy, but
the practice just seems so wrong to a society that has made the canine their
best friends.
Maybe,
in our own way, we worship dogs the way other cultures have worshipped cows,
although I know that is not quite right either. However, it is common in my
culture to admire how a dog looks using complementary words that would not never
be used to describe a cow. But, in my culture, neither a dog nor a cow would be
appropriate comparisons for a person, man, or woman.
Why
this journey into the status of dogs, pigs, cows, and people. Because other
cultures do worship these animals. In ancient Egypt, Hathor, the Egyptian God
of sexuality and reproduction, was often depicted as a woman with a cow's head.
It is not an image that we would equate with sexuality in our culture. But for
the ancient Egyptians, the comparison made sense.
And
it was at this concept at which the fifth plague was directed. The idea of
fertility and sexuality was tied in with the life cycle of the livestock,
especially the cattle. And as the livestock got sick and died, the plague struck
a symbolic blow to the sexuality and reproduction cycle of the nation. Except
that it was not all of the cattle that died; only the animals belonging to the
Egyptians. The animals of the Israelites were unaffected by the plague.
Symbolically,
the message would be clear. The fertility of Egypt was now at risk. Hathor,
with her bovine face, had gone up against the God of Israel and had lost. If
Hathor could no longer protect the nation, providing the fertility needed to
bring forth the next generation of Egyptians, then Egypt was finished as a
nation. It wouldn't take a defeat at the hands of their enemies to end Egypt;
without Hathor, the country would simply fade away with no one left to continue
the battle. This would be the last generation of Egyptians, which was not true
for the Israelites. Their legacy and fertility would carry on, thanks to their
God.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 10
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