Extinction of the Saber-toothed Tiger
Reflective Reading: Galatians 5
It’s still hard to believe what we saw that day! We were driving to church on a lovely fall Sunday morning. On the way is a beautiful state park, with meandering lakes on both sides of the highway. Suddenly, coming toward us about forty yards to our right, was what looked like a lion, running so fast that it looked almost airborne! As it flashed by, we all exclaimed, “Did you see that?!”
We all saw it—was it a lion, or a mountain lion, or was it a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger? Okay, my imagination can get away from me at times, but it really was a lion, no doubt. But what is a mountain lion doing in northeast Pennsylvania, especially when the US Fish and Wildlife department has declared them extinct? Since that time, other sightings of this large cat have been reported. And if they’re extinct, why is it illegal to shoot one in Pennsylvania? Hmm.
Many factors can lead to extinction, including predators, starvation, and urban development. There is one extinct animal that has puzzled scholars for centuries—the saber-toothed tiger. The history and extinction of this animal has for some reason been of great interest to me. Scholars describe the size of this large canine cat to range between five and ten feet long, weighing four to five hundred pounds! That’s one big cat! Lions are the second largest in the cat family, ranging from four to five feet long, weighing just slightly less than the saber-toothed tiger. Their speeds are remarkable, ranging between forty and fifty miles per hour at short distances.
So how did this cat, with its seven-inch canine saber teeth, become extinct? I believe the answer is found in the Bible. The Bible? Yes, in Galatians 5:15. Paul writes, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” The theory of their extinction that makes the most sense to me is that of the saber-tooth tiger biting and devouring each other. This theory suggests that they caused their own extinction. Their unwillingness to unclench their teeth from one another in a fight, caused them to starve to death, ultimately leading to their extinction.
Though I have no proof of this supposition being true, I can show you where this concept has led to the extinction of many churches! For example, earlier in my career, while supplying the pulpit at a Pocono Mountain church, there was only one person in attendance besides the head deacon and organist! Our Lamplighter headquarters is housed in a classic gothic church building and parsonage that was built in 1852. When we acquired this property, the church attendance was nearing “extinction.” Throughout the US, especially in the northeast, you will find church buildings that are now apartments or cafes. How did this happen?
One answer is found in Galatians 5:
“…by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Notice the words, “hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, and envyings.” In the ESV, these words are translated as “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions.” These are the characteristics of an unhealthy church, family, community, or organization. If you have ever attended a town meeting, you have probably witnessed these words in action. And almost always, this behavior begins with one or two people. This is why Paul warns a few sentences earlier, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” So what can or should be done?
I will never forget having the privilege of being a member of Summit Baptist Bible Church in northeast Pennsylvania. What a blessed experience it was. If you wanted to see a church where everyone loved one another, this was it. We had everything a believer could hope for—evangelism, teaching, an amazing pastoral staff, leadership, and love!
Then it finally happened, one Saturday morning after prayer breakfast. First, some background. A new family had just started attending our church. The husband and father of this family was an older new student at the seminary. In class, this man was filled with negative attitudes about everything and everyone, bringing a spirit of dissension to every class.
This man was also extremely knowledgeable in the Word. He had more Scripture memorized than anyone I knew. In seminary and Sunday school, he had a way of challenging everything, and he was often right. But his truth sharing never seemed to encourage; leaving his hearers feeling condemned rather than delivered. Slowly our community of joy started to diminish…not a lot, but enough that we all knew that something wasn’t right.
Then the most unexpected thing happened. Immediately following men’s prayer breakfast, our pastor, a very kind, meek man, was listening to a conversation that “divisive Dan” (that’s what I’ll name him) was having with two other men. Just as we were preparing to work on our new building project, divisive Dan started in on a theological controversy. Tension began to build, then suddenly our mild but strong pastor walked over to Dan and said, “Dan, you are a contentious man, and you need to leave this church today. Your speech does not reflect the unity of the Spirit that we have cultivated here.” We were all shocked! This was so unlike our pastor, but he was looking out for his sheep. He was being a good shepherd and driving out what he saw as someone who brought division. In the book of Acts, Paul warned the believers that after his departure, ravenous wolves would come to destroy the flock.
In Proverbs 22:10-11 we read:
“Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.”
Titus 3:10 says:
“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him.”
It was difficult to warn divisive Dan because he was so strong. He possessed enough convincing truth that people were controlled by his demeanor and feared that his knowledge of Scripture would be used against them. There were a few strong men who contested his views, but it took a meek man with conviction to stop his influence once and for all. Our pastor knew that it only takes a little leaven to hurt the whole lump.
Confrontation is never easy, but it is a mandate of Scripture. If division is allowed to continue, extinction is the inevitable outcome. That same year Dan quit seminary and became the pastor of a once healthy local church. That church is extinct today.
So what can be done to avoid extinction?
“By love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
Trusty Turns Green, Illustrated (Ages 2+)
Helen’s Temper and Its Consequences (Ages 6+)
Stick to the Raft (Ages 9+)
Idols of the Heart (Ages 12+)
