Coyotes snarl. Moose charge. Snakes strike.

Dogs mark their turf everywhere they go. Ducks eat their own eggs. They’ll even wander into their neighbor’s nest to devour ducklings on the verge of hatching.

Male otters attack and drown baby seals. Sku birds gang up on smaller seabirds and steal their dinner. Burrowing owls steal prairie dogs’ homes. Animals all over the world murder, covet and steal. They don’t follow God’s law.

But human beings are not animals.

Having laws and having the ability to follow them puts humans at the top of the Animal Kingdom. It was only three days into the Jews’ journey through the wilderness that Moses realized a desperate need for laws. God’s people needed the Ten Commandments to separate them from the wild animals and the wild tribes that were trying to conquer them. They needed them to live.

But God’s written commands never permanently made it into the hearts of His people. His Word needed flesh. It needed to become visible, audible and tactile. So God sent His word, His law, in the most understandable form: Jesus.

Today, Christ in us enables us to not live like the wild animals. We aren’t just at the top of the Animal Kingdom, we’re part of His kingdom.