When Were Animals Actually Domesticated?

 


I was reading a substack blogpost by either someone or an organization who calls themselves, Like Cats And Dogs, and overall the post was quite interesting and even informative insofar as the historical relationship between dogs and mankind goes and their various uses in each culture and their respective significance to each one. [1]
 
But the article, like so many otherwise informative and interesting pieces pertaining to nature and science, presumes an evolutionary history of how dogs became domesticated stating the commonly held assumption that the domestic dog descended from wolves---not going to claim that isn’t the case for the most part---and that the domestication of the dog did not take place until somewhere between 20 and 40,000 years ago at a time when man was in the hunter-gatherer stage, going on to state that the domestication process took place gradually over a long period of time, [2] but then again, this is the Darwinian narrative pertaining to the domestication of not just dogs, but other animals as well including livestock for just as the evolutionary perspective of history teaches the gradual formation of the universe and of all creatures that have ever existed over an immense period of time through random processes, including man, so it assumes that the domestication of animals also took place over a gradual period of time as well.
But what animals were domesticated first, no one really knows; all just theory and conjecture, but according to the Genesis account of creation and history, the domestication of animals took place very quickly.  Firstly, the scriptures teach that man was given dominion over all the animals from day one (Gen. 1:26) and not long after the creation of man, the Bible introduces us to the first keeper of sheep (Gen. 4:2) and about five generations later, the scripture briefly tells us of a man named Jabal who is called the father of all who dwell in tents and raise cattle. (v. 20)
 
And with the domestication of animals undeniably came selective breeding for the purpose of producing animals with desirable and useful traits which can no doubt take place at a very rapid pace than natural selection and can quickly give rise to a variation within any given kind of animal that can potentially be more diverse than is produced by natural selection (dogs being a case in point).
 
Even the blogpost by Like Cats And Dogs cites the discovery of dog bones in Europe dating as far back as 14,000 years ago (not that I consider carbon dating very trustworthy by the way and for reasons I will not get into here) already possessing distinct features from wolves such as skull shape and size suggesting that diversity amongst domestic dogs was well established not too long after the successful domestication of the wolf (a few thousand years). [3]
 
Out of all the bonds and relationships between man and any given animal, the bond between man and dog is generally no doubt the strongest and closest bond of all hence why the dog is called man’s best friend yet the bond between man and dog is but a shadow and glimmer of what the intended bond between man and animals altogether was supposed to be.
 
When God created the world, He had created a world a world of peace, happiness, and joy in which was enjoyed a perfect harmony and unity between God, man, and nature.  There was no evil, death, adversity, grief, sorrow, pain, misery, or hardship of any sort until the day that the first man Adam and his wife Eve, the first woman, did something that was forbidden to them by God to do and that was the eating of the fruit of a certain tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, having been warned that in the day that they ate thereof, they would surely die. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3) and when they did not heed the warning and admonition of the Lord forbidding them to eat of that certain fruit, sin entered into them, corrupting their very inward nature and turning their inward being into that which God did not intend for when God had created the heavens and the earth, He created everything to be good, including man, but when Adam and Eve had eaten of that forbidden fruit, they then ceased to be inwardly good and became inwardly evil and that inward corruption of their once good and pure nature brought upon them the sentence of death as they had been warned (Gen. 3:19) but the sentence of death did not stop with Adam and Eve because the sin that entered into them was then passed down to all of mankind since we all descend from them (Rom. 5:12) and because of the inherited corruption of our nature, we all sin and as a consequence, we all die (Rom. 6:23) and not only did sin bring death to mankind, but it also brought decay corruption, grief, misery, pain, and hardship to all of creation which is why it is written that the entire creation travails in pain to this day (Rom. 8:19-22) and it is due to sin that the dominion of man has been diminished from what it was supposed to be and with the diminishing of that dominion has also come the diminishing of the dominion he was initially given over the animals.  As was declared by God in the scriptures, the fear and dread of man has come upon every other living creature. (Gen. 9:2)
 
As we should all know today, most animals will not submit themselves to man willingly; the trust of very few can easily be won over but for most others, taming and domestication take time and even then, even many that are called domestic can never be considered fully domestic in their temperament.  You could even say, if you will, that the sin of man has, for the most part, caused a separation and disharmony between man and animals, but even worse than that, our sin has caused us to be estranged from our Creator with whom we might otherwise enjoy a perfect unity and fellowship without interruption and the sin that estranges us from God does not merely affect just our actions or even the words that come out of our mouths, but it affects our very thoughts, the attitude of our heart, and our motives which is why it is written that man is not defiled by that which is from without but from that which is within (Mt. 15:11, 17-20) and it is because of this inward defilement that even our own goodness is tainted, making it impossible for us to attain a state of moral perfection as demanded of us by God Almighty who is morally perfect and when we take time to examine ourselves before our Creator and not just our outward performance, but our inward condition, it is only then that we come to understand how it is that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and albeit some fall further short of His glory than others, we all nevertheless fall short and such an honest examination of ourselves may be ever the most humbling experience that we ever have because it is then our moral imperfections and flaws are revealed to us, but it can also be the most terrifying experience that we may be faced with knowing full well that all sin will eventually be judged and punished because a perfectly good and holy God cannot allow evil to persist forever.  A day comes when it must be dealt with in righteous judgment and that includes they who remain in their sin and persist in their evil ways and in light of our inherent corruption, our situation may appear to be a hopeless one as our sin is what estranges and separates us from God and they who die in their sins are left separated and estranged from Him for all eternity but we have not been left without hope, for God who made us is also a God of love and mercy who, because of His great love for us is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9)
 
And in His love for us, He has shown us mercy in Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son, whom He sent into the world to take away our sins and by the shedding of His blood was redemption bought thereby satisfying both the demand for the penalty, which He, being without any sin (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took upon Himself, to be paid for all sin and granting mercy in His death upon the cross and by His resurrection are we made justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) so that anyone placing full trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin and salvation will not have to face eternal damnation, but be made a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven and granted eternal life and it is in calling upon Him for the forgiveness of sins and believing that God raised Him from the dead that we are saved from an otherwise terrible everlasting judgment (Rom. 10:9, 13) and it is by Him that we are reconciled to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) and with the cleansing of our sins which reconciles us to our Maker, we inwardly transformed and made anew; (2 Cor. 5:17) that spiritual transformation and awakening which causes us to no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after those things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven, (Mt. 6:33)
to no longer take pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ Almighty, (Jn. 14:6) no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, (Mt. 6:25-33) recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God,
to no longer fear what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
 
 
 
And just as we are made spiritually alive in Christ, so also we will one day be delivered from bodily death itself when our present bodies are changed from that which was born into corruption into that which is without corruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) and finally, creation itself will also be delivered from the curse of sin when it is made anew, there will be no sin, no evil, no darkness, nor any curse.  There will be no death, no decay, nor any pain, nor any hardship, no oppression, no misery, no cruelty, no despair, or any grief for all of these things will have passed away with the old corrupted creation.
 
Instead, in this new and undefiled creation, there will only be life, light, goodness, happiness, joy, peace, and contentment before the Lord God Almighty (Rev. 21-22) and with that, there will once again be that perfect and intended harmony restored between man and nature, including the animals for as it has been told by the prophet Isaiah:
 
 
 
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. (Is. 65:25)
 
 
 
And in another passage, he foretells that even a little child will be able to tame and lead the animals both wild and domestic. (Is. 11:6)
 
 
If you would like to ensure your part in a new world in which there is such peace and tranquility, that even the animals are in harmony with mankind, then I would urge you to call upon the name of Jesus Christ today to take away your sins so that you can be sure of your salvation.  It is but a simple prayer of sincere repentance away:
 
 
 
"Lord Jesus I need you.
 
 
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
 
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
 
 
Amen."
 
 
Know that God is not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
 
 
 
End notes:
 
 
 
1.  Like Cats and Dogs, “The History of Domesticated Dogs: From Wolves to Best Friends,” Like Cats and Dogs, July 4, 2024
https://likecatsanddogs.substack.com/p/the-history-of-domesticated-dogs
 
2.  Ibid.
 
3.  Ibid.
 
 
 
Scripture references:
 
 
 
1.  Genesis 1:26
 
2.  Genesis 4:2
 
3.  Genesis 4:20
 
4.  Genesis 2:16-17, 3:3
 
5.  Genesis 3:19
 
6.  Romans 5:12
 
7.  Romans 6:23
 
8.  Romans 8:19-22
 
9.  Matthew 15:11, 18-20
 
10.  Romans 6:23
 
11.  Romans 8:19-22
 
12.  Romans 3:23
 
13.  2 Peter 3:9
 
14.  2 Corinthians 5:21
 
15.  Hebrews 4:15
 
16.  Romans 4:25
 
17.  Romans 10:9, 13
 
18.  2 Corinthians 5:18
 
19.  2 Corinthians 5:17
 
20.  Matthew 6:33
 
21.  John 14:6
 
22.  Revelation 21-22
 
23.  Matthew 6:25-33
 
24.  Matthew 10:28
 
25.  1 Corinthians 15:51-55
 
26.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 
27.  Isaiah 65:25
 
28.  Isaiah 11:6