Read Proverbs 12:10  Many of the proverbs that we read are opposites.  Sometimes we can learn something by learning what it is not.  For instance, last week I told someone that if you get to the end of Jason Court, you've gone too far.  Actually, I was telling them how not to get to my house.  I didn't live at the end of Jason Court.  But that helped them to watch out for my house before they got to the end of Jason Court. Our verse today tells us that we should take care of animals.  But then it finishes by saying that the best that the wicked people do is just cruel.  Wicked people don't take care of their animals.  Back in Solomon's day, people didn't have cars to travel around in.  They didn't have tractors to pull their plows.  They had horses and oxen to do those jobs.  So Solomon was reminding his sons that in order to take care of their fields and to pull their wagons, they would have to take care of their animals.  God has given us the responsibility of ruling over the animal kingdom.  Animals were given to mankind by God to use - but not abuse.  But animals are not like people.  People have an eternal soul and are made in the image of God.  Animals were given to us to use for working the fields, for pulling our wagons, for meat, for eggs, for milk, and for friendship.  We use our animals and we like our animals. But it is our God-given responsibility to take care of our animals.  Animals that we use on the farm or at our house are not able to take care of themselves.  Cow can eat grass on their own, but they can't turn on the water hose to get water for their water trough.  They can't open the latch to their gate to get out.  They need their farmer to take care of them.  Our pets need us to feed them and to keep them warm and dry.  In our day, if a man doesn't take care of his truck or tractor, he isn't a very smart farmer.  In Bible times, a farmer who didn't feed and water his horse and oxen, wasn't a very smart farmer.  Our animals take care of us - we should take care of them.  And that is our God-given responsibility.