If the skunks and opossums tearing up my back yard were humans, I would call the police and have them arrested for trespassing. I might also sue them for damages. But since the critters doing the damage are animals, I am the one who must pay. They have no law, at least none that has been codified, so they are free to dig in my yard and eat my peaches until I have paid a trapper to remove them–an expensive but necessary procedure.
The only good thing about this is that it is helping me with my current study of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In the opening chapters, he writes about the differences between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews believed themselves to be superior to the Gentiles and safe from judgment because they knew the laws and desires of God. The Gentiles thought they would be excused because, after all, how could they be judged by laws they had never been given? (See Romans 2:12-29)
Now, let me apply my backyard analogy to this passage. The human trespasser represents the Jews, and the skunks and opossums represent the Gentiles. The human read my “No Trespassing” sign and came in anyway. The skunks couldn’t read the sign but saw humans in the yard and went to the neighbors. So, who was guilty of trespassing? Paul’s answer is both, because obedience to God is a matter of the heart and not outward behavior. The Jews were guilty of not obeying what they claimed to know. The Gentiles were guilty of failing to seek what they knew existed. Paul concludes, “None is righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)