CONDITIONING
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who lived from 1849 to 1936*. He worked with dogs and has been credited with making a discovery which has essentially changed the course of behavioural science. This discovery came about as result of a rather simple experiment. He had noticed that dogs salivate when food is brought to them. He also noted that these same dogs would salivate excessively when the handler would come in, even if they had no food with them. And so, he devised an experiment: a bell would be rung just before the dog was fed and after a while, it came to be that the dog would salivate when the bell was rung even if no food was there. This became the classical experiment to demonstrate what is now known as a conditioned response to an associated stimulus, a physiological response that requires no formal learning.
This is a rather simplified explanation of what is called classical conditioning: a physiological response to an external stimuli and something which we, in fact, experience everyday. Certain odours or smells may turn our taste buds on or off, certain fragrances may tingle our emotions, and places or music can rekindle memories. In fact, this is in large part the basis for PTSD, where certain sounds or events can be associated with unpleasant happenings in the past.
In the same way, God has used events throughout history, and recorded them in the Bible, to condition us as to what He had in mind for us. In Genesis, with the first act of disobedience, God caused the death of an animal and “…made tunics of skin, and clothed [Adam and Eve]” (Genesis 3:21), thus covering their nakedness and sin.
This was to be the start of a long process of conditioning, hopefully to make us understand the fullness of what God was going to do. In Exodus, He told the Hebrew people to take a lamb “without blemish”and then “kill it at twilight”(Exodus 12:5&6) on the fourteen day of the month. After which they were to “…take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and lintel of the houses…” and “…eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire…” (Exodus 12:7&8). This time another animal, a perfect lamb, was to be sacrificed and the flesh consumed to cover the Hebrew people from the death promised by God that night.
The book of Leviticus relates in detail the regulations regarding animal sacrifices that were put in place by God and which the Hebrew people were to follow. According to the Bible, these instructions were to be followed precisely if the sacrifice were to be acceptable and suitable to cover the transgressions of the people and those of the priest himself. In addition to being covered, a person’s sin could also be carried away by the scapegoat. “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel…putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness…” (Leviticus 16:21).
But in spite of all these instructions and regulations, it appears that God, after all, was not that interested in animal sacrifices. In Isaiah it is stated that the Lord:
“…had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls
Or of lambs or goats.”
“Bring no more futile sacrifices…”
“…make yourselves clean
[and] cease to do evil,”
(Isaiah 1:11,13,16).
So, if God really was not interested in animal sacrifice, then why go to such lengths to install it into the Hebrew people? It was a way to condition them to the ultimate sacrifice that was to come. When Jesus died on the cross, He not only covered our sin but took it away completely when He was resurrected and departed for heaven. Up to that time, animal sacrifice was used to temporally cover the sin of man and to condition us to an unfortunate reality: innocent blood had to be spilled to pay for our transgressions if we were to be spared the penalty of death. So God, from the very start, laid the groundwork to prepare man and to condition him for what would be ultimately be needed to save mankind from their actions. Many still deny, however, that anything is needed to counteract man’s iniquity or, as continues in some religions, still rely on the old animal sacrifices.
It seems as if canines may understand more about classical conditioning than does man. It certainly gives one something to think about.
*Wikipedia: Ivan Pavlov
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