All of creation is the handiwork of God. And He chose to place mankind as stewards over all that He made. So, as Moses delivers to the Israelites God’s rules for regulating their behavior, he includes instructions regarding their care of domestic animals. But, oddly enough, he sandwiches it in-between rules about the proper punishment of criminals and the care of widows. All stewardship, whether of laws regarding the punishment of criminals or those regulating the proper care of widows, was important to God. He expected His people to watch over all the He held near and dear, including everything He had created and placed under their care. The actions of God’s people reflected back on Him as their Creator and Father. They could either honor or dishonor Him by the way they lived their lives. He had set them apart so that they might be holy as He is holy. And when they lived according to His will, everyone and everything stood to benefit.