These animals were not pets, but his food, and his servants and his tractor, truck, plow, and bush hog. The righteous man will treat a lowly animal with mercy and if he treats his ox with mercy, how much more his neighbor? Whereas a wicked man is nothing but cruel to those made in God’s image to whom he should display a natural affection and mercy. Imagine the righteous man, who cares for his animals, has mercy on them, treats them well simply because they are lesser creatures God has put under his care. He hates to see animals suffering and in pain and will help them out of the goodness of his heart. He will go home and do the same. Now imagine his neighbor, who treats his family with contempt. When he compliments his children, he throws in a jab to ridicule. He cares for his wife, but not without running her down in the process. His “kindnesses” are cruel. He treats people made in God’s image contemptuously because he can and even when he offers “mercy” he does so wickedly. Today, it’s more likely to find people showing more mercy to their dogs than to their neighbor. According to the DNR it is against the law to "harass, harm, pursue" bald eagles but taxpayers are still funding Planned Parenthood to butcher the unborn and sell their body parts for profit in the name of “women’s health”. The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel, indeed.