"Do Seek Their Meat From God" by Charles Roberts Title Explanation

 The title of Charles Roberts' short story, "Do Seek Their Meat From God," is an allusion to a verse in the bible where the roars of hungry lions are interpreted as a prayer to God for food.This verse may be interpreted as a demonstration of God’s mercy to all creatures, even the wildest animals. But in the context of Roberts' story, the verse has an ironic meaning, because the roaring of the panthers are set against the cries of the child in the cabin. The panthers are seen as good parents who take care of their young and of each other (they go hungry to feed their cubs, and later try to protect each other from the shooter), and so the cries of the abandoned child may be understood as the answer to their prayer. Yet when they are shot dead when they follow the sound to their meal, and as a result, their cubs perish. In contrast, the human community is not described favorable in the story as one father is a negligent drunk and the other hesitates before saving the child. And yet, the child and the father both survive when the man shoots the panthers.

 So the novel raises serious questions regarding the fairness of God. Or perhaps it even questions whether God exists at all. Does God favor humans to other creatures even if their actions are less godly than panthers? Or is the author implying that there is no God to make sure life is fair, and only the fittest survive, because we follow the law of the jungle. By giving a biblical title to his story, the writes makes us think about very difficult question of  fairness and equality in life."