Jewel # 227 (October 9, 2015)

"They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make 

up MY JEWELS.”

(Malachi 3:17)

To my dear grandchildren,

 The Long-Lived Orangutan

“All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men,

and another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, 

and another of birds.”

(1 Corinthians 15:39)

The rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo are the primary homelands of the orangutans, part of the ape family.  When fully grown, they may weigh as much as 200 pounds and stand over 4 feet tall.  Some are known to live as long as 50 years.  They are silent and peaceful animals, but powerful and fierce fighters if attacked.  In captivity, young orangutans are easily tamed and taught tricks for performances in zoos and animal shows.

These apes have large, hairy heads but very small ears and bare faces and hands.  The rest of their bodies are covered with reddish-brown hair, and they have long arms that reach to their ankles even when they are standing.  They use their long arms to swing from tree branch to tree branch, often for great distances.   They rarely come down to the ground and are awkward when walking, often swinging along on their arms with their knuckles on the ground.  They are much more at home in trees where they spend most of their time—the style of life for which the Creator designed them.

Unlike some other apes, orangutans are not very friendly, preferring to be left lone.  However, family members are affectionate to one another and particularly to the one baby that is usually borne each year.  Entirely helpless when born, a baby is fondly cradled in its mother’s arms and, for the first two years of its life, clings to her back when traveling.       

While keeping to themselves, they nonetheless maintain groups, spending most of the day gathering fruits and leaves to satisfy their big appetites.  Every evening new nests are made by bending branches together and adding leaves for linings.  The bent limbs are grasped with fingers and toes, which hold on tightly even while sleeping.  Some of these nests are as high as 40 feet above the ground and 4 feet across!  The ability to build nests in this way is the result of God-given instincts.  Additional nests for afternoon naps are often made, and they even pull big leaves over themselves if it is raining.  Instinct has also taught them to hold leafy branches over their heads, like umbrellas, when in a rain-storm while away from their nests.

Even though orangutans look somewhat like humans and perform clever things, there are many differences.  They are strictly of the ape family, and all people are of the human family, just as God created them—separate and apart from each other.  Our opening Bible verse explains this.  The Lord Jesus did not die for apes, but He did in great love die for the sins of all people who put their trust in Him as their Saviour.

Is He your Saviour?

Love you all,

Grandpa