Jewel # 350 (Feb. 15, 2019)

The Owl Monkey

The Wanderoo Monkey

“And 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 

Two Unusual Monkeys

“Behold, God is mighty, and despises not any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom.” 

(Job 36:5) 

All monkeys in South and Central America are active only in daylight hours except for one kind—the owl monkey.  People who have seen them tell us they are cute little fellows with velvety gray and white faces, white eyebrows and tiny beards, along with bright yellow chests and underparts.

Although these monkeys are gentle when young, when older they come up with many annoying tricks to play on those who may be caring for them.  One writer said, “At a year old they are gentle and affectionate, at two years they are playful but can be annoyingly angry, but at maturity they are simply troublesome and full of mean tricks."

When other monkeys are getting ready for a nights sleep at sunset, owl monkeys are just getting started, and usually travelling in pairs.  They’ve had their sleep during the day.  How can they see in the dark?  The Creator has provided them with special, large, orange eyes with black pupils, enabling them to find fruits and insects just as easily as other monkeys do in the daytime.

Our second monkey is known as the wanderoo, or sometimes it is called the black monkey.  This monkey lives in India.  It is very sober looking and acts rather dignified.  It has a big head completely surrounded by a wreath of grayish-white thick fur reaching to its cheek, which, like the rest of its body, is coal black.

An adult is about three feet long from nose to the tip of the tail and weighs as much as 80 pounds.  Its whole appearance has a dignified and grandfatherly look.

Its manner of eating is unusual.  It stuffs its mouth with all it can hold, puffing out its cheeks, before swallowing any of it.  This seems to be just another way of showing its dominance over everything around it.  The other monkeys don’t seem to argue with it ether.  Actually they show it a lot of respect, as some people also do.

These are just two of the amazing varieties of animals and other wild creatures of whom the Bible tells us, “For God’s pleasure they are and were created”  (Revelation 4:11).  As we look at the wonders of God’s creation, we can’t help but be impressed.  

Have you ever agreed with what the psalmist said, 

“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.  

I will study also of all Thy work, and talk of Thy doings." 

(Psalm 77:11-12)?

Love you all - Grandpa      

Jewel # 349 (Feb. 10, 2019)

“And 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

Animals of Many Stripes

“I [the Creator] know all the fowls of the mountains: 
and the wild beasts of the field are Mine”  (Psalm 50:11).

Wild Zebras graze on the grassy plains of Africa.  They group together in either small or large bands, usually on the open plains, but some prefer the rough mountain areas.  When the grass is fresh and tall, they eat only the tops.  However, if food begins to get scarce, they will nibble lower on the grass stems.  Eventually they move to a new location, but each band waits for its strong stallion

leader to give the signal before moving on.

Most adult zebras are 4 to 5 feet high at the shoulders and weigh around 500 pounds.  They may live 25 years or more.  They are members of the horse family and live very peacefully when they are with horses.  However, the different species do not mix in breeding.

Snouts, ears and tips of tails are usually plain black.  On some the tail reaches almost to the ground, but on others it may reach only as low as the knees.  

Zebras have parallel black and white stripes that are arranged in exact designs.  On some species, the colours are more a combination of brown and yellow.  Each animal’s stripes are distinctive, although they all may appear the same.  On some the stripes cover the animal’s complete body, including head, neck, back, stomach and legs, but there are some species with plain white stomachs; also the legs of some have ring-like stripes all the way down to the hooves, while on others these are just half-circles and the inside of the legs have no stripes.

The Creator has provided these animals with special characteristics to help them survive in their often-threatening environment.  Besides their strips that are a camouflage to hide them from their enemies, they have excellent sight, keen hearing and a sensitive sense of smell that quickly detects an approaching enemy.  Their reaction to such a threat is interesting.  When their sense of smell alerts them a lion is dangerously near, they immediately form a tight circle, with their heads facing in and their sharp-hoofed legs facing out, kicking out as the enemy gets near.  The lion, sensing the danger of a hard kick from one one of those hooves, wastes no time in leaving.

A Bible verse warns us that we have an enemy threatening us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  But verse 10 tells those whose faith is in the Saviour to resist that enemy by faith in “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.”

Do you know Him as your Saviour?

Love you all - Grandpa            

Jewel # 348 (Feb. 4, 2019)

“And 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

Ever Meet a Walrus?

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.”

(Psalm 145:3)

What a marvellous sight it must be for a person standing on an Alaskan cliff to see a great mass of huge, brown walruses sprawled on the ocean shore below.  There are sometimes hundreds or thousands of them—some lying on their stomachs or sides and others lying on their backs—all pressed tightly together with their long, white tusks pointing in every direction!

None seem to worry that the sharp tusks of others might stab them.  However, a late comer working his way through the mass is always met with angry snorts and grunts and even some jabbing with the tusks, but not enough to really harm it.  Seems like they are saying, “GET OUT OF HERE!”

Walruses live only in the cold Arctic, far from civilization.  They eat about 200 pounds of clams, snails, oysters, fish and other marine life daily from the ocean.  When not busy looking for food, they like to rest on shore, sprawling closely together to share each other’s warmth.  At certain times of the year, these masses break up into smaller groups.

These giants continue to gain weight.  An old male may weigh 2000 to 3000 pounds!  Their entire bodies are covered with a thick, black layer of wrinkly blubber, covered with orange-brown hair, providing wonderful insulation, just like a warm blanket, from the icy-cold waters.

Walruses are anything but pretty.  They have puffy, whiskered muzzles with long tusks that point downward from their upper jaws.  These tusks are actually extra-long teeth, 6 inches or more in diameter and taper to a sharp point at the end.  They are about 36 inches long and weigh about 12 pounds each.

The Creator designed their tusks to handle several jobs: for protection from their enemies (polar bears), for pulling themselves up on the ice, and for digging shellfish from the ocean bottom.  Tusks of the males are much longer and thicker than the females’.

Eskimos are now the only people allowed to hunt walruses, and for many they are a main source of food.  Catching one is a great event, not only for the amount of meat it supplies, but for its valuable ivory tusks and its skins which make good leather.

Animals such as these may seem strange to us, but they have a definite place in God’s creation.  When we think of all He has created, small and great, we can only agree with the Bible verse that says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

King David said, “Happy is He . . . whose hope is in the Lord His God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is” (Psalm 146:5-6).  This is true happiness.

Love you all - Grandpa