"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I
make up MY JEWELS.”
Malach 3:17
To my dear grandchildren
Those Pesky Rats (Part 1)
"Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; But the night shineth as the day: the darkness
and the light are both alike to Thee.” Psalm 139:12
In past issues we have considered many animals and birds that are attractive and interesting and have helpful habits. But that is not true of all creatures even though all are part of God’s creation. Among those that are not helpful or attractive we must include rats, which outnumber human beings on the earth. It is no wonder there are so many since a mother rat can have as many as 80 babies in one year! When these are only three or four months old they begin raising families of their own. If all of these rats lived, there would be millions of descendants in two or three years just starting from one pair! But the Creator does not allow this to happen.
Rats are related to mice and are similar in many way except for size. Although seldom seen in daylight, many make their homes in houses, barns, and other buildings, because being near humans means there will be plenty of food and shelter available. They also like to get aboard ships and this carries them around the world, which is how unwanted, disease-infested rats got into the Americas in the first place.
If you have ever seen large ships docked you might have noticed that many are tied to docks by big ropes which pass through round metal plates. The purpose of those shields is to keep rats and mice from climbing up the ropes, but some still managed get aboard.
There isn’t much good that comes from rats. Not only do they spread diseases, but they also consume great quantities of food—one rat alone can eat 25 pounds of grain or corn in a year’s time, taking it from farmer’s fields, storage bins and kitchen pantries. Multiply this by billions of them and it gives you an idea of how much food they consume that might have been put to good use for hungry people. In fact, they are the cause of famines in many places. In addition to grains and seeds, many are fond of nuts, fruits, eggs, fish, vegetables, chickens and many other kinds of food. They will go after almost anything edible, often also ruining food they don’t eat.
Perhaps rats are allowed to be so plentiful and such a nuisance to provide us with a solemn lesson. They remind us of that which is destructive, doing nothing good, and bringing harm to others. What a contrast this is to what the Bible says should be the character of those who love the Lord: "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:8,10).
When we think about His desire that we should do good works, our daily prayer should be, “Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths.“ (Psalm 25:4).
(To be continued)
Love you all - grandpa.
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