Jewel # 437 (Feb. 26, 2021)

 

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

The American Buffalo (Bison)

Part 1

“I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, 

by My great power and by My outstretched arm.”   Jeremiah 27:5 

The buffalo or, more correctly, the bison has the distinction of being the heaviest land animal of North America.  Some bulls weigh up to 2,200 pounds, but cows are smaller.  The buffalo is from nine to nearly 12 feet long and as tall as six and half feet from the ground to the top of its hump.  They are strong and tough and can live through storms that kill other beasts.  They are also great runners.  They can run up to 30 mile an hour for long distances!  

When native Americans were the only people  west of the Mississippi River, there were millions of bison forming herds, often as far as the eye could see on the prairies of middle America, from Mexico north into Canada.  For the Native Americans, the buffalo was their main food, and they made teepees, blankets, clothing and other essentials from the hides.  God provided plenty of grass and water, and even though the Native Americans killed many, it did not make much difference since so many calves were born every year that their numbers just  continued growing.

But as settlers moved west after the Revolutionary War, it became a different story.  It is easy to understand that the settlers, like the Native Americans, found buffalo a good source of food and hides.  Unfortunately, as they settled the land, they not only used buffalo for these purposes, but they also determined to get them off the land they wanted to farm.  As a result, many thousands were killed just to get rid of them.

Hunters from the eastern part of the country and “sportsmen,” even from Europe, went west with their guns, thinking it was great sport to see how many they could kill.  There was no thought about using the meat or hides.  All of this leaves a sad picture of that part of American history.  The result was that, around 160 years ago, instead of millions of buffalo, there were only about a thousand left in the United States and Canada combined.

Bison are part of God’s creation, and He surely had the Native American people in His thoughts in preparing such an abundant supply to meet their needs.  Many people today are sad and ashamed to think of the way the bison were deliberately killed.  God, who said, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine”  (Psalm 50:11),  must have been displeased to see this cruelty and waste.  However, we can be happy to know that His watchful eye and care are over the bison that are beginning to flourish again.

(to be continued) 

Love you all - Grandpa    

Jewel # 436 (Feb. 21, 2021)

 

“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

Let’s Talk About Spiders

"The spider takes hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.”  Proverbs 30:28  

While most of us do not particularly care for spiders, they are an interesting example of how God ”hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (1Corinthians 1:27), because no one fully understands how spiders function.

Have you ever watched a spider spinning its web?  You may wonder where the silk thread comes from.  It comes from silk glands in its abdomen.  The liquid silk is forced through silk spinning organs, called spinnerets, as the spider moves.  Most spiders have two to six spinnerets, each with a different opening.  These produce the different kinds of silk needed.  For instance, when the spider needs a dragline for lifting itself up and down, it uses a spinneret that makes a coarse, strong silk. When making its web, an entirely different type of silk is required, and it uses other spinnerets.  It also produces cottony silk for holding and hiding its eggs.  Some silk glands produce liquid silk  that becomes dry outside the body, while others produce sticky silk that remains sticky.  All spiders spin silk, but not all spiders make webs.

How did the spider learn to use the correct spinneret for a certain kind of silk?  How did it learn to use two spinnerets at the same time when it needs extra-strong silk?  How can it travel with ease over sticky silk that will trap everything else?

The spider, lurking at one side of its web, waits for vibrations to signal that something is caught in the web.  If the vibrations are very light, it ignores them.  But medium vibrations mean food, so it hurries across the web to kill and eat the victim.  However, if the vibrations are strong, it means something too large to handle is out there, and the spider will quickly cut the victim loose before it ruins the web.  How does the spider know how to interpret these signals?

Here is the answer to all these questions.  Spiders did not have to “learn” how to make a web or where to place it.  When the Lord God created them, He gave them these remarkable skills.  These skills are often called instincts, and these enable them to live their amazing lives.

If the Lord God has such interest and care over these little creatures which are here today and gone tomorrow, how much greater is His concern for every person to whom He has given an everlasting soul.  He tells us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).  This wonderful love caused the Lord Jesus to go to the cross to die, “The just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).  

Have you accepted Him as your Saviour?

Love you all - Grandpa        

Jewel # 435 (Feb. 10, 2021)

 

"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

The Lion and Other Carnivores  (Part 3)

“How unsearchable are God's judgments, and His ways past finding out!”  Romans 11:33

Have you ever asked, “Why does God allow lions to kill and eat other animals?"  This is a good question.  When God created these great beasts, death, the shedding of blood, and eating flesh were unknown (Genesis 1).  But Adam and Eve were warned by God that if they disobeyed His commands, death would result.  As we know from the Bible, they did disobey, and immediately they saw an example of the penalty of sin when God killed animals to provide them with clothing.

After sin entered into the world and after the flood, God oversaw a change in many of His creatures, allowing some to become flesh eaters—carnivores—while others remained vegetarians.  This certainly is an evidence of how dreadful sin is in God’s sight.  The animals He had created for His pleasure were now to display the penalty of death through their activities, certainly not pleasing to Him.  But in His perfect way, He saw that the needed changes were made in the appetites and bodies of these animals so they would hunt and then be able to digest the food they now ate.

Happily, in a coming day, the Bible tells us the original peaceful order will return.  This will be after those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have been called into heaven and after God’s rightful anger against the world that has refused His love results in His terrible judgment on them.  Then an earthly people pleasing to the Lord will live on earth, and the animals will be changed to be as they were when God first created them.  One Bible verse that talks about this says, “The calf and the young lion . . .  shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:6-7).

All life now is dependent on the minerals, vitamins and nutrients provided in the soil by the Creator which come to us in vegetation, fruits, seeds and nuts.  So how do lions and other carnivores that don’t eat vegetation get this important nutrition?  The answer is another wonder of God’s ways.  As a grazing animal, such as an antelope or zebra, eats vegetation, these important necessities are deposited in its body and then are carried into the body of the carnivore that eats it.

God has also planned for the good of the herds from which lions hunt.  Many of the animals that are killed are not healthy.  It is a mercy that they are killed quickly rather than lingering on as weak and sickly animals to die a slow death.  Also, if the herds were not made smaller in this way, they would get too large for the food available for them, and many would starve.  So, we see God’s wisdom in all things.  “Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out:  He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice” (Job 37:23).

Love you all - Grandpa     

Jewel # 434 (Feb. 4, 2021)

 

"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

The Lion—King of Beasts (Part 2)

"Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions?” Job 38:9

While male and female lions often hunt together, either as a single pair or in groups, it is usually the females that circle around and drive the prey towards the hidden males.  With a sudden rushing leap, a male pounces on the victim, and death comes quickly.  In spite of the fact that they must kill to survive, lions only kill when hungry and never for the sport of it.  Although they are not aware of it, they are dependant on the Creator for their food supply.   The Bible states, “The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season” (Psalm 145:15).

Lions hunt antelopes, zebras, springboks, wildebeests, impalas and some smaller animals.  However, they do not always do their own hunting.  Sometimes they come upon other animals feeding on something they have captured and will drive the animals off and take over the prize.  On other occasions, they watch the sky for vultures.  These carnivorous birds quickly drop to the earth when they see a dead animal.  Following this lead, the lion finds food without the work.

As strong and fierce as they are, lions are not always successful in their hunting; swift animals often escape.  At times, the lion itself becomes the victim.  When zebras and giraffes are pursued by a lion, thy will sometimes watch until the lion is right at their heels and then give a vicious kick to the lion’s face.  Many a lion has had its jaw broken and been forced to give up the chase.  With such an injury, it cannot eat and will eventually starve to death.

The lions who have taken part in a big feed will lie down together and sleep off the meal in places where they are well hidden.  At such times, with the lion’s stomachs full, a person or animal could walk by them and not be bothered.

Although the big male looks very noble he doesn’t always measure up to the the title.  If food has been scarce or if he is extremely hungry, even if a female has made the catch, he will not let her or the cubs eat until he has eaten his fill.  This sometimes results in the cubs starving to death.

The lives and habits of these huge beasts remind us that this world is full of trouble—the result of sin which is seen on every hand.  There are many evil things around us which Satan, the “roaring lion,” uses to capture careless people, so a place of safety is most important.  The Bible tells us of a sure place of safety: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you.”  (Deuteronomy 33:27).  Is He your hiding place?    

(to be continued)

Love you all - Grandpa