“The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.”
Psalm 104:18
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are majestic, sharp-sighted animals that are often seen standing atop a boulder or at the edge of a steep precipice in the mountains. Their beautiful horns curve backward from their foreheads, down and then forward and sometimes measure four feet along the front curves and spread thirty-one inches apart. Both rams and ewes have thick, brown wool, white muzzles and a patch of white around their stubby tails. Rams often weigh up to four hundred pounds.
Living above the timberline throughout the year, bighorns only head down to lower grassy slopes when food is scarce. The Creator designed them to live where other animals cannot survive (except the little coney). An advantage of the high, sub-zero climate is that strong winds sweep the snow away from the high meadows, leaving grass and shrubs exposed. The bighorns’ God-given digestive systems were designed to handle this frozen but nourishing food.
Familiar with every foot of the highest parts of the mountains and rocky slopes and cliffs, these surefooted animals can jump and climb easily in the most dangerous places. They escape from wolves, coyotes and mountain lions by racing to the heights far above them. They are just as sure-footed when they plunge at great speed down steep slopes. Lambs two or three weeks old can go wherever their mothers go. For this exciting life, the Lord God provided them with insulated coats, shock-proof legs and hooves that hold firmly to the rocky ledges.
The rams live peacefully except when seeking mates among the ewes. At that time, they batter each other without mercy. Two rams, standing several feet apart, will suddenly rise on their hind legs, then dropping down, dash forward and clash their horns and heads together in crashes that can be heard a mile away! This stuns them for a few moments, but soon they go at it again, until one finally leaves. Serious injury seldom results, for the Creator has provided them with an inch-thick, honeycomb “sandwich” in their two-layered skulls, plus an inch of tough outer skin — all of which helps to absorb these shocks.
These animals give the appearance of pride in their majestic beauty. However, the Bible warns that it is not right for boys and girls, or grown-ups either, to have pride. It says, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Proverbs 29:23). Instead of pride, Colossians 3:12 tells us to have “kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness.” However, this attitude, so pleasing to the Lord, can only fully show itself when we have accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour and are depending on His strength to walk in ways pleasing to Him.
ML-09/29/2002