A large mother hippopotamus was playing with her baby hippo in the Nile River one day. What queer tricks they performed. Standing on the bank of the river was a crowd of dark-skinned natives who watched the performance with great excitement and delight.
Now the young one was wallowing in the river-now riding on its mother’s back. What fun they were having splashing around in the water!
Suddenly something very surprising happened. All at once mother hippo opened her huge mouth very wide and the baby jumped inside, disappearing from view as the mother’s jaws closed. What happened? Had she swallowed her baby? If so, why? There was no apparent reason, but mother hippo must have sensed some danger in the river, and this was her way of shielding her baby from harm. Obviously, her mouth was large enough to enable her to close her jaws without hurting her baby.
Sometime later when the danger seemed to have passed, mother hippo opened her mouth again and baby hippo came out safe and unharmed.
Kangaroos, too, have a wonderful way of protecting their young. Mother kangaroo has a little pouch in which she carries her young. Wherever she hops the little one is taken in comfort and safety, being able at the same time to peep out and enjoy the view. Any person foolish enough to try to interfere and harm the baby would be driven away quickly by a blow from the mother’s powerful legs.
How wonderfully God has provided even dumb animals with wisdom. What precautions they take against danger. So in everyday life, when we see danger threatening, our first thought is to find a refuge or shelter. How true and up-to-date is our Bible, for it says, “A prudent man forseeth the evil and hideth himself: but the simple pass on and are punished.” Prov. 22:33A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. (Proverbs 22:3).
How foolish we would be if we saw danger and did not take precautions. And yet there is evil and danger, unseen by natural eyes, but which is far more solemn than that which can be seen. It is the danger of eternal punishment against sin which awaits all those who know not Christ as their Saviour. All who believe on Him are safe from judgment.
Have you, dear reader, taken refuge in Jesus, the only Saviour of sinners? He is the Rock of Ages, even as the psalmist could say, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock in whom I will trust.” Psalm 18:22The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:2). “Flee from the wrath to come.” Matt. 3:77But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7).
ML-10/10/1976