“Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people. . . . Be thankful unto Him.”
Psalm 100:34
There are more than eighty species of chameleons, a lizard relative, ranging from three to twenty inches long. They live among the trees of Madagascar, Africa, India and southern Spain, as well as in desert areas. Sometimes called a ground lion, the name seems appropriate as the males look ferocious, many having from one to four horns protruding from their large heads, as well as crests or loose flaps of skin over their short necks. However, they only look fierce and are entirely harmless.
With the exception of one called stump-tailed and a few others, all have long tails to grab onto a branch, just like monkeys do. This is particularly important for the Madagascar giant which lives in treetops. Along with strong, sharp claws, the tail enables it to move quickly and safely from branch to branch as it hunts its food. How wisely the Lord God has provided for all their individual needs!
Unlike their cousins the geckos which have no eyelids, the chameleon’s protruding eyes are almost completely covered by eyelids, leaving only a narrow opening. But their eyes, which turn independently of each other, can look forward and backward at the same time - a great help in finding food and escaping from enemies. Incidentally, if an enemy grabs one by its tail, it just lets its tail drop off and scoots away. A new tail soon grows!
For the most part chameleons are slow moving. However, their long tongues unfold out of their mouths too quickly for flies, beetles and other insects to escape.
All chameleons can change their color instantly when frightened or wishing to conceal themselves. No one can really explain just how this is done, but it is a further provision of the Creator in His care over them. Color changes are usually in shades of green, yellow, brown, blue or may be mixed.
The many species of this little creature speak of God’s pleasure in making varieties different in appearance from one another and yet all remaining true chameleons. The Bible says, “For Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:1111Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)). Lacking strength to either attack their enemies or defend themselves, we can also see how the Creator has wisely provided for their needs in securing food and in protecting themselves by wonderful disguises.
As our opening verse tells us, the Lord God has also created every one of us and wants us to be His special people in ways an animal could never know. This can be done only when we admit to Him that we are sinners in need of a Saviour and accept Him by faith in our hearts. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?
ML-07/09/2006