“Thou hast made . . . the earth, and all things that are therein . . . and Thou preservest them all.”
Nehemiah 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6)
The 4- to 6-foot-long, 150-pound African aardvark is unlike any other creature in the world. Its nearest relative might be a pig; in fact, the name aardvark means “earth pig.” It was given this name by Dutch settlers in Africa in the 1600s. But the aardvark’s similarity to a pig is mostly in its long snout, nostrils, brown body and bristly hair. Its long upright ears look more like a donkey’s, its tail is something like a kangaroo’s, and its arched body is not too different from a hyena’s.
There are two things the aardvark does very well. One is finding termites’ nests, which in their part of Africa stand out in the open like concrete mounds. Approaching one, it listens carefully to determine if termites are inside. Hearing their movement, it tears the mound open with its powerful claws. Then it laps up the termites with its 12- to 18-inch-long sticky tongue.
But don’t think termites don’t fight back . . . they do, just like ants fight when their nests are entered! Both insects have “soldiers” with sharp mandibles, and they attack the intruding aardvark but find that its skin is so tough that they cannot bite through it. In addition, the Creator has provided nostrils and ears that seal tightly when invading insects’ nests, so these are protected too.
The aardvark is also an expert at digging. Their dens are in tunnels about ten feet long with six or more entrances, and this requires lots of digging. No problem! Their strong front legs and sharp claws, kicking the dirt out behind them, go through even hard dirt faster than men with shovels can. For the most part they stay in these dens during the day and come out at night to raid anthills and termites’ nests, adding other insects and fruit and gourds to their menu when available.
Babies are born in the den. They have skin so loose and full of wrinkles that it looks like it is several sizes too big, but they soon fill it out. To keep her little ones hidden, the mother moves into a new burrow about once a week. Before long they are taken out to learn how to hunt, and within a year’s time they are on their own.
For all the strange appearance of these animals, they indicate God’s pleasure in placing such a great variety of life on the earth at the time of its creation. For each creature He has provided what is exactly right for its way of life, and He watches over each one all its days.
The Bible tells of something else that brings pleasure to Him: “I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness” (1 Chronicles 29:1717I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. (1 Chronicles 29:17)). Is your life pleasing Him? It can please Him only if you have confessed that you are a sinner and have asked the Lord Jesus to forgive and cleanse you, accepting Him as your Saviour. If you have not done this yet, why not do it right now!
AUGUST 17, 1997
ML-08/17/1997