“Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” Acts 4:24.
Among the islands of the South Pacific there are some unusual and pretty little fish called the Mouth-brooding Bettas. Only three or four inches long, they are busy little fish with a most unusual way of hatching their young.
Most fish prepare a place to lay their eggs, and then after laying them swim away and forget them. But not with the faithful Betta. Somehow the mother fish lets her companion know when she is ready to lay her eggs. He stays close beside her and catches them on the back of his fins. He is very good at this and is able to catch nearly all of them.
Finished with the egg laying, the female swims to her mate and with her mouth takes one egg from his fins and approaches him as though to give him a kiss. Instead, she blows the egg into his mouth! Then she returns and gets another egg, repeating the performance until his mouth is stuffed with all the eggs. My, what a mouthful he has! But, surprisingly, he doesn’t swallow one of them, but casually swims around, usually for four or five days, until the babies hatch and swim out of his mouth.
With some species the mother does the mouth-incubating after the father collects the eggs and puts them in her mouth. With other species the one carrying the eggs has to swim around for two, three or four weeks, waiting for them to hatch. But whether the mother or father incubates the eggs, they both stay near the little ones after they are hatched. If danger threatens, both parents open their mouths and the “small fry” swim promptly into them for safety. Of course, they soon grow too big for this hiding place and have to look after themselves.
We might ask, “Why don’t the parents swallow the eggs or spit them out so they can eat a regular meal? When did they learn to raise their little ones this way? The answer is that this is another example of the way in which the Lord God has instructed His creatures. From the very day of their creation, they have followed the way of life for which He has designed them. We know He delights to see all He has created following the pattern He has established. God gave them instincts for this when He created them.
His ways with men are ways of love and direction that are not known to the rest of His creation. David the Psalmist, enjoying His love, declared: “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” Psalms 139:17. The greatest display of His love was in providing a Saviour who died on Calvary’s cross. There He paid the penalty for the sins of all who see their need of having their sins forgiven and accept His work in faith. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31. Have you done this?
ML-11/21/1982