We all know what it is to “pretend.” This goes on with many wild creatures of the world every day—usually when they are frightened and want to scare away a threatening enemy.
The hognose snake, sometimes called a puff adder, is one of these. It may play dead when frightened, just like an opossum does. At other times it inhales more and more air into its body until it is about twice as big around as usual. Either of these tricks usually works and causes an enemy to give up the idea of attacking it.
The coral snake has white, yellow, black and red bands around it. It is very poisonous, but there are other snakes that look like the coral snake that are not poisonous. If one of these is threatened by an animal or another snake, it puts on a show and acts just like the coral snake to frighten its enemy away.
A five-inch-long caterpillar called hickory horned devil has been provided with vicious-looking but soft horns on the top of its head. It also has bulges around its mouth that look like big sharp teeth. When frightened, it raises the front of its body straight up and moves its head around, as though it will either take a bite out of whatever threatens it or stab it with its fierce-looking horns. The bird or small animal that was hoping for dinner “escapes” as quickly as possible.
You may have heard of the frilled lizard of Australia and New Guinea. It has been provided with four sturdy legs and a large fold of loose skin that normally lies flat against its body like a collar. But when threatened, this lizard immediately rises on its strong legs and puffs out its huge collar which makes it look more than twice its usual size. When its mouth is wide open and a row of sharp little teeth are showing while it makes fearsome sounds, its attacker usually changes its mind and makes a quick getaway.
You may think of other interesting examples of the Creator’s provisions for defenseless animals, fish and birds.
Sadly, some people are also pretenders and claim to be wiser than God. Some teach that there is no God or that the Bible is not true. Others say that we will get to heaven just by being good. Many of them teach that the world and all life were not created by God but just “happened to come about.”
Turn away from such wrong teachings and do as King David did when people told him false things. He said, “I esteem all [God’s] precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128128Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:128)).
ML-12/31/2017