“Behold, God is great, and we know Him not.... He [spreads] His light upon [the earth], and [covers] the bottom of the sea.” Job 36:26,30.
Lobsters are strange-looking creatures of the sea. They are easily recognized by their stiff shell, large fantail, spindly legs and large claws. Dark green or dark blue (they don’t turn red until cooked), they blend in with the ocean floor. Eyes with thousands of facets are atop two stalks, and two wire-like antennae that detect food or danger extend out in front. They do not have ears but listen through the sensitive hairs on their legs.
They have five pairs of legs. The first pair ends in large claws that extend in front of the head. These are for defense but also are used to crush shells of clams and oysters to get at the meaty parts. The other four pairs are for walking. The large fantail has four pairs of swimmerets, providing power for swimming or scooting away backwards when frightened.
Male lobsters are cranky and hostile, and it is not unusual for them to lose a claw or leg, which amazingly grows back eventually.
A lobster never stops growing and reaches thirty-five pounds or more if it lives long enough. But its armor-like shell doesn’t grow with it. Every summer the lobster splits its shell and steps out of it. Its new shell, which has formed under the old one, is soft and gives the lobster no protection. It hides under a rock or piece of seaweed while its new shell hardens.
The female lays thousands of eggs usually only once every two years. She carries them safely under her large tail for eleven to twelve months before shaking the babies out of their eggshells. The baby lobsters rise to the surface and drift in the ocean currents, sometimes traveling great distances before they sink to the ocean bottom three to five weeks later. As they drift, they are easy prey for other sea creatures and birds. Those that escape these enemies grow to maturity but then may become victims of lobster traps and wind up on dinner tables.
The result is that not many lobsters live very long. No doubt this is why the Creator provided the female with the ability to produce so many eggs. Those that manage to escape all the hazards can live as long as fifteen years.
Some might think God would not be concerned about lobsters on the ocean floor, but the light of His vision goes even to “the bottom of the sea” (see opening verse). The Bible tells us, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest [visible] in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). This includes you and me. Have you ever thanked Him for His care over you? But more important, have you accepted His offer of salvation through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?
ML-09/26/2010