“These also shall be unclean unto you ... the chameleon, and the lizard.” Leviticus 11:29-30
The above instructions given to God's people in Bible times defined lizards as “unclean.” This meant they were not to be eaten as food by the children of Israel, but it did not mean that God, the Creator of all things, didn't care for lizards. He has always provided well for their every need. We'll look at just two types of lizards.
The aporosaura lives on the hot, sandy Namib Desert near the tip of Africa. This lizard has been given long, husky legs to cope with its hot, sandy environment—far too hot for people to walk on barefoot. In bright sunshine, temperatures reach 150 degrees, but at night it becomes chilly.
Moving about in that heat as it searches for flies and other insects, the aporosaura's long, rubber-like legs carry its body high enough so it doesn't rub against the hot sand. But it stops often to cool one leg at a time, by raising it and waving it in the air.
Each afternoon fog blows in from the ocean, and our lizard friend, not pleased with the cool change, buries itself completely in the sand and stays buried for the night, until the sun shines again the next morning.
If the fog comes in too early for it to stay buried for the night, it will lie flat on its stomach on the still-warm sand, scooping some over itself. If the sun breaks through again, it will lift its tail in the air and raise its legs and head to get what warmth it can from the sun that had been too hot for it earlier.
Another unusual lizard, the leaf-tailed gecko, makes its home on Madagascar Island off the coast of Africa. It is unusual looking, with mottled brown and gray skin from its sharp nose to the end of a long tail, including its long legs and clawed toes. It is about a foot long. This gecko hunts at night, and the Creator has given it large eyes, standing out like yellow balls, far behind its pointed nose. With jaws wide open, it looks like a small dragon. The toes have suction cups enabling it to cling to steep branches and smooth boulders or even climb a wall and cross a ceiling when chasing an insect. If an enemy grabs its tail, the tail breaks away and the lizard escapes. A new tail grows back in a short time.
These are just two of about two thousand kinds of lizards in the world. The Bible assures us that the Lord God, their Creator, watches over them night and day. But He watches more carefully over you and invites you to know Him as your Saviour and give thanks to Him for all His loving-kindness to you. Is He your Saviour? Have you thanked Him today?
ML-12/30/2007