Recently I saw an article on the web that grabbed my
attention. It was nothing earthshaking or some story that had urgent world-wide
appeal or implications. It was just plain interesting – well at least it was to me.
The source of the piece was www.conservativeinstitute.org.
It is an organization that deals with conservation issues.
It began with this statement. “When you’re out hiking or
swimming in nature, what creatures do you dread encountering? Many of us
automatically think of creatures with gnashing teeth or razor sharp claws.
Animals like lions, tigers, jaguars, sharks, and grizzly bears inspire plenty
of fear. Many of the deadliest animals in the world however are quite small and
sometimes even innocuous looking. Let’s take a look at the top 10 dangerous
animals you should avoid both large and small.”
The article then went on to list these highly dangerous
creatures, most of which would not be the choice of many of us. To see the
entire article go to their website here.
I’m not sure if the order of deadly creatures was
significant or not. But here are just a few that were given. Surprisingly it
was the Jellyfish that was described at the outset. They shared that most all Jellyfish
are dangerous. But then stated that the Wasp Jellyfish is the most deadly and is the most venomous
animal on planet Earth! That one shocked me.
Next on the list was Cone Snail. Despite looking fairly
harmless, this creature is also quite deadly. As a matter of fact, just one
drop of its venom can kill twenty human adults. And there is also no antivenin.
And once stung by one of these, you will almost certainly die within just minutes.
Third on the list was not as shocking to me. It was the
Black Mamba snake. This critter may look
less fearsome than the Hooded Cobra, but it is arguably more dangerous. It
lives primarily in Africa and has an
aggressive nature when approached. The venom of the Black Mamba is extremely
toxic. It typically causes collapse in humans within 45 minutes or less and
death typically in 7–15 hours without any antivenom.
The other creatures that filled out the most deadly group included
the Cape Buffalo, Siafu Ant, Death Stalker Scorpion. Puffer Fish, Hyena, and
the Stone Fish – the most venomous ‘fish’ on the planet. And as stated, with the
exception of the 2,000-pound Cape Buffalo, most of these creatures are quite
small considering how deadly they can be when encountered in the wild.
But the article also included one more on list of deadly
creatures. And when I saw it, I was both surprised and also not so surprised at
the same time. Number 10 was humans. It said this. “Human beings may not stand to win in
a fair fight against most of these species, but thanks to our ingenuity, we
have learned how to arm ourselves with weapons and tools which have placed us
at the top of the food chain. We also get extra points on the deadly scale for
our aggression, not only toward other animals, but toward each other. No other
animal starts worldwide wars or blasts whole regions of the earth into total ruin with nuclear weapons. Without a
doubt, the most dangerous animal in the world is the face you see in the mirror
each day.” Remind me to not shave or comb my hair anymore!
Although man is a created ‘creature’, he is far more than
the others in the group. He has a soul and was made in the image of God
according to Genesis 1:27. But when he fell into sin, total depravity instantly
followed. And that is why he sadly earned a place, if not first place, on this infamous list. That truth is even
spoken to in James 3:6-8. “The tongue is
so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the
course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile
and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can
tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Mankind’s aggression began way back when he first disobeyed God.
Sin entered the world along with spiritual and physical death. And sin was
passed along, at birth, to everyone from that point forward. Things quickly became so
evil and destructive as to force God to wipe out most of the race and start
from scratch with just a few righteous souls on the Ark. Man’s tragic blunder also
brought chaos and devastating effects into nature itself including animal kingdom. (Romans 8:20-22)
With all of that said, there is another difference between
fallen man and all of the creatures that live side by said with him. As
mentioned, man was created with a soul and spirit and was made in God’s own
image. Yes, those attributes were damaged by the original sin – thus the
current dilemma. But unlike a
Black Mamba, or any other dangerous and deadly beast, man’s basic attitude and
nature can in fact be changed. Because he alone has a soul and God’s image stamped upon
his heart, he can also rise above terrible and deadly activity. he can overcome the inherited harmful
instincts that have plagued the race from almost day one.
And that most radical of changes can come from but one
source – the very God who created man in the first place. The one who gave him physical
breath in the Garden can also give him new spiritual life in his heart through saving
faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:13) That reality can be seen throughout the
New Testament. But it is summed up well in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 where Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Some day, in the future, the animal kingdom and nature will be restored
to its original healthy state. That glorious picture is seen in Isaiah 11:6. "The wolf also shall dwell with the
lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young
lion and the fatling together.” But for the present, the only way that man can have
his faulty selfish attitudes and dangerous behavior be truly modified is to trust
Christ as his personal Savior and the Lord of his life. It is then, and only then, when the command found in 1 Peter
1:15 can become a reality and impact our broken world for good. “But as He who called you is holy, you also
be holy in all your conduct.”
Bill Breckenridge
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