In those marvelous days of creation, God made everything from great whales to the smallest creeping insects. Everything was perfect, until one day sin came into the world through Adam’s disobedience. Since then all creation has suffered, including the insects living today, and God had to tell His people that “every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination [unpleasant]” (Leviticus 11:4141And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. (Leviticus 11:41)).
This did not mean that God would not still care for these insects, for He does every moment, but they would be types of Satan’s unpleasant, hidden and evil ways.
Throughout the world there are billions of insects, such as termites, ants, mosquitoes and flies, that for various reasons we naturally don’t like. There are also some that God has made helpful to mankind, such as honeybees, ladybugs, the praying mantis and others. These He has made an exception, and they are not called “an abomination.”
However, the three in our title do much harm and are very clever at hiding themselves while they do their destructive work. They are good examples of Satan and his unpleasant, sinful ways. The bristletail is one of these, another is the silverfish, and the third is called the firebrat, because it hides in warm places behind a stove or furnace. These three are so similar in appearance they are hard to tell apart. They have no wings, but their scaly, one-half-inch-long bodies have six legs and two bristle-like extensions in front. All of them have unusual appetites.
For instance, the bristletail eats the paste used to stick wallpaper to a wall. Finding a loose spot, it crawls inside and, if not discovered soon enough, over a period of time gobbles up so much paste that the wallpaper just hangs loosely or may even fall to the floor.
The silverfish (not related to a fish in any way) likes to eat the glue used in binding books. Oh, how they love chewing up the glue, until the book falls apart! Because starch is also a special treat to them, clothing with starch can be damaged.
But none of them is choosy and each kind seems to find its way to shelves, drawers or closets where clothes and books are soon damaged.
All three of these pests are reminders that the evil things which Satan tempts us with are seldom out in the open and cause much harm when we do not guard against them. Psalm 16:11<<Michtam of David.>> Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. (Psalm 16:1) tells us our best protection from Satan’s evil ways: “Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust.” When you make this a truly honest prayer, God will always help you.
ML-07/04/1999