The most common Colobus monkey has a black body with a fringe of long, silky, white hair, a flowing mane and a long, hairy tail. Several species of this pretty animal live in the rain forests of Africa and are usually named for their color. For instance, there is the black, the green, and still another is the red with its attractive orange and brownish-black colors. All are acrobatic and great tree climbers and spend most of their lives in trees.
All of the Colobus species take good care of their young. An observer watched a mother and father standing close together, teaching a baby to leap between their shoulders. Each day the distance was increased until the little one was able to make long jumps, which it would soon have to do when following the parents through the trees.
Another time a mother was sitting on a branch looking down at her youngster who was on the ground unable to reach her. The mother let down her long tail, and the young one jumped up and grasped it and quickly climbed up.
These interesting monkeys are also called leaf monkeys. This is because they live almost entirely on leaves. When God created them He gave them a specialized stomach and digestive system, with molar teeth designed to chew and grind leaves. These body parts are different from all other monkeys. The stomach system is composed of three parts. The front section receives the chewed leaves from the mouth. Juices are added, and then more fluid material is passed on to other sections of the stomach. In each section the leaves are broken down more until finally they pass into the digestive system as nourishment for the body. When the monkey has finished eating, it climbs to a treetop and sits for hours while it digests its food. Isn’t it wonderful how God made the Colobus different from other monkeys, though they all look and act similar. This is another display of His delight in showing His creative power and wisdom in many different ways.
While monkeys are more clever than most animals, much of their activity is through God-given instincts, which they could not survive without. And as we have noted, their bodies were designed by the Creator to take care of their specific needs. They could not have gradually developed this way over periods of time, because they could not survive if all their parts were not perfectly formed at the beginning.
These pretty animals do not know about the God who watches over them. But His Word, the Bible, tells us He is not only the Creator, but also the One who loves us and has provided salvation for anyone who will come to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of sins. Job said, “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: which doeth great things and unsearchable” (Job 5:89). We are urged to accept Him as Saviour and are promised, “Those that seek Me early shall find Me” (Proverbs 8:1717I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. (Proverbs 8:17)). Do not wait any longer to turn to Him.
OCTOBER 12, 1997
ML-10/12/1997