There are 3500 species of the cockroach, about a dozen of which are in the United States and Canada. They can be found in the kitchens, bathrooms and cupboards of rich and poor alike, as well as in restaurants, markets and food storage places. The largest is four inches long and the smallest is one-half inch (except for a tiny one an eighth of an inch long in the tropics). Their activities are in darkness, and only a brief glimpse of them is seen as they scurry to hide when a light is turned on.
Cockroaches are mostly black or brown, although some species are green, yellow, red or orange. These pests with six spined legs are well equipped for survival. Their jaws have sharp cutting blades capable of handling tough items, including table scraps, paper, cloth, glue, soap and even electric cords and pieces of leather. But before feeding they use their antennae and thousands of special feelers to "inspect" the food to determine whether it is safe to eat or not. Through this "inspection" they avoid poisons intended for them. Spraying with insecticide in their concealed hideouts does not do much good either. The pressure-sensitive hairs on their bodies also inform them when danger is near, sending them sprinting away in a fraction of a second. Even their endurance is remarkable. Tests have shown they can survive a month without water and three months without food!
Preferring warm, moist spots, they are frequently surrounded by filth which they readily eat and which clings to their legs. Transported to other places, this often transmits disease. However, they are industrious in grooming themselves by brushing their bodies with their legs.
We are not told why, in bringing so many insects into the world, the Creator included the troublesome cockroach. Perhaps one purpose is to impress on us that the world has been spoiled by sin and to remind us of Satan who also "grooms" himself to appear even "as an angel of light." But in spite of this deceit, the devil is man's worst enemy.
The Apostle Paul was aware of Satan's evil activity and that those who do not turn away from his influence will, in a coming time, be under God's solemn judgment. "O wretched man that I [am]! who shall deliver me out of this body of death?" he cried. Finding the answer, he joyfully responded: "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 7:24,2524O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:24‑25) J.N.D. Trans. Have you, too, accepted Christ as your Savior so that you can now give thanks unto the Father "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son"? Col. 1:1313Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13).