In spite of their bad traits, rats are clever little animals, and many of their abilities show how the Creator has given them special skills. There are hundreds of species of them, all doing their mischief mostly in the dark. But, as mentioned in the above Bible verse, there is One who sees them in spite of the darkness just as He sees each of us every moment of our lives. He is “beholding the evil and the good” as another Bible verse says.
Nearly all rats have a sharply pointed nose, beady eyes, small rounded ears, long whiskers which help them feel their way around in the dark and long scaly tails. Best known is the brown or Norway rat which is quite common in America. It is about 16 inches long, including its tail. In the springtime these frequently dig burrows with separate living and eating areas, all connected by tunnels leading outside. With the first frost they move into the lower parts of buildings where people soon become aware of them, under floors, inside walls, in cellars and even in sewers.
The brown rats in China and Russia are larger and more fierce than those in America, and their burrows frequently undermine buildings, causing them to collapse. In addition to the brown or Norway rat, another common one is known as the black or roof rat which is smaller and darker than the Norway. It gets its name because it prefers to nest in the upper stories and attics of buildings and sometimes in trees. Although called black, it is really a gray-black color on top and much lighter on the underparts. It is a great climber and jumper and scampers rapidly up trees, drain pipes, cables, as well as brick and concrete walls. Some prefer an outdoor life and make their nests in rocks or bushes as well as in burrows.
If you have rats or mice in your home, you know what a nuisance they can be, not only in the way they eat, but by keeping people awake at night and leaving their tell-tale tracks around. They make us think of the Bible verse, “one sinner destroyeth much good” (Eccl. 9:1818Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. (Ecclesiastes 9:18)), because all of them spoil more than they eat. They will even chew up books, leather goods and clothing, as well as being pests to farmers by raiding chicken coops to get at the eggs and young chicks. As mentioned in last week’s account, they raise large families and a small number moving onto any property can soon become a major problem.
In the next issue we will consider the Creator’s purpose in making them part of His creation. Meanwhile, let us remember the Bible verse, “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm.” Jeremiah 27:55I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. (Jeremiah 27:5). He has a purpose for everything He has created even though we may not always easily see it.
ML-12/22/1985