The Cracked Acorn: Flies

An old story retold-you go into a restaurant for a good meal and to enjoy an outing, but before you can place your order, the “lone fly” shows up!

Immediately you want to move out of range and can’t do that, so you try to swat the rascal. You recall all the school health classes warning you that flies are up to no good. The common household fly has been found in 255 million old fossils.

But the fly is one of God’s marvelous creatures. He has a thousand eyes and sees a thousand swatters coming at him. On the farm, we killed them by the droves till DDT no longer did its job. This pest is very adaptable to all conditions and most pesticides. The lone fly will find a way to winter over, probably in the attic, and meet you in the spring. He can use his six legs that ooze glue to walk up/down/over any and all surfaces.

We in the USA cannot tolerate the flies and know their dangers, not so, in a third world country where you see people on TV, the people are covered with flies. He has a long history and was probably in the garden of Eden but had a different purpose, for, in that place, there was no sickness and death – a perfect place.

When sin entered, everything changed for Adam and Eve and their children, but also, I think, for the fly. Sinful man out of the garden and on his own had to endure the toil of making living fighting weeds and thorns and competing with nature. The fly and his 120,000 different kinds do little to aid mankind but are a serious pest to crops and have the superior ability to transmit diseases. They are part of a “challenged” world where man is a sinful creature.

The fly does not have the chance to change, but man has that God-given opportunity. “THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE; OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD, ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW…FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.” (II Corinthians 5:17,21)

The insect world numbers over 1,000,000 species, and new ones are discovered every year. Their purposes and activities fill volumes in the libraries of the world. While some may be helpful, the vast majority are at war with man, for it seems that we are all competing for a place and for the limited food crops.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 – Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, so a little folly outweighs an abundance of wisdom. (a swarm of flies soon corrupts and destroys any uncovered dish of food in a few minutes-BARNES NOTES)

Psalm 78:45 (HIS signs in Egypt) HE sent among them swarms of flies that ate them; frogs, too, that devastated them.

Psalm 105:31-HE commands; the flies came in swarms and lice throughout their land.

Joshua 24:12 Another powerful insect –And I (God) sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. (KJV)

Thank you, heavenly Father, for the small reminders that we live in an imperfect world. A place where we have to be on our guard and place our trust and faith in you. And that whatever happens, we have the promise of an eternal home with you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN