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"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23
Leopards live in parts of Africa and in Asia from Israel to China, Malaysia, and Sumatra [Indonesia]. They are the third largest member of the cat family. Only the lion and tiger are larger. Besides being a beautiful animal, a leopard is graceful, alert and cunning. It is also a good climber and spends part of its time in trees.
The leopard is fierce and prefers to hunt alone. Its tawny color and spotted pattern blend with the grasses and leaf shadows, enabling it to crawl through brush or lie on a tree branch undetected by its prey. Unbelievably strong, it can carry prey weighing 80 to 150 pounds up into a tree 10 to 15 feet above the ground before it settles down to eat.
The Creator has given the leopard excellent sight, smell and hearing. It is extremely patient in hunting impalas, antelopes, jackals, monkeys, sheep, goats and dogs. It may watch its victim for an hour or more before beginning its stalk. Then it creeps toward it and makes a swift, final dash with a great leap onto its catch. At other times it may stretch out on a tree branch over a game trail. It lies entirely motionless until something comes along, then it drops down onto its prey.
Two, three or four kittens to a litter are born in a cave, hollow tree or den underneath a big rock. The mother has the responsibility of feeding and raising them. After four months, she teaches them to hunt and to take care of themselves. About two months later they leave and are on their own, probably never having seen their father.
The questions in our opening Bible verse have only one answer: A person cannot change the color of his skin, and a leopard cannot change the spots on its coat. The rest of the verse draws a parallel: If we could change our skin or the leopard change his spots, then we could also change from being sinful to being good. But the Bible states the facts: "There is none that doeth good," and "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:12, 23).
How then can we ever hope that God will accept us, since we are sinners? This is a most important question, and the answer is again found in the Bible: "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). By believing that Christ died for your sins and accepting Him as your Saviour you will be "born again," and everyone with this new life belongs to God as His child and is assured of spending eternity in heaven. Do you have this assurance? If not, believe on the Lord Jesus and receive Him as your Saviour?
Copied with permission from Messages of God's Love. More articles in The Wonders of God's Creation (Volume 1-4) by Sidney R. Gill, also published by Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL 60101.
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