Being a lover of nature, I tend to be intrigued by most any headline about wild animals. It is not surprising, then, that the following one recently caught my eye: “Mississippi Alligator Contained 6,000-Year-Old Artifact in Stomach: Another Object in the Alligator's Stomach Is around 4,000 Years Old.”
The article, written by Peter Aitken and posted on www.foxnews.com, was based on an earlier one first reported in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger by Brian Broom. Both recount how a Mississippi wildlife processor made a startling discovery when he found that an alligator was carrying around a couple of artifacts in its stomach that were thousands of years old.
It seems that, after hearing about a processor in South Carolina who discovered unusual items in another gator, Shane Smith, a deer processor and owner of Red Antler Processing, took a look at the contents of a 13-foot alligator’s stomach. What he found completely blew him away: an arrowhead and a plummet.
A Mississippi state geologist examined the arrowhead and determined it was between 5,000 and 6,000 years old. What is more, James Starnes, director of Surface Geology and Surface Mapping for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, went a step further and stated that the stone wasn’t even an arrowhead. Instead, he believes the object was for an early weapon that launches a spear, somewhat like a catapult.
And that was not all. A second object, known as a plummet, was recognized as a stone used to weigh down ancient fishing nets. It dated to around almost 4000 years old. Smith speculated that the alligator ate the objects in an attempt to help with digestion. Apparently, alligators, like certain species of birds, swallow stones to help break up the harder bits – such as bone – that are consumed when they feed.
For my part, I’m glad that the alligator chose to swallow these two particular treasures. Even if he did so unaware of their significance, his action at least preserved them for later discovery. But is there any more we can take form this story? Maybe so.
Perhaps this is a picture of who and what I am as a Christian. You see, I too carry within me a 2000 year old treasure. The Bible affirms this in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Indeed, this treasure has been referred to as “the pearl of great price”; and it is the rock upon which all other history rests. It is none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
I will carry it with me as long as I live. I will never discard it. Why? Because not only is it that which gives me life, helping to nurture and sustain me each and every day, but it is also that which will accompany me from this life to the beyond.
Unlike the aforementioned gator, however, who kept his treasure hidden away, I will gladly share my hidden treasure with anyone who seeks to know more about it. For my treasure, the treasure of God’s grace, is sufficient for all to partake, for all to consume, and for all to be filled!
STORY SOURCES:
https://www.foxnews.com/science/mississippi-alligator-artifact-stomach;
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2021/09/10/prehistoric-native-american-arrowhead-artifact-found-alligator-mississippi/8271061002/;
https://outsider.com/outdoors/mississippi-alligator-found-native-american-artifacts-stomach-dating-back-6000-bc/.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE:
https://www.biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-7.htm.
The article, written by Peter Aitken and posted on www.foxnews.com, was based on an earlier one first reported in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger by Brian Broom. Both recount how a Mississippi wildlife processor made a startling discovery when he found that an alligator was carrying around a couple of artifacts in its stomach that were thousands of years old.
It seems that, after hearing about a processor in South Carolina who discovered unusual items in another gator, Shane Smith, a deer processor and owner of Red Antler Processing, took a look at the contents of a 13-foot alligator’s stomach. What he found completely blew him away: an arrowhead and a plummet.
A Mississippi state geologist examined the arrowhead and determined it was between 5,000 and 6,000 years old. What is more, James Starnes, director of Surface Geology and Surface Mapping for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, went a step further and stated that the stone wasn’t even an arrowhead. Instead, he believes the object was for an early weapon that launches a spear, somewhat like a catapult.
And that was not all. A second object, known as a plummet, was recognized as a stone used to weigh down ancient fishing nets. It dated to around almost 4000 years old. Smith speculated that the alligator ate the objects in an attempt to help with digestion. Apparently, alligators, like certain species of birds, swallow stones to help break up the harder bits – such as bone – that are consumed when they feed.
For my part, I’m glad that the alligator chose to swallow these two particular treasures. Even if he did so unaware of their significance, his action at least preserved them for later discovery. But is there any more we can take form this story? Maybe so.
Perhaps this is a picture of who and what I am as a Christian. You see, I too carry within me a 2000 year old treasure. The Bible affirms this in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Indeed, this treasure has been referred to as “the pearl of great price”; and it is the rock upon which all other history rests. It is none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
I will carry it with me as long as I live. I will never discard it. Why? Because not only is it that which gives me life, helping to nurture and sustain me each and every day, but it is also that which will accompany me from this life to the beyond.
Unlike the aforementioned gator, however, who kept his treasure hidden away, I will gladly share my hidden treasure with anyone who seeks to know more about it. For my treasure, the treasure of God’s grace, is sufficient for all to partake, for all to consume, and for all to be filled!
STORY SOURCES:
https://www.foxnews.com/science/mississippi-alligator-artifact-stomach;
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2021/09/10/prehistoric-native-american-arrowhead-artifact-found-alligator-mississippi/8271061002/;
https://outsider.com/outdoors/mississippi-alligator-found-native-american-artifacts-stomach-dating-back-6000-bc/.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE:
https://www.biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-7.htm.