Spinning Webs – Part 3
I think one of the things that makes spider webs so creepy is their invisibility and surprise attack when they full send in the face. But the real spook factor is since the spiderweb successfully went unnoticed, that means there may (or may not) be a spider about to go ‘Peter Parker’ while the web is being untangled.
Did you know that scientists have found at least seven different types of spider silk? And although no spider has all seven, most spiders have multiple and orb-web weavers have five. There’s a designated spinneret for each unique silk gland. The silk is made up of a protein that is liquid in the spider’s body and becomes the thread as it is pulled out by the spider’s leg from the spigot or even gravity in some cases. CRAZY!!! (All according to a National Museum History web piece.)
Not all spider silk is sticky either. This blew my mind. Spiders will build their web using multiple types of silk and only walk on the non-sticky fibers. I just thought they were immune to the sticky stuff or something. (I’ve been looking into fabricating a similar covering for myself because, well, toddlers!)
According to an article from Business Insider, spider silk is “tougher than Kevlar, more flexible than nylon, and thinner than a single human hair.” Biologist are looking at creating usages like ligament and joint repair, sutures, hernia meshes, and more. I’m pretty sure I’m not wearing a “bulletproof” vest made from a spiderweb.
Spider silk is remarkable but so is the kind used to make sheets. And in case you were wondering, sheets are not from spiders, they come from the cocoons of silkworms. I just thought it appropriate to share with you a rather grave matter in the silk conversation. No, it is not the mistreatment of domesticated silkworms.
There are only a few verses in all of scripture that speak of silk. And most are referencing a generic type of valuable fabric, something fancy but may or may not be actual silk. There is only one reference to this type, and it is found in Revelation 18:12.
“…great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.”
What you need to know about this is that a warning about the fall of Babylon is being given. Babylon is a great world power, controller of commerce, leader in development, and is a center for cultural diversity. They held the Israelites captive for 70 years and it had become of monster in its own right. All the fancy things of culture exist here, and the worldly pleasures readily accessible.
In this chapter, we read that Babylon has infinite amounts of luxury and worldly desires. People buy and sell, covet and coerce, barter and beg to experience all that life in the B’lon has to offer. But the angel shares that in a moment, it’s all gone, nothing left, and never coming back.
It talks of the end and that heaven’s armies are coming in victory. This brings me to the grave, quite literally.
I did a funeral recently and the man’s friends had snuck a bottle whiskey in the casket during the viewing. For them it was cathartic but for the deceased it was useless. That whiskey, along with everything else of that man’s, was left behind and the only thing that remains is his legacy.
Just like the angel spoke of the great Babylon, all the good, glamour, and gold gone in an instance and nothing is left but to face God.
As we see spiderwebs for decorations and even walk through them on occasion, may we not just be reminded but reprimanded, that this life is temporary. Our pursuits of the worldly are futile as we will one day be gone. So, what’s important is for us to pursue the eternal and live for something beyond the casket.
And remember, don’t ruin your new silk sheets by rubbing your CrossFit callused hands on them.
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