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Proverbs 30:24 There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: (NKJV)
Agur either had a lot of time on his hands, or he was a master at seeing the hand of the Creator in everything he observed. I think probably the latter. It’s amazing to me that the same supernatural Word of God that tells us of creation week and resurrection morning also talks about bugs being “exceedingly wise”.
To me, it’s more proof of Bible authenticity. If the Bible were a fraud, produced by some human trying to create a “holy book”, I doubt grasshoppers would have been the first choice of subject matter.
Every word in the Bible is there for a reason. The Bible was supernaturally engineered over 1600 years, by 40 or so authors, on several continents spanning different languages, cultures and lifestyles. And yet it presents a perfect harmoniously message and is far and away the most influential book ever written.
So God wanted us to know about rock badgers and locusts for some reason. Let’s dig in and see what we can find.
Proverbs 30:24-28 (NKJV)
- 24 There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
All of these things are small things – little compared to the rest of the world. Something makes them not only wise, but exceedingly wise. - 25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
Ants are small but they all work together. They work tirelessly, selflessly and with a single focus. They store up food when it is available, for times when it is not. They are always prepared. Compared to how a lot of us folks are in that regard, they are indeed exceedingly wise. - 26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;
We really have no clue what rock badgers are. There have been lots guesses and we won’t examine those here. We know they are small and feeble, but they are smart enough to protect themselves in the cracks of solid rock. They don’t hide their weakness behind pride. They know they are feeble and respond accordingly. I’m feeling an obvious spiritual lesson coming on…. Blessed are the poor in spirit: those who know they are helpless and need protection – like the rock badger. - 27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;
A single locust is cute. An army of them is devastating. They advance with a single focus and become one the most efficient machines in all of nature. They can produce enormous, mind-boggling results because of their unity in purpose and their relentless unstoppable advance forward. - 28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings’ palaces.
Ever notice how a spider can figure out how to get anywhere. How do they get in things, on things, around things, above things, under things?… they can get anywhere. And they don’t care where. It could be the dresser drawer of the President of the United States or the blanket of an inmate at San Quentin. They are no respecter of persons. And wherever they are, they go about doing what they do regardless of who lives there.
Well that’s all fine and dandy, but SO WHAT!? What’s the point? How does it apply to us. I’ll admit right now that I don’t have some definitive answer, but I can take a shot at some things I have learned from it.
- Compared to the world, we may be feeble, small and insignificant but God has given us the ability to prepare for the future – namely eternity. As well, we can accomplish even more as we work in unity and towards a common goal. Like ants compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, the Church may be insignificant compared to the whole world, but through Christ we can accomplish great and mighty works for the Kingdom as we labor together.
Like the Queen Ant, Jesus is the center of our kingdom, and all things radiate from Him. We live for Him, work for Him, die for Him and have no other purpose other than to serve Him. We are insignificant and pathetic in the eyes of the world, but in reality we are the wisest of the wise when we live for the King of Kings.
- While we don’t really know what a rock badger is, we do know they are feeble, and we know they are exceedingly wise to protect themselves in the crevices of solid rock. As Christians, we are feeble compared to this evil world and the constant onslaught of sin. But like the rock badger, we have a hiding place in the “cleft of the rock”… Jesus Christ!
We may be feeble compared to the world, but we are exceedingly wise when we hide ourselves deep in the rock of salvation!
- One locust is helpless, defenseless and powerless. An army of locusts can wreak havoc and strip a land bare with nothing short of a nuclear bomb being able to stop them. Christians are not meant to be Lone Rangers. There is strength, effectiveness, protection and accountability in numbers. Rarely does a Secret Service Christian or a loner Christian ever have much impact on their own lives, much less others.
Yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me… but the very Christ that I serve tells me to serve beside my Christian brothers and sisters, not isolate myself and do my own thing.
- Spiders don’t know the difference between the slums or a palace. They go about doing what they do no matter what the surroundings. We are to be the same way. Wherever God has put us – from the White House to the poor house, from the throne room to the class room, from the board room to the board walk… we are to go about doing what we as Christians do: obey Jesus Christ and tell others about Him.
Our surroundings are irrelevant to our mission in life to obey, honor, serve, worship and spread the message of our Lord and Savior.
I’m so glad that God chose to tell us about bugs and badgers!
Heavenly Father, thank You for using such interesting things to teach us. You are so creative and clever in teaching us about life. Help us to have ears to hear, and eyes to see all the lessons Your creation has for us. In Jesus Name, amen.
Contemplation: What lessons do you learn from bugs? Do you have a hard time taking away spiritual truths from seemingly insignificant things like ants? Do you believe you are not feeble and small like a grasshopper? What are you comparing yourself with?
Application: Have you learned to see every word of the Bible as being put there on purpose for our benefit? Or do you think some parts of the Bible are irrelevant, trivial, out-dated or unimportant? Learn to see every word of Scripture as being put there for a specific reason by God. Then ask Him to show you the reason.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (NKJV)
- What is the most obvious Bible truth you have learned today?
- What change in your life needs to be made concerning this truth?
- What specific thing will you do today to begin that change?
(seriesid:22)