Watch the Ants and Be Wise

In Proverbs 6, Solomon offers more warnings of things we should avoid and some wisdom we can gain from watching ants. Have you ever just sat and watched ants? They are the hardest working little creatures – like the Energizer Bunny – they just never give up. It doesn’t matter what obstacle is in their way, they will find a way over it or around it. If the load is too big to carry, they will enlist help. Nothing can stop them. Matthew 19:26 reminds us, “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” Ants seem to think that nothing is impossible. With God, we can believe the same thing!

May6: Proverbs 6

Financial Entanglements

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by the words of your lips- ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor.
4 Don’t give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids.
5 Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a fowler’s trap.

Laziness

6 Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest.
9 How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.

The Malicious Man

12 A worthless person, a wicked man, who goes around speaking dishonestly,
13 who winks his eyes, signals with his feet, and gestures with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with perversity in his heart- he stirs up trouble constantly.
15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly-beyond recovery.
What the Lord Hates

16 Six things the Lord hates; in fact, seven are detestable to Him:
17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil,
19 a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.
Warning against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.
21 Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you.
23 For a commandment is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective instructions are the way to life.
24 They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a stranger.
25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.
26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, but an adulteress goes after [your] very life.
27 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can a man walk on coals without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with the one who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry.
31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much; he must give up all the wealth in his house.
32 The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself.
33 He will get a beating and dishonor, and his disgrace will never be removed.
34 For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not be appeased by anything or be persuaded by lavish gifts.

What lessons can we learn from the ants?

•Hard Workers – There is no boss ant in charge. Everyone just does their job without being told. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” We are called to work hard on this earth. People should see something different in our work ethic. Often the difference between success and failure Is hard work.

•Strong – Ants can carry 10-50 times their own body weight. No insect works harder than the ant. Nothing can stop them. Joshua 1:9 says, “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” We can be strong when we face difficulty because God is always with us.

•Never Give Up – If an obstacle is in their way, they go around it or over it and press on. There will always be obstacles that make our life more difficult, but we must be like the ant and never give up. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”

•Ask for Help – If a job is too big, they go get their buddies to come and help so the task can be completed. Psalms 121:1-2 says, “I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” There is no greater help than that which comes from the Lord. No job will ever be too big if He has called you to do it.

•Prepares for the Future – They work to provide food for the colony. Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We must prepare for the future by sharing the word of Christ so that others will know Him.

Who knew there were so many things we could learn from watching ants scurrying around!