THEY ARE SMALL YET EXTREMELY WISE!

Theme: living with wisdom.

Passage: proverbs 30: 24 – 28^{Pr 30:24} “Four things on earth are small,
Yet they are extremely wise:^{Pr 30:25} Ants are creatures of little strength,
Yet they store up their food in the summer;^{Pr 30:26} coneys are creatures of little power,
Yet they make their home in the crags;^{Pr 30:27} locusts have no king,
Yet they advance together in ranks;^{Pr 30:28} a lizard can be caught with the hand,
Yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Introduction:The Hebrew word ‘Mashal’ which means ‘Proverbs’ are the sayings of the wise. Teaching moral and ethical principles is the essence of proverbs and it gives insights and instructions about life and living it the sensible way. In one sentence it is ‘the skill of living for a responsible, productive and prosperous life’. As for the authorship there are many arguments but most of the part is ascribed to Solomon, the wise that is considered as the patron of the wisdom Movement in Israel.         Proverbs 30 comes under numerical sayings and is the sayings of Agur, son of Jakeh, who longs after the knowledge of God and confesses his utter ignorance like the rest of the mankind. He was reflected on the immensity of the natural forces, and stood amazed at the one behind them. He specifies four things that seem great and yet are really contemptible, and then he specifies 4 things that are little and yet are very admirable, great in miniature. God says we can learn from the animal world, those of them we consider insignificant are in reality very significant for they have lessons of wisdom which humankind can observe and practice.
Exposition of the passage:V.24. small, yet they are exceedingly wise: The four small things on earth ants, badgers, locusts and lizard are described here as exceedingly wise because for their intellectual size outweighs their physical size. It is so because they possess attributes that serve as a source for humankind and exert a disproportionately large influence and nevertheless arouse wonder because of their cleverness. Let us examine what wisdom we can draw from them.
1. Labor for futurity (v.25)The ants are hard-working creature, and perhaps the busiest ones next to bees. Generally we know that ants gather their foods during summer which is the best time for them; as such they have enough during the harsh chilly winter. This portrays their wisdom of being prepared for the future time. Then what do they teach us? They model the advisability of carefully planning ahead for the future, and for the believers the future here is of the future glory. What God demand from us is to be labor and be prepared for that “glorious future”. Laboring daily to grow in Him must be our first priority then comes our service). Working hard each day to live for Him, desiring to do good and never grow weary in the faith we hold on to.Let us therefore not be lazy sluggards (cf.6:6-8) rather let us be like the ants active, hard workers, and be prepared for our future eternity with our Lord.2. The Lord our Refuge (v.26)The badgers are also known as coneys and are as big as rabbit, but they have soft feet and cannot burrow as rabbit can. They were considered as unclean in Mosaic Law. They live in the cleft of rocks and mountains, a resourcefulness that gains for them a high degree of security. They are feeble, weak, vulnerable and defenseless, yet with their weakness they unite the wisdom and establish themselves among the rocks where they are well guarded in those natural strong fortifications. So, we see here the wisdom as the arranging of accessible dwellings. Now, let us make some comparison between the badgers and we humans.The badgers were considered as unclean and likewise we are also unclean because we are sinful.
The badgers are weak and vulnerable and so we are in some or the other area may be weak in gossiping about other, judging others, uncontrollable temper, jealousy and so and so forth. They are defenseless and so we are without our Lord. Therefore as the badgers took shelter in the rocks we should draw their wisdom and take refuge in our Lord, the ‘solid rock’. Like the badgers let us recognize our own weakness, drive ourselves and take shelter and support in our Lord. Let us not allow our weakness to cover up, rather let us allow us our Lord to cover us up and take refuge in Him, for He is a rock much higher than anything else, in fact the “ solid and the highest rock” where we can find the safest shelter and security.3. Disciplined Life (v.27)The locusts in their appearance look insignificant but their attributes are of great significance. Not only do they portray organization and discipline, but they also portray their intellectuality. When we observe at how much they March on we can see them marching in rank, so organized and so disciplined despite of the absence of a king or a leader. They go forth like soldiers in their respective regiments (cf.joel2:7). They move so methodically that they seem to be acting under definite instructions and strict discipline.Looking at the locusts, we the believers must to have a discipline life. They do not have any leader, but if we are wise we can see that we have an invisible yet visible leader and king, He is our Lord. When we surrender our self and let our Lord be the leader of our life, we will have instructions and disciplines to adhere to and undoubtedly will have an organized and disciplined life like the locusts. This willed each one of us to strengthen and encourage one another and further make God’s people too march forward like an army in Him.
4. Availing oneself (v.28)Lizards are generally found almost everywhere. They are available and are present not only in poor men’s hut, but in king’s palaces not withstanding all the care that is taken to destroy them. They can actually hold on to a marble wall or a tessellated ceiling.Now, what wisdom do we have to gain from the lizard? Here, we have three important lessons. Firstly, as they are available let us avail our self for the Lord anywhere and anytime without any complain. Let us also avail our self for the needs of the people too. Secondly, as the lizard withstood all the care to destroy them, so we as God’s people let us withstand all the difficulties and discouragements that we face in our life’s journey, and be available, thirdly, as the lizard hold firmly onto marble wall and ceiling without falling off, let us also hold firmly on our faith in the Lord, never falling off, whatever the circumstances may be.CONCLUSION Looking at these four insignificant yet very significant creatures we can see that we have lots of wisdom to learn from them which will help us in living a life with wisdom. As the ants let us be prepared for our eternal future, as the badgers let us take refuge in our Lord, as the locusts let us lead a disciplined life as the lizards let us be available every time for the Lord. May our Lord, the wisdom provider, pour down on us the discernment and wisdom from above to lead a life with wisdom, and thus glorify His name.