GAINING WISDOM FROM NATURE

PROVERBS 30:24-28 NKJ 
24 There are four things which are little on the earth, 
But they are exceedingly wise: 
25 The ants are a people not strong, 
Yet they prepare their food in the summer; 
26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk, 
Yet they make their homes in the crags; 
27 The locusts have no king, 
Yet they all advance in ranks; 
28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, 
And it is in kings' palaces. 

OBSERVATION: 

This passage today is one of the ones that you read over and then ask yourself, why is this here?   

And yet there is wisdom, God's wisdom in the proverbs. We find some of His wisdom in these four observations of nature.  

These observations have to do with living creatures who are small but wise.    

The ants are not strong in comparison with people. You can step on them and kill them easily unless we are talking fire ants. Those horrible creatures are mean and hard to kill, but I digress.   

The ants are not strong, but they prepare. Their preparation of food in the summer enables them to overcome their weakness. They compensate for their lack of size and strength by preparation.   

The rock badgers are more accurately called rock hyraxes. Small furry shy creatures who are vulnerable and low on the food chain. But they make their houses in the rocks. They compensate for their lack of ability to protect themselves by choosing a protective environment to live in.   

The locusts have no king. No one is leading the locust, yet they advance in ranks. They compensate for their lack of a leader by being organized and working as a team.   

The lizard you can grasp with your hands. I know the New King James version said spider, but the literal Hebrew is lizard. I am not sure about what wisdom we gain from lizards living in king's palaces. If you have any insight into lizards' wisdom, email me. I would love to hear it.   

APPLICATION: 

In a nutshell, what we learn from these little creatures is we can compensate for the weaker areas in our lives.   

By being prepared. By being wise concerning the environment we live in. By being organized and self-disciplined, we can overcome areas in our life that are deficient. By looking to God's wisdom, we can overcome our weaknesses.   

God created these creatures with His wisdom built into them. Imagine what He can do for those of us who are His children.   

PRAYER: 

Dear Father, You put Your wisdom into nature. You have wisdom to help me overcome areas where I am small and lacking.