I enjoy watching gymnastics at the Olympics. You’ve probably noticed that there are no tall gymnasts. Simone Biles, the top women’s gymnast of all time, is only 4’8”. Taking nothing away from her (I can barely get off the floor when I fall), I’m just pointing out that she has used her short stature to her advantage.
We encourage short people by referring to the idiom that “good things come in small packages.” God has also packed good into small bodies. “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the rocks; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.” (Proverbs 30:24–28)
ANTS can be a nuisance on your kitchen counter, but they are wise because they work together to find and store food when it’s available. The book of Proverbs talks about the fool who is too lazy to plow or work at harvest time. “A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” (Proverbs 20:4; 10:5)
You never associate ants with laziness. In fact, they are examples for the sluggard to follow. “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” (Proverbs 6:6–8) Ants are easily squashed by people, but their spindly legs and arms can lift up to 50 times their weight. If men were that strong, they would be able to carry a steer for miles.
Ants don’t seem to mind getting walked on by other ants. When the colony wants to float to another site, some ants quickly step into the water and interlock. Other ants walk on top of them to extend the raft by also crawling on the water. Eventually, the entire colony forms a large raft that floats to a new sight. Their small size allows the ants on the bottom to not break the surface tension of the water, so no one drowns.
CONEYS, or rock badgers, are small mammals the size of rabbits or squirrels. They are native to Africa and the Middle East. Unlike regular badgers, they don’t burrow into the ground but live within the crevices of rocks. There are no major threats to this species and they are even considered a pest in some areas, competing with farmers by eating their plants.
LOCUST swarms are frightening. Normally, grasshoppers are solitary. But under certain conditions they swarm together, eating everything green in their path. Thankfully, this swarming behavior has decreased since the last century, but despite modern surveillance and control methods, swarms can still form, posing a major threat to agricultural societies. Their wisdom is being unified, even though they have no commander. Together they pose a terrifying menace to the farmer.
LIZARDS were abundant in the warm climate of Palo Alto (when we visited my grandparents). They also were easily caught by me, though they are considered wise enough to slip past every security measure of man to get into the bedrooms of the most well-guarded person.
It is not that these animals are more brilliant than others or that evolution has changed them to act wisely. God created these creatures with these instincts. The message for us is to be busy, humble ourselves, and unite with others to accomplish the tasks. Don’t think too highly of ourselves as we work alongside others. Together, we can accomplish far more than alone.
God has given these little creatures wisdom. We don’t operate by instincts but by willful choices. The wisest thing any person can do is to repent of their sin, and ask Jesus to take over the leadership of their life.
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