24 There
be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the
summer;
26 The
conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The
locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The
spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. 29 There be
three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: 30 A lion which
is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; 31 A greyhound;
an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. 32 If
thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay
thine hand upon thy mouth. 33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth
butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of
wrath bringeth forth strife. (Prov
30:24-33)
Our chapter ends today by addressing two distinctively different realms of the
moral world. The first (verses 24-28) address creatures that are small and yet
survive following the innate wisdom with which their Creator imbued them.
Following the wisdom of God, and responding with the magnificent facility God
has given us, we may stand against formidable enemies and win the field at the
going down of the sun. In Joel chandler Harris’ tale of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er
Turtle, the very slow, but wise, turtle outwitted the faster rabbit and won the
race. Being physically strong does not always result in being the mightiest.
Victory belongs to the patient, the wise, and the constant in battle. Those who
are faithful to their primary lights will not walk in darkness though the fires
go out all over the world.
The second realm of moral examples is covered in verses 29-31and reveals the
mighty creatures of God that are graceful, majestic, and walk in beauty despite
their fearsomeness. A great king is not boastful for he has no need of
boasting. Cyrus the Great accounted it a strong compliment when he offered the
King of Lydia whatever he asked after the king had surrendered the city, and
demanded a huge ransom. The Lydian king asked for a large fortune. The
treasurer for Cyrus the Great complained to Cyrus that the Lydian king was
impertinent for asking such a high treasure to which Cyrus responded, “You are
wrong, friend. He gives me a great compliment. A great king should be able to
grant great favors.”
THE FIRST CATEGORY OF SMALL, YET, WISE, CREATURES:
24 “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but
they are exceeding wise.” It is said that a mouse can terrify an
elephant, and a single smooth stone can down a giant, as did David with
Goliath. When we are small, we may yet have the advantage in wisdom. If God is
with us, we cannot lose any battle. So strong resolution in a righteous cause
can overcome any disadvantage in size and numbers. Remember Gideon’s 300
against the host of the Midianites and the Amalekites totaling 120,000
mean-at-arms defeated in a single day by the feeble force of Gideon. Why?
Because the Lord was with Gideon. The numbers were of no consequence
whatsoever.
The first of the small things full of wisdom are the ants. 25 “The
ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;”
Amazing creatures, ants! They have a superb communications network that
scientist still struggle to decipher. The build houses and make cities. They
travel by their own public roads. Though small, they are stronger for their
size than any other creatures. They are diligent in labor and harvest
their food supply in due season. They are highly industrialized and care
intensely for their young. They work quietly and without bravado. They
work as a team and are highly organized. They build homes under earth with
intricate networks of tunnels and even some species cultivate plants from which
they obtain a syrup for sustenance. Every ant in every colony has a specific
job and purpose. They need no supervision in carrying out their duties, and
they are wise beyond measure. They will fight to the death to defend their
homes and young ones. There was a time in our distant past when America could
have used the ant as her national symbol, but no more! These virtues of the ant
are all godly virtues. When combined in the soul of man, there can be no result
but success.
The second of small creatures of wisdom are the conies. Those made reference to
here were larger than our modern rabbits. They were quite adept at defending
themselves from larger predators through cunning and craft. They made their
homes, as Christians should, in the cleft of the ROCK. 26 “The
conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.”
It might be deduced that the conies did not stray very far from that cleft in
the ROCK either, for that was their primary protection. If we stray not away
from God, we shall always have a safe harbor and a fitting hiding place.
The third group of small and wise creatures is the locust. 27 “The
locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands.” They
have no king, yet they go forth as an organized army. Israel, too, had no king
but God in Samuel’s day, but they did not want God as their king. They desired
a political king just like all of the other nations – and they got what they
asked for and were sorely treated. America, too, has rejected God as her king
and is already beginning to suffer great calamity. Our children are crying out
for their fathers from darkly lit streets. Our families are in shipwreck, and
our government encourages the destruction of those Primal institutions of God.
The locust, like unjust government, will eat every living thing that comes
under its purview.
The fourth wise but small creature is the spider. 28 “The spider
taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.” The spider
exercises the greatest of patience and diligence in framing her web – even
after many failures, she is relentless. Then, she exhibits a like patience in
awaiting the certain prey to fall into her little gossamer trap. Though poor in
earthly treasure, the spider can live in palatial estates. They dwelt in
the same palace with Solomon, David, Caesar, and with every President of the
United States.
THE SECOND CATEGORY OF MIGHTY AND MAJESTIC CREATURES:
29 “There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in
going.” Man is fascinated by the exquisite beauty of strength of
the lion our first creature of might. 30 “A lion which is
strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any.” The lion is
the king of the jungle, yet wise and cunning in his pursuit of prey. His
favorite hunting time is under cover of darkness. Darkness is not a hindrance
to the lion because, like all felines, he has enhanced night vision. May I add
that the roaring lion may easily be compared with that ancient foe of the souls
of man – Satan. Satan’s best work is done under cover of darkness. He destroys
completely. He is always on the prowl. He needs not to be offended to be your
enemy. Like the lion, Satan is merciless once we fall into his claws. Satan,
like the lion, attacks at the moment of our greatest vulnerability and chooses
the youngest and most helpless to tempt. Our fathers have left the gates open
to Satan to steal away their children in America. It is not pessimism that
evokes my assessments in light of Scripture, but rather a realism informed by
the prophetic Word of God.
The next, the greyhound: 31a “A greyhound.” The
greyhound is sleek and elegant. Its graceful countenance does not hamper its
great speed and endurance. If we would make the Gospel we believe to be
attractive to unbelievers, we should run with the grace and elegance of the
greyhound to search out lost souls. The third is a he-goat: 31b. “..an
he goat also.” He rules his sheep from a high position and is
fierce in their defense. Stubborn and unyielding is the he-goat on the mountain
slopes. If the Christian will maintain his mountain domain, he must do so out
of tenacious faith. The fourth thing is the king: 31c “. . a king,
against whom there is no rising up.” The king processes in regal
splendor, and none dare offend in his presence. A good and faithful king is not
pompous but is splendid in his conduct and countenance. Christian men and women
are sons and daughters of the King of Kings. Our conduct and deportment should
be above reproach and that fitting a prince and a princess.
32 “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou
hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.” Though I may be
alone the only offender, there is countless times that, on reflection, I
wonder, “Did I REALLY say THAT!” “How could I be so stupid or heartless!” If this
happens to us, the best and most effective first action would be to stop the
poison fountain at its source by closing your mouth to further indiscretions.
If the thought occurs, stop your mouth before it is converted to verbal
expression.
33 “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the
wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth
forth strife.” There is a simple formula for the creation of evil
and wicked actions. Just as churning milk results in butter, and wringing the
nose results in blood, so do the formularies for sin result from an active
pursuit of ungodly desires and emotions. Anger, incited to wrath, will
inevitably result in a broken nose or worse. Why not extinguish the awful fire
while it is merely a tiny flame rather than to fan it out of curiosity and
malice?
We shall take up our final 31st chapter in Proverbs on next
Wednesday. I hope the ladies, especially, will pay close attention to this
concluding chapter. Men should as well if they adore and cherish the good woman
God has given them.
