Look at the Insects: Lessons From God’s World Sample

Go To The Ant 

While Marvel studios have popularized ants; is there a lesson that Scripture brings out for us? 

Here are 3 quick takeaways from this passage. 

First, ants display remarkable team work 

Solomon writes, Ants have “no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores…”. Ants are social insects that live in colonies (up to 10 million in a single colony). In fact, ants are also called ‘eusocial’; meaning they show an advanced level of social organization – which includes division of labour, overlapping generations, and cooperative care of young including ones that are not their own. In a typical colony, there is the queen ant and workers & soldier ants - carrying out different functions. 

Talking about ant collaboration, the army ants can make a living bridge. Some ants hang on to each other while others crawl over them, which shows astonishing coordination, even a level of sacrifice. 

These ants also make a nest entirely of ants themselves – called a bivouac. 

Truly, there is so much to learn on ‘team work’ from them.

Second, ants are future-ready 

Ants meticulously store food for the future. The verse in Proverbs 6 reads: “… it stores it’s provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest”. Did you know that inside an anthill, there are separate compartments for different necessities? There is the egg chamber, the larvae chamber, the food chamber and even a waste chamber. 

Rain or shine, ants are future ready! 

Third, ants exemplify hard work 

Solomon contrasts a lazy person with the hardworking ant. The army ant, for example, can keep marching for 15 days at a time! 

The next time you notice an ant, remember it’s time for hard work, team work and tomorrow’s work. 

As a community we need to show a high level of commitment and service for the common cause. In fact, Jesus Himself stressed the unity among the believing community as central in their existence and experience. To bring this to a close, I would like to slightly alter a very famous line by Henry Varley, popularized by D.L. Moody, ‘The world is yet to see what God will do with men and women as teams fully consecrated to Him’. 

May God bless us and make us a blessing!