Live with Wisdom (Proverbs 30:24-28)

 

Live with Wisdom (Proverbs 30:24-28)

 

24 Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:

25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;

26 hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;

27 locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;

28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

 

Introduction)

 

Today’s sermon is titled “Live with Wisdom.”

 

King James I was the faithful king ???? (a little) who translated the King James’ Version of the Bible. He was a king of faith and was strict to even the smallest crimes. once, a man named Armstrong was caught stealing a sheep and was thus sentenced to death.

 

After thinking of ways to avoid his sentence, Armstrong came up with a brilliant idea and then called over one of the prison guards and said to him, “I am to be a dead man. My last desire is to read the Bible one final time. Please tell the king of my wish.” King James I heard this and replied, “What an admirable criminal. Give him a Bible and carry out his sentence once he has finished reading it.”

 

Armstrong began reading the Bible that day. However, a year went by and his sentence could still not be carried out because Armstrong would read just one verse a day. In the end, King James I let him go and told him to read the Bible at home. From that day on, Armstrong was reborn a new man and lived doing good things. Wisdom saved him.

 

Like this, wisdom is great beyond measure; it gives life to the dying, makes the impossible possible, and gives strength to the weak. Proverbs illustrates the power of wisdom accurately in today’s scripture, which describes four creatures on this earth that are small and weak but great because of their wisdom.

 

What kind of wisdom should we have then?

 

1. Have the wisdom of diligence and diligent preparation like the ant.

 

 Verses 24-25 say, “24 Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:

25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;”

 

Ants are incredibly small. Some ants are so small, they are barely visible with the naked eye. But despite such shortcomings, these ants have been able to live and survive on this Earth, thanks to God our creator.

 

How do these tiny ants survive the long, harsh winters? It is because of their wisdom of diligent preparation.

 

You all know the fable of the ants and the grasshopper, right?

 

There once was an ant that worked hard through the summer months gathering food and storing for the winter. on the other hand, there was a grasshopper that spent all the warm months singing and playing. When winter came around, the ant survived the cold season due to his preparation, while the grasshopper died with nothing.

 

No matter how smart one is, he/she cannot beat someone who works hard. If we work hard in all that we do, people will be surprised and shower your with praise.

 

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Our futures can be built and bettered through our repeated actions. People do not like repetition. However, repetition can make a person great. The world’s greatest experts developed their skills through repetition and practice.

Like this, if we practice and repeat certain things in our life of faith, such as prayer, praise, evangelism, worship, and volunteer work, we will get better at it. Let us always be diligently prepared.

 


2. Have the wisdom of dependence like the hyrax.

 

Verse 26 says, “26 hyraxes are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;” Hyraxes live near the regions of Palestine and are weak creatures similar to rabbits and raccoons and are easy prey to wolves or eagles. But, they are wise animals that find protection in crags between rocks.

 

We, too, must not be discouraged by our weaknesses. All we need to do is depend on our God who will give us wisdom. When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, humans were shabby and poor compared to the other animals. He gave bulls strength, lions sharp teeth, eagles wings, turtles shells, and sheep wool. Humans had no fur and were given bare hands; no teeth, no shells, no wings. But we were given something even greater and more valuable: wisdom.

 

The greatest wisdom is the wisdom of being able to depend on the Lord:

Proverbs 2:6-7

“6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,”

 

Proverbs 9:10-11

“10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and knowledge of the Holy one is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,
    and years will be added to your life.”

 

We may be weak like the hyrax, but we will gain strength if we depend on God.

 


3. Have the wisdom of unity like the locusts.

 

Verse 27 says, “27 locusts have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;”

 

Locusts or grasshoppers on their own are no threat. But when they group together, they are powerful. Like the plague of the locusts in the Bible, if a locust swarm passes through, no crops of produce can survive.

 

This is the power of unity. A single man by himself might be weak, but in numbers he is strong. We must be wise like the locusts.




Locusts have no king, but through their communication they possess the wisdom to maintain effective unity. We must also have that wisdom with Word and Holy Spirit leading us. only the Word and Holy Spirit can revive the Korean church and churches of the world.

 

 The Christian population in China has grown to 150 million people. This growth is due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Even in Central and South America, where Catholicism is the central religion, through the power of the Holy Spirit the numbers of Protestants is increasing so much so that soon Brazil, a Catholic nation, will have more Protestant believers than Catholic.

 

 We must work together in unity through Christ, for Christ. We must pray to God in one voice, praise Him in one voice, and let our voices be heard as one voice to the world. It is then when we will become strong in unity like the locusts.

 


4. Finally, have the wisdom to be in and part of the right place like lizard.

 

Verse 28 says, “28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.” Lizards are small and powerless. There are countless lizards near homes in the Middle East and since these lizards are small and without poison, they are easy to catch.

 

But if these small lizards are in a king’s palace, they cannot be easily caught. Who would dare catch a lizard that is part of the palace?

 

Where and to whom we belong to is important. It is where we receive blessings. We must be thankful to belong to free and Christian nation. We must be thankful to be born into a family with faith. We must be thankful to be part of a church that is built on the Gospel.

 

You must belong to God, and not the world, to be saved and receive everlasting life. Amen?

As the grape vines bear fruit if it is attached to a healthy grape tree, we must be in Jesus and live our lives in Jesus. If we do this, no one can hurt us, we will receive love, and see our lives filled with blessings and beautiful gifts.

 

Conclusion)

 

We all have flaws. But these are not reasons to live in envy, jealousy, or a sense of inferiority.  Remember today’s sermon and be sure to put it into action.

 

 Like the ant that is diligent in its preparations, like the hyrax that depends on the crags in rocks for protection, like the locusts that gain power in unity, and like lizard that finds refuge in the palace, let us have wisdom and faith in the Lord. When we do this, we will be victorious!