Four Ways You can Become Exceedingly Wise, Part 2

March, 2006

by: Jack Hughes

• Spiritual Growth

In our last Calvary Review we looked at two of the four ways you can become exceedingly wise from Prov. 30:24-28. We learned from the ant that we need to prepare for what the Bible says is coming in the future. We also learned from the shephan (small rodent that lives in colonies and lives among the rocks) that we need to seek security in the spiritual Rock who is Christ. For this Calvary Review we come to the last two animals we can learn exceeding wisdom from — the locust and the lizard. Agur tells us this in Prov. 30:24-28:

Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer; The shephanim are not mighty people, Yet they make their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks; The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

Be Wise Like the Locust

The third animal Agur directs our attention to is the locust. He says, “The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks.” Locusts are similar to grasshoppers; the primary difference is that locusts go out in an organized mass while grasshoppers do not. At certain times when the weather conditions are just right, there have been staggering plagues of locusts which swarm in a black cloud so thick it blots out the sun! Locust swarms have been known to travel up to 1,200 miles devouring everything green in their path. Agur points out one of their unique qualities — they “go out in ranks.” If you were to observe them crawling in mass over the face of the earth, you would see that most would be walking in a specific direction as if they had a leader and were marching in ranks.

Our attention is drawn to the locusts because they have no king or leader and yet still “go out in ranks.” Why is this exceedingly wise? You can probably guess. What happens when people don’t have a leader? They usually become like the people during the times of the judges when, “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). Yet locusts, though they are ignorant insects with no leader, organize themselves as they travel. This is exceedingly wise.

The question we must ask is, “What spiritual principle does God want us to learn from locusts going out in ranks?” The principle is that it is wise to be self governed and organized without being told. Most people, if they were free to do what they wanted, would be selfish and not seek the good of others. It is exceedingly wise, therefore, to organize your life to grow spiritually, serve the Lord, and benefit others. An organized believer will have planned times of prayer, Bible reading, and Bible study. They will commit themselves to faithful attendance and service. They will work at reading good books, attend Bible studies or discipleship groups. Exceedingly wise believers organize their lives without being told.

If you have been a Christian for very long, you have probably seen people display wisdom like the locust. Maybe there is a church event and after it is over things need to be cleaned up. Without being told, several people start pitching in folding chairs and clearing tables. Without being told, without a leader over them, they organize and work together for the common good. This is the kind of wisdom God wants all of us to have. He wants us to govern our lives according to His Word and organize ourselves for the common good even when we don’t have a leader. This is exceedingly wise.

Be Wise Like the Lizard

While the King James Version translates this word “spider,” the word is actually referring to a kind of lizard, probably the spotted lizard or gecko. The gecko is unusual in that it is able to walk not only on walls but even on the ceiling. The special padded feet of the gecko give it a firm grip on almost any surface. Though lizards, like the gecko, are defenseless and easily “grasped with the hand,” Agur wants us to see the exceeding wisdom they display in that they live “in kings’ palaces!” The comparison being made is between an animal that is easy to catch yet lives in the most opulent housing and among distinguished people of the land. The difficulty is in trying to figure out what spiritual principle is to be derived from lizards that live in kings’ palaces.

Many thoughts come to mind. Are we to learn—from the lizard who finds its way into a king’s palace—the need to use our gifts to advance ourselves as much as we can? Are we to learn to strive to live in upperclass housing? Are we being taught the importance of having relationships among the upper class or royalty? Out of the four animals that teach us exceedingly great wisdom, the wisdom learned from the lizard is the most illusive.

My thought is that Agur is impressed with the fact that such a small and defenseless creature would be able to live in the most luxurious place. We might ask, “But how does the lizard end up living in a royal palace?” The answer is simple. The lizard lives in a royal palace because it is able. It has the ability to go where other animals cannot and it takes advantage of the opportunity.

Paul when speaking to the Corinthians in I Cor. 1:26-28 says:

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

I have heard Christians say things like, “Wouldn’t it be great if rich, famous, or powerful so and so’s became a Christian?” In their mind, God could do more through a rich, powerful, or famous person than He could through an obscure no-body. Yet this is faulty thinking. God can do anything and nothing is impossible for Him. God purposefully chooses no-bodies because He receives more glory for Himself by using those who, in the eyes of the world, are nobodies. Consider the Apostles, for instance. They were fishermen, political zealots, tax collectors and the like. Yet look at how God used them!

In a spiritual sense, you have every spiritual blessing available to you in Christ (Eph. 1:3). You have Christ, the Holy Spirit, the all sufficient Word of God and spiritual gifts given to you to do great things for the glory of God. Once a person is saved, the greatest wisdom they can exercise is to use the resources God has given them to have an intimate relationship with the King of kings. Only Christians have the rare and unique privilege of knowing the Creator of the universe personally and the ability to serve Him for His glory. Unbelievers cannot give glory to God or please Him in any way (Rom. 8:5-8). The amazing thing is that many Christians, though they have the rare privilege of being able to serve God, do not. Like a lizard who chooses to live among the dust and weeds outside the King’s Palace, many Christians live among the dust and weeds of sin instead of living for the King and His glory.

Is your life organized to grow in Christ and be a blessing to others? Are you taking advantage of the privileges you have as a Christian to serve and give glory to God? Learn from the locust. Learn from the lizard. Be exceedingly wise!