Proverbs 30:24-28, Wisdom We Must Learn

Proverbs 30:24-28, Wisdom We Must Learn

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.Coneys 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.

<Sermon>
The Bible says that a truly wise person is one who fears God.
Proverbs 9:10, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
In today's text, the wise man also mentions small and wise things in the world.
The main characters of today's story are the ant, the coney, the locust, and the lizard.

The first wise thing is the ant.

Proverbs 30:25, The ant, a weak species, that prepares its food in the summer;
Ants prepare a lot of food in the summer when they can be active,
and in the winter they live off the food they stored in the summer.
The wisdom we can learn from ants is It is the wisdom of discerning the times.
These small creatures discern when they can do something and when they cannot,
and they do their best to prepare when they can.
This is the wisdom of ants.
Because of the wisdom of discerning the times, ants
can survive without dying in the winter.
We also need the wisdom of discerning the times.
In Ecclesiastes,
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.
There is a time in our lives.
It is wisdom to discern this time well.

On June 24, 2021, there was a major accident in Florida where a condo collapsed.
98 people died in this collapse. This condo was already assessed as severely damaged three years before the accident.  The condo management board was supposed to begin major repair work soon based on this report written three years ago.
The attorney for the condo said that the apartment collapsed just before construction began.
If they had known that the condition of the building was serious enough to cause a collapse,
they would have started construction sooner.
They were warned about the condition of the condo, but they missed the opportunity because they thought it was impossible. As a result, many people were killed.
We should never miss warnings and opportunities related to life.
However, there is a warning and opportunity that is more important than this.
That is the warning about eternal life.
It is said that we all die, and after that comes judgment.
Hebrews 9:27, It is appointed for man to die once, but after that comes judgment.
And the result of that judgment is eternal life or eternal punishment.

While some people will enjoy eternal life in heaven,
some will suffer endlessly in the fiery pit of hell that will never be extinguished
and receive eternal punishment.
The opportunity to prepare for eternal life, the opportunity to avoid hell, the opportunity to prepare faith is only while our lives remain on this earth
Matthew 16:26, For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
What good is it for him, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul, eternal life?
No one knows when the last day of his life will come
I hope that we can remember that there is eternal judgment while there is still time, and become those who prepare for faith

The second wise thing is coney.

It is said that coney is wise because he built his house among the rocks
Proverbs 30:26, Coney, which is a weaker kind, but builds his house among the rocks
The wisdom we must learn from coney is
1. He knows his weakness
2. He prepares a strong refuge against that weakness
1. We are also weak like coney must learn the wisdom of knowing our own weakness from coney.
2. We can learn from coney that what the weak must prepare is a refuge.
David was a man who really needed a refuge.
A king of a country led his army and chased him for almost 10 years to kill him.
How difficult it must have been.
However, the reason he was able to survive this tremendous threat was because
He found a more secure refuge than any other person.
He was God, the Creator, the Lord of the whole world.
Psalm 46:1, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 61:3, You are my refuge, a strong tower from the enemy.
Do you have such a refuge?
Where in this world, and who in this world can be my refuge?

There is only our God.  I hope you make Him your refuge.

The third wise thing is the locust.

Proverbs 30:27 The locust has no king, yet they all advance together.
What we can learn from the locust is this cooperation. It is wisdom
The locusts rely on each other, lend each other their backs, and cooperate with each other to help each other
So they can fly together and travel long distances.
The locusts overcame their weaknesses by cooperating in this way. We are also weak people. That is why we need to cooperate with each other as members of our faith.

That is why we need the church and fellowship of faith.
Calvin said that the church is the mother of the saints.
Just as a child grows healthily in the arms of its mother,

The saints can grow healthily in their faith and be protected in the arms of the mother, the church.
I hope that we will become people who build up and help each other in our lives of faith centered on the church.

The fourth wise thing is the lizard.

Proverbs 30:28 A lizard that can be caught with the hand is in the palace.
The wisdom we must learn from the lizard is agility.
It escapes quickly from the hands of people and maintains its life.
That is why the lizard is in the palace.

Our palace is the New Jerusalem, the kingdom of heaven.
To live in that palace, we must be agile.
We must not be caught by Satan or tempted.
Even if you feel like you're being caught, you have to escape and enter the palace.
You must not stay in a place of sin for too long
You must not stay in sinful habits for too long
You must quickly get out.
Psalm 1:1, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of mockers.
Then you can enter the palace of the Lord.

Today, I thought about the teachings of the Bible about weak but wise things.

Through ants, we learn the wisdom of discerning the times.
Through coneys, we learn the wisdom of knowing our weaknesses and preparing a strong refuge.
Through locusts, we learn the wisdom of cooperating.
Through lizards, we learn the wisdom of quickly getting out of the place of evil.
I hope that we will become those who are with the Lord in the beautiful palace where the Lord is.