What all these four creatures have in common is that all of them are small but exceedingly wise. That is why I call them mini creatures with mega wisdom. Every one of them has its own virtue. What is it?
First, here is mentioned the ant. It is famous with its diligence. The ant can teach us to work even though there is nobody to control or supervise us. In Proverbs 6:6-8 we read:
The ant teaches us to think not just for now but for tomorrow also. In time of harvest we should gather not only what we need to eat now but we also should keep for a time of crisis and need. The diligence and the foresight of the ant should be seen in our preparation for ministry, in our training in the word of God, and in the producing of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
The next wise creature in this proverb is the shephanim or hyrax. The hyrax lives in Africa and Middle East. The hyrax, (Procavia capensis) is a mammal that looks like a big hamster. It has an oval body, sharp muzzle, small ears, almost no tail, and brawn fur. The hyrax could become 30-50 cm. long and 4-5 kilos heavy. The hyrax is very week and defenseless. Although, it is very clever. He lives in the rocks and in this way he finds his security outside itself. As human beings we are week too. How blessed are we that we can find our security not in ourselves but in God. Listen what David says in Psalm18:1-3
According to Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the mount His words are the true rock on which we should build our spiritual houses. Obedience to the Word and the abiding in the presence of the Lord guarantee our safety.
The next mini creatures with mega power are the locusts. Although there is nobody to constrain them to stay together they never separate from each other. Their wisdom is unity. You see, there is wisdom in staying together. One locust is harmless, but a swarm of locusts is like an army. Prophet Joel uses the swarm of locusts to describe the invasion of the Assyrian army over Israel. Divided we are weak but together we are invincible. In Psalm 133:1 it says:
The unity of the church is so important for our spiritual life and ministry that it was the main theme of Jesus' high priest prayer in John 17. There He prays not only for the apostles but also for those who would believe through their teaching, namely for us. There is power in unity. Therefore wisdom teaches us to defend, to protect and to keep our unity as members of the body of Christ.
The fourth mini creature with mega wisdom that is mentioned in this proverb is the lizard. Although the lizard can look disgustful to us, it also has at least two virtues. First, it is small - unnoticeable and humble. It is so small that it could be easily caught with hand. Second, the lizard is brave. It is not afraid to climb the walls and to enter the human houses. And if he can enter the houses of the common people, he can be found in the kings' palaces too. "The king's palaces" make me think about the Kingdom of God. And indeed a person can enter the kingdom of God only with humility. In the gospel of Mathew 18:1-4 Jesus said that if we do not become as little children we cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Actually, if we can see it, the four mini creatures with mega wisdom show us how to enter the kingdom of heaven. First, it should happen on time as we learn from the ant that prepares its food for the winter in advance. Second, in order to enter the kingdom of God we should learn how to look for protection and security not in ourselves but in God. This is what we learn from the hyrax who finds shelter and security not in itself but in the rock. Third, for the progress of the kingdom we must sustain our unity. And, fourth, if we want to be great in the kingdom of God we should humble ourselves and become small and unnoticeable in our own eyes as a lizard.