Here are many wonderful lessons that we can learn from nature, for nature consists of the principles and laws God has set in motion. The cycle of life among the lower forms of living creatures and organisms, together with mankind—the crowning glory of 6 days creation and the divine masterpiece of precision and ingenuity—presents the beautiful pattern of the handiwork of God.
To really appreciate the purpose and work of the great designer of creation we must ponder these creative marvels with the Bible in hand; for nature not only dramatically provides a thousand infallible proofs of the existence, majesty and power of the divine architect, but from a contemplation of the lives and habits of tiny creatures, their wisdom and natural instincts we receive important spiritual lessons.
Solomon’s advice in Prov. 6. 6 is, “Go to the ant . . . consider her ways and be wise”. We might well ask the question, “What could we civilized humans in a modern world learn from these tiny busy insects?” Solomon says that though they are so small they are wise indeed: “A tiny particle of abundant energy, industry and discipline.”
From the study of nature we learn that ants are essentially social creatures like bees. wasps and even human beings. There are over 2,000 different known species of them, some of which are totally blind and work by instinct alone. They are a particularly energetic race of insects. Each has its particular functions to attend to, whether it be the queen as the sole ruling authority of the colony, soldier ants as the ever vigilant militant constabulary, or worker ants as the general work force of the community.
The social system of ants is higher than the famed maze and wonder of the beehive and indeed exceeds that of any other creatures, being second only to the complexities of human civilization.
So proficient are ants in the techniques of commercial life that the story of their daily routine of life in times of peace and war passes for description of life in a human community.
Ants have many virtues which are praiseworthy and comparable with human attributes; they also have many vices as pronounced as men and women. They are both fussy and fastidious; like humans they have their likes and dislikes; they can be and are in fact oft-times gluttonous, proud, merciless and express intense hatred to all creatures other than their own species.
They are particularly noted for their outstanding memory: some knowledge gained is not forgotten even over a period of years.
Their constructive skill is unbelievable and many of their engineering feats are quite amazing as with great precision and an immeasurable amount of patience they construct bridges and tunnels.
The skill and instinct of these tiny creatures is astounding. Their knowledge of nature’s ways and the importance of hygiene is likewise remarkable. The accent is on cleanliness both in regard to themselves and their habitations. So fanatically exact are they with regard to cleanliness that cleansing and sanitation of their nests is a continuous programme of activity—removing the dead and all unnecessary and defiling objects immediately. Hence in their own right ants are truly nature’s scavengers. God in his wisdom created them as his field workers in the wonder-world of nature to cleanse the earth and prevent disease.
The ant city is a maze of wonder, skill and ingenuity. It is marvellously planned with ordered streets, lanes and highways. The nest is a labyrinth of halls and galleries. It contains nurseries for the young, storehouses for food, quarters for the workers and barracks for the army, which is highly trained and painstakingly maintained for every emergency. Cattle are to be found abounding in stables: over 500 species of insects are known to inhabit ant nests. Some diffuse pleasant odours and others are kept purely as domesticated household pets. We have said that ants are essentially social creatures like humans and love the company of other tiny creatures.
Ants have developed the art of taming other creatures for their own purposes. Among such creatures is a green fly known as the “aphides”, which produces a substance known as “honey dew”—the dearest food treasure of the ants. The ants capture the “aphides” and take it prisoner, placing it in the “city zoo”. Here they attend to its every need, and collect the honey dew as it is produced. It is placed in one of the many storehouses as the future food supply. Many of the other creatures which inhabit the “zoo” are reared from eggs hatched by the ants and which have been stolen from the leaves of various plants.
Courage is the badge of the race—ants do not know fear and many interesting stories have been told by people who have made a study of their life and habits. On one occasion it is said an army of ants did battle with a huge python and although many hundreds of ants were killed in the battle that ensued, the python being overwhelmed by the numbers of ants was hastily defeated and summarily devoured and some hours later the observer on passing this battlefield noted that only a few remains were to be found as evidence of the fierce and bitter conflict that had passed.
It is recorded that on an occasion three Sauba ants returning from a hunting and foraging expedition were observed straddled over a worm and carrying it to the nest in their powerful jaws. Following behind were well regulated teams of labourers awaiting their turn to carry the heavy burden as the others tired. These remarkable ants have been known to journey as far as 11 miles from the nest in search of food.
According to recognised authorities, with most species of ants the queen ant lives for approximately 15 years and the worker ants 7-8 years. The worker ants labour unceasingly from dawn to dusk, but the queen does not arise until the middle of each day; and of course is mostly occupied with the internal domestic affairs of the nest.
Ants do not tend the sick: these are simply left to die. However, when they are dead, a procession to the cemetery is arranged, together with a funeral service, and the dead are placed in a grave dug in the earth and covered.
Perhaps one of the greatest wonders of the ant world is the way in which the queen ant and mother of the colony determines the sex of her progeny. If workers are required male eggs are laid and if queens or drones, female eggs are laid. By this means the queen is able to keep a proper balance of ants within the colony. When we consider that the queen is capable of laying up to 3,000 eggs per day the increase in the population and industry of the colony is considerable.
When the eggs are hatched a grub is born—legless, wingless and helpless—and is fed by worker ants on pre-digested food. It is carried about the ant city daily for airing and exercise, and even taken out of the nest into the sunshine for a few hours each day and returned to the nursery.
The grub stage is about two to three weeks, after which it spins a cocoon, and finally in another two to three weeks a complete transformation takes place and a winged ant emerges. The first duty of the worker ants is to bite off their wings, and they are then taken to school for three weeks tuition, after which they are qualified to face the world and the many and sometimes onerous tasks required of them. During this period of instruction the ants are taught all the aspects of ant life: firstly as housemaid, nurse, scavenger, builder and finally as hunters, completing their schooling with important battle training in order that as members of a military force they can attack or defend their lives and property in any emergency.
Studying these tiny creatures from an entirely different aspect a new concept of amazement and wonder is revealed which testifies in a manner almost unbelievable to the wisdom God has bestowed upon these small intellectuals of the world of nature. Ants are keen gardeners and with seeds they have gathered from the earth they sow into a carefully ploughed and prepared plot under the ground, well hidden from view of the outside world. This by ingenious means they will irrigate, and the water together with the natural warmth of the earth causes the seed to germinate and grow. Periodically the worker ants with their sharp teeth reap the harvest, cutting close to the ground, and the crop is then gathered into barns. This food, when dried out, becomes a cereal containing much necessary nutriment and can be easily stored for long periods in preparation for the cold winter months. This is particularly so in Palestine where the ant demonstrates its wisdom by storing up food during the summer season for the winter months when some species hibernate to survive the cold.
Man is still learning about these tiny creatures and as late as 1922 a French scientist, whilst engaged in research on ants in Indo-China, discovered a species of ant which, on going to war, was able to spray out from its head a vapourised formic acid for a distance of some inches which had an effect upon the enemy similar to tear gas and rendered them helpless and easy victims to defeat.
It will be appreciated from the facts collated regarding these fascinating creatures that Solomon has uttered some veritable truths in the Proverbs which are wholly endorsed by the facts of nature.
Solomon, through a careful consideration of the ant, condemns idleness and encourages rather an industrious and constructive approach to life’s problems. He remarks that the ant “has no guide, ruler or overseer” and yet, as we have observed, they are extremely well organised. Each owes a debt to society, each having a particular duty to perform to provide for life whilst there is opportunity.
The human failing of procrastination a putting off until tomorrow is a practice foreign to the ant.
In Prov. 30. 25 Solomon says, “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer”. This seeming inherent weakness of not being strong was no deterrent to their occupations. What one ant could not do, many ants with a singleness of purpose and united strength can accomplish.
We, too, are weak as mortal creatures, subject to suffering, disease and death, but through wisdom we can provide for our eternal well being in the kingdom of God. Though vessels of inherent weakness we should be discouraged from excusing ourselves for not doing those things God requires of us on the grounds of being either physically or spiritually weak. God, who has fashioned us each one, knows our frame and is quite able to make our individual inefficiencies forces of strength—that which we cannot do singly and alone, as “workers together” of the grace of God we can accomplish. Thus the importance of full ecclesial co-ordination and fellowship in the work of the Lord is evident.
Even Christ, the “captain of our salvation”, our leader, friend and brother has shown us how according to our several abilities we are each qualified to serve one another.
The importance, too, of individual spiritual cleansing and purification is highlighted from the study of the habits of these tiny creatures. “Continual washing of the Word”, by careful reading and prayerful meditation, has no equal and no substitute for those whose ambition is to please our Heavenly Father and develop godliness. No defiling influences must be found in us, or anything that would offend or grieve our Lord and Master.
Above all things, the necessity of developing those twin virtues of “courage and patience” will be manifest to the reader. How important it is, how fundamentally and basically essential that we who would be “heirs of the Kingdom” should “endure all things”, not giving up easily the tasks allotted to us to do, but seeing them through to a conclusion.
Finally, a careful examination of the ants’ habits and natural instincts will suggest many more spiritual thoughts from which we can learn and fashion our characters.
May we each one, with the blessings of God, heed the wise counsel of Solomon and with a mind to learn, a heart that will receive instruction and a determination to obey God’s precepts go to the ant, consider her ways and be wise.
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay