Most parents will readily tell you their children teach them many lessons. Sometimes we “big folks” don't like the idea that the “little folks” can teach us anything. Solomon talks about some “little teachers” in Proverbs 30:24-28. One of the reasons Solomon was so wise was that he was willing to learn lessons from little things. In the aforementioned text, he talks about four little teachers, the ant, the conie, the locust and the spider. Let us, with Solomon learn from these four little teachers.

“The ants are a people not strong yet they prepare their meat in the summer” (Prov. 30:25). We learn from the ant the need of diligence in preparation. Solomon also writes about the ants in Proverbs 6:4-8. The ants work willingly and diligently without anyone telling them to do so. Paul tells the church in Thessalonica that any who would not work, should not eat (II Thes. 3:10-12).

Why do the ants work so diligently? So they won't starve in the winter! They are rightly concerned about the future. We also must prepare for the future. Although it is wise to prepare financially for our golden years, the most important preparations we can make are those we make for eternity. We are not certain of how many more years we may have in this life, but we are certain that we will meet God in judgment when life is over (Rom. 14:11-12). Life is uncertain (Jas. 4:13-17) but judgment is not.

The next little teacher is the conie or arabian mouse. “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make their house in the rocks” (Prov. 30:26). A mouse can hide in very small places. God has taught them to seek refuge in strongholds for safety. David says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” (Psa. 46:1). There is no way we can withstand Satan on our own, but with God we have a stronghold of safety. We can rely upon His strength to win the battle.

The third little teacher is the locust (v.27). The locusts teach us cooperation. One little grasshopper is no threat to my garden, but when they come in the millions they can wipe out a nation as they did in Egypt during the plagues. Consider the magnitude of work that can be done in the Lord's kingdom if we could all put down our “isms” and join hands in cooperation. Just as the early church, we can be successful in turning the world upside down.

The fourth little teacher is the spider. “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings palaces.” (Prov. 30:28). The spider teaches us persistence and a refusal to give up. The cliché may be old or overused but it is still true. “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” What if the sower in Matthew 13 had quit after the birds came to eat up his seed or after some plants died in the heat of the sun? He would have had no harvest! Let us be steadfast (1 Cor. 15:58).

Let us always be on the lookout for lessons from “little teachers”.