GO TO THE ANT

GO TO THE ANT

KEY VERSE: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its way and be wise! PROVERBS 6:6-11

SCRIPTURE LESSON: PROVERBS 6:6-11
6 Go to ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, not overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, la little folding of the hands to rest –
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

For the Teacher ….
BACKGROUND
In verse 6-8 of Proverbs Chapter 6, the ant is presented as an example of a self-disciplined creature which works without any outside pressure or coercion. Without any supervision, this tiny creature gathers and stores provisions to see it though future days when food will be scarce. The writer suggests that there is wisdom in hard work motivated by a spirit of foresight and diligence.

God has provided ants with such amazing instincts that they appear to reason and plan ahead. Their hard work is considered a worthy example for human beings by the writer of Proverbs (6:6-8; 30:25). So we may learn from their ways if we are to be successful in life.

IN DEPTH
PROVERBS 6:6 This is a warning against the wastefulness of the lazy. The point of comparison with the ant is not so much the foresight of the insect as its unwearied activity during the appointed season,
Ant: The ant’s industry gives the appearance of far-sighted activity (see also Prov. 30:25).
The sluggard is mentioned in 13 verses of Proverbs (eg. 10:26; 13:4; 19:24; 20:4; 22:13; 24:30-34; 26:13-16; cf. 20:13). His procrastination and lack of initiative are strongly condemned (Pr. 15:19). His foolishness is evident in his lack of preparing for the future. Rather he prefers to stay in bed (Pr. 6:9, 10). As he waits and does nothing, opportunities slip away, and without notice his poverty and need overwhelm him. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. His inactivity expresses an attitude of folly (13:4; 19:24; 26:16).
He likes to sleep (Pr. 6:6-11; 24:30-34) and expects everybody else to serve him (Pr. 19:24)
He dreams of wealth but ends up poor (Pr. 13:4; 21:25-26.
He is good at excuses (Pr. 20:4; 22:13; 26:13-16) but poor at performance (Pr. 10:26).
He is not a builder but a destroyer (Pr. 18:9
VERSE 7 no commander, no overseer, or ruler – that is, the ant has no leader of any kind, whereas bees and cranes have. This means that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter.
VERSE 8 The heat of summer does not prevent the ant from toiling while the favourable season for getting food lasts. The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances.
VERSE 9 God designed that man “goes out to his work, to his labour until evening” (Ps 104:23), which allows only about seven hours for sleep.
VERSE 11 poverty will come on you like a bandit – an armed robber who actively but stealthily advances nearer and nearer his prey, bent on doing you evil. The more you delay and sleep, the more poverty catches up with you.
and scarcity like an armed man – literally, ‘a shielded man;’ reckless, and furnished with arms of defense and offence, whom you cannot keep away since you are unarmed and asleep; so does scarcity grip the lazy, (cf, Pr 24:34).
Poverty Proverbs warns against attitudes and behaviour that produce poverty. Laziness is one of these (10:4,5; 19:15;20:13). While diligence and industry are normally associated with prosperity (12:11; 13:4; 14:23), it must not be thought that all poverty is the result of folly (19:1, 22; 21:13; 22:22-23). Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard. His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dreadful poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber.

For the Student
THE WORD IN OUR LIVE

One of the great sins among Christians today is laziness. Laziness is manifested in Habit like lack of initiative, procrastination, passivity and lack of discipline. All this they do unaware of the dreadful results. Laziness is a habit and its end result is usually failure and poverty. Hard work and effort is the way to success and wealth.

One great truth about the ant is that it is as diligent in business as anyone can possibly be. This is something that the child of God can learn from the little ant. This ant is busy doing what the most important thing in its life is – getting food for the winter, caring for the future and it is busy about it.

It is amazing that ants should have such order in the absence of a leader. It is therefore inexcusable that human beings, who have so many resources to urge them to work – parents, Ministers, teachers, other people’s example of the good results of hard work and the example of the evil effects of laziness – should ever be lazy. Laziness is a habit and its end result is usually failure and poverty. Hard work and effort is the way to success and wealth. Laziness is against nature. Leaders should not allow anyone under them to be lazy.

The ant has a lesson for all of us, there is no formula or shortcut to success in any area of life – religion, business, academia, etc. What is required is self-discipline, which certainly a character trait of all successful people. By avoiding procrastination and doing what we ought to, we’ll worry much less about failure, scarcity and needs. If laziness turns us from lour responsibilities, poverty may soon prevent us from the legitimate rest and peace we should enjoy.

John C. Maxwell summarizes the lessons the ant teaches us with the following acronym:

A – Attitude of Initiative
Ants don’t need a commander to tell them to get started.
N – Nature of Integrity
Ants work faithfully and need no outside accountability to keep them doing right.
T – Thirst for Industry
Ants work hard and will replace their anthill when it gets ruined.
S - Source of Insight

Ants store provisions in summer:
If we consider and learn from the ways of the ant, we can grow wise.

(Culled from The Maxwell Leadership Bible by John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2002)

TEST YOURSELF

1. Quote Proverbs 6:6
2. True or False?
g. The ant loves to sleep (verses 6, 10, 11)
h. The ant needs to be supervised to be able to work (verse 7)
i. The ant stores up its provisions in summer (verse 8)
5 Fill in the blank spaces
It has no __________. no __________ or _________. yet it ________ in ________ and gathers its food at harvest (vv. 7-8).
4 Complete: How long will you lie there, you sluggard? _______ (verse 9)
5. To what is poverty likened in Proverbs 6:11?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
13. Discuss the principle of success summarized in Proverbs 14:23: All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
14. The Bible underscores the importance of committing our ways to the Lord. For example, Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. “ How then do we have to work hard in order to achieve success?
15. Proverbs warns against attitudes and behavior that result in poverty. Laziness is one of these (10:4,5; 19:15; 20:13). Identify and discuss three other such attitudes and how they produce poverty.
16. Do you agree with the statement that “Not all poverty is the result of laziness?” explain your answer.
17. Proverbs condemns the sluggard’s passivity, the habit of procrastination, the lack of initiative, and the lack of discipline:
e. Give practical examples of how these attitudes are manifested in our home, church, workplace, land the society.
f. How can we overcome these attitudes
18. Does the generality of Ghanaian attitude to work reflect more the diligence of the ant of the laziness of the sluggard? Explain your answer. What kind of active work should characterize Christians this Christmas season?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Pr. 6:6). Meditate on this verse. How does it speak to you personally concerning your attitude to work? Share your insights with your class.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Proverbs 6:1-5 Warning against guaranteeing another
Person’s debt
Tuesday Proverbs 6:12-19 Warning against Deceit and Malice
Wednesday Proverbs 6:20-35 Warning against Adultery
Thursday Proverbs 23:20-21 Warning against Gluttony and
Drunkenness
Friday Proverbs 23:15-19 Developing a wise heart
Saturday Proverbs 11:25-28 Achieving financial security
Sunday Proverbs 6:6-11 Go to the Ant