Thoughts for the Day

* Ant's nest in Exmouth

Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
it prepares its food in summer,
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior....

There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Our garden has large deep raised beds 'stuffed' (technical term!) with perennial flowers and bushes. Between them are wide slabbed paths which open to bigger paved areas. Whoever planned the garden knew what they were doing as swathes of perennial flowers appear one after the other. I have tried a veggie patch at the end of the garden, but it didn't work out - too dark and damp. One day I put down a heavy bag of soil and leaned it against a raised bed. I dashed indoors to avoid the rain and left it there. Two weeks later picking up the bag I discovered it had become an ants nest which had spread from the raised bed to infest all of the bag of soil. Talk about speed!

Solomon uses the ant as his model to argue against someone who is lazy. The importance of hard work in a rural society was obvious, but it's no less different today. If we think of young people starting out it applies to them, but it also applies to those who are retired. For older people it's very easy to procrastinate - when time is available it's very simple to put off doing things. The ant is wise, not having to be told to work hard, and is worthy of imitation. Anyone looking at the huge anthills in places like the Forest of Dean, or in places like Costa Rica will surely agree. Our scriptures often use examples from the natural world to teach us. Jesus speaks of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, for instance (Matthew 6.25-29)

If we look at the things that God hates and are an abomination to him we get a strange phrase: "There are six things ... seven that". In Proverbs: 1, we looked at "Instructional proverbs", and this is one such. The proverb is followed by what will happen if you don't obey the first six abominations, ie it will sow discord in the family, or town, or country. No-one likes a mischief maker, or perhaps today it's particularly those that cause mischief on social media.

Lord God.
may we use our time on earth productively,
neither overworking nor wasting our time.
Teach us not to put off what we can do today,
so that we can free ourselves to help others.
May we also be careful not to pass on gossip,
or mischief in any way,
in case it causes even more discord.
Amen.