Consider the Ant
I was challenged recently to justify Proverbs 6:6-8, which reads as follows:
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."
The challenge, as might be guessed, was not to the instruction of the verse but to the statement that the ant has "no guide, overseer, or ruler". Don't we know that ants have queens? Therefore is it not an error in the Bible to say that the ant has no ruler?
Let's consider the verse itself first, and what it means to say that the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler. The context is the work of the individual ant, and the verse is saying that insofar as this activity is concerned, the ant is independent and free rather than following a leader, being driven by a taskmaster, or obeying the command of a ruler. They are wise because they know the benefit of preparing now, when conditions are good, for the needs of the future. They don't need to be forced or taught to do this, they understand by natural instinct the importance of it, and the Scripture tells us this is God-given wisdom.
So the question of whether ants have a ruler in the sense meant by this verse depends on whether the Queen Ant in some way guides, drives, or commands the ant workers to do their work. Here is what wikipedia says on the subject of the Queen Ant:
"The term 'queen' is not particularly apt, as the queen ant has very little control over the colony as a whole. She has no known authority or decision-making control; instead her sole function is to reproduce. Therefore, the queen is best understood as the reproductive element of a colony rather than a leader."
So it is evident that the Bible is not wrong in saying that the ant has "no guide, overseer, or ruler", but, if anything, the early naturalists were wrong in calling the ant colony mother a 'queen'! Although more on that at the end of this post: the naturalists were not wrong because God ratified man's naming of the animals.
Interestingly, in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint, the word used in this passage is not "ant" but "bee"! I think it is apt in light of the fact that bee colonies are structured very similarly to ant colonies, and of course we have all heard the expression, "busy as a bee!" So how about the Queen Bee? Is she truly a ruler over the worker bees?
"Although the name might imply it, a queen bee does not directly control the hive. Her sole function is to serve as the reproducer."
So here again the wisdom of the Holy Scripture is justified. And there is something else wonderful in these verses, too. Notice that the ant (or bee) is called 'her'. This is true in the Hebrew and Greek also. Now, worker ants and worker bees are all female as a matter of fact! This marvellous knowledge in the Holy Scripture poses a counter-challenge to the doubter: far from being inaccurate concerning ants and bees having no ruler over their work, the scripture is precisely accurate not only in that but also in teaching us that the workers of both kinds are female! Not to mention the fact that ants and bees in cooler climes hibernate or otherwise undergo a period of reduced activity and thus must "provide their meat in summer and gather their food in the harvest" in order to survive. How did Solomon, an ancient Israelite king, know such secret things about ants and bees?
And this brings us to another interesting point. Since Proverbs was written by a king (Prov 1:1), he would naturally have had the word 'king' (melek) quick to mind. In Hebrew, the word for 'queen' is simply the feminine form of melek: malkah. And yet this word is not one of those used in Prov 6:8 for the ant (or bee). Guide, overseer, and ruler are used, but not queen. Evidently the fact that it is not used is intentional. God gave Adam authority to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20), and I take this power to extend to Adam's descendants and to include designating classes or categories within kinds, such as calling a particular class of ant a queen. God knew that we would call the female reproductive element of an ant or bee colony a 'queen' and He ratified her name and for this reason the scripture does not say she has no queen!
But on a spiritual note, the ant colony functions together like a single individual, a superorganism, or a 'body', with each ant being a member of that body. Except, of course, the range of specialization is much less than that found in a human body. There is no specific kind of ant devoted to seeing, for example, or hearing, or smelling, or handling. However, the queen, as has already been discussed, is specialized for reproducing. The males (drones) are also members of the same reproductive 'part' of the superorganism. Worker ants change their specialized function over time, and the different work they do at different times in their life cycle defines what are called, "temporal castes." After emerging from their pupal stage, an ergate cares for the queen and the young; after this, she digs and does other nest work. Finally, she advances to defense and foraging outside the nest.
This should make any Christian think of the Body of Christ, which we compose collectively and of which we are all members particularly. In one sense, we have a Guide who is always with us, our King and the Overseer of our souls, the Lord. Yet we are absent from Him as long as we are present in the body (we walk by faith, not by sight). The Scripture says, however, that Christ Jesus is "of God made unto us wisdom" (1 Cor 1:30). So like the ant and the bee, we as the Body of Christ are motivated and taught to labour in the Lord by wisdom and not by a "guide, overseer, or ruler." And as the ant and bee have different temporal castes, so too are there different placements within the Body of Christ (Eph 4:11).
"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." 1 Cor 12:28
As we faithfully walk in good works, these works correspond effectively with those of others in the Body for its overall edification, this orchestration being wrought by Wisdom and not according to the design of man.
Nevertheless, the church does appoint bishops (lit., overseers) but the Scripture speaks of these as shepherds who care for the church of God particularly in prayer and the ministry of the Word (sound doctrine). They serve by example to keep the members of the Body walking in wisdom and do not strictly control the free activities of Christians who dovetail together by wisdom for the supply and building up of the whole Body in love (Eph 4:16).
I believe this thoroughly answers the challenge to these verses about the ant (or bee) having, "no guide, overseer, or ruler" in her labour.
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."
The challenge, as might be guessed, was not to the instruction of the verse but to the statement that the ant has "no guide, overseer, or ruler". Don't we know that ants have queens? Therefore is it not an error in the Bible to say that the ant has no ruler?
Let's consider the verse itself first, and what it means to say that the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler. The context is the work of the individual ant, and the verse is saying that insofar as this activity is concerned, the ant is independent and free rather than following a leader, being driven by a taskmaster, or obeying the command of a ruler. They are wise because they know the benefit of preparing now, when conditions are good, for the needs of the future. They don't need to be forced or taught to do this, they understand by natural instinct the importance of it, and the Scripture tells us this is God-given wisdom.
So the question of whether ants have a ruler in the sense meant by this verse depends on whether the Queen Ant in some way guides, drives, or commands the ant workers to do their work. Here is what wikipedia says on the subject of the Queen Ant:
"The term 'queen' is not particularly apt, as the queen ant has very little control over the colony as a whole. She has no known authority or decision-making control; instead her sole function is to reproduce. Therefore, the queen is best understood as the reproductive element of a colony rather than a leader."
So it is evident that the Bible is not wrong in saying that the ant has "no guide, overseer, or ruler", but, if anything, the early naturalists were wrong in calling the ant colony mother a 'queen'! Although more on that at the end of this post: the naturalists were not wrong because God ratified man's naming of the animals.
Interestingly, in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint, the word used in this passage is not "ant" but "bee"! I think it is apt in light of the fact that bee colonies are structured very similarly to ant colonies, and of course we have all heard the expression, "busy as a bee!" So how about the Queen Bee? Is she truly a ruler over the worker bees?
"Although the name might imply it, a queen bee does not directly control the hive. Her sole function is to serve as the reproducer."
So here again the wisdom of the Holy Scripture is justified. And there is something else wonderful in these verses, too. Notice that the ant (or bee) is called 'her'. This is true in the Hebrew and Greek also. Now, worker ants and worker bees are all female as a matter of fact! This marvellous knowledge in the Holy Scripture poses a counter-challenge to the doubter: far from being inaccurate concerning ants and bees having no ruler over their work, the scripture is precisely accurate not only in that but also in teaching us that the workers of both kinds are female! Not to mention the fact that ants and bees in cooler climes hibernate or otherwise undergo a period of reduced activity and thus must "provide their meat in summer and gather their food in the harvest" in order to survive. How did Solomon, an ancient Israelite king, know such secret things about ants and bees?
And this brings us to another interesting point. Since Proverbs was written by a king (Prov 1:1), he would naturally have had the word 'king' (melek) quick to mind. In Hebrew, the word for 'queen' is simply the feminine form of melek: malkah. And yet this word is not one of those used in Prov 6:8 for the ant (or bee). Guide, overseer, and ruler are used, but not queen. Evidently the fact that it is not used is intentional. God gave Adam authority to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20), and I take this power to extend to Adam's descendants and to include designating classes or categories within kinds, such as calling a particular class of ant a queen. God knew that we would call the female reproductive element of an ant or bee colony a 'queen' and He ratified her name and for this reason the scripture does not say she has no queen!
But on a spiritual note, the ant colony functions together like a single individual, a superorganism, or a 'body', with each ant being a member of that body. Except, of course, the range of specialization is much less than that found in a human body. There is no specific kind of ant devoted to seeing, for example, or hearing, or smelling, or handling. However, the queen, as has already been discussed, is specialized for reproducing. The males (drones) are also members of the same reproductive 'part' of the superorganism. Worker ants change their specialized function over time, and the different work they do at different times in their life cycle defines what are called, "temporal castes." After emerging from their pupal stage, an ergate cares for the queen and the young; after this, she digs and does other nest work. Finally, she advances to defense and foraging outside the nest.
This should make any Christian think of the Body of Christ, which we compose collectively and of which we are all members particularly. In one sense, we have a Guide who is always with us, our King and the Overseer of our souls, the Lord. Yet we are absent from Him as long as we are present in the body (we walk by faith, not by sight). The Scripture says, however, that Christ Jesus is "of God made unto us wisdom" (1 Cor 1:30). So like the ant and the bee, we as the Body of Christ are motivated and taught to labour in the Lord by wisdom and not by a "guide, overseer, or ruler." And as the ant and bee have different temporal castes, so too are there different placements within the Body of Christ (Eph 4:11).
"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." 1 Cor 12:28
As we faithfully walk in good works, these works correspond effectively with those of others in the Body for its overall edification, this orchestration being wrought by Wisdom and not according to the design of man.
Nevertheless, the church does appoint bishops (lit., overseers) but the Scripture speaks of these as shepherds who care for the church of God particularly in prayer and the ministry of the Word (sound doctrine). They serve by example to keep the members of the Body walking in wisdom and do not strictly control the free activities of Christians who dovetail together by wisdom for the supply and building up of the whole Body in love (Eph 4:16).
I believe this thoroughly answers the challenge to these verses about the ant (or bee) having, "no guide, overseer, or ruler" in her labour.
