Julie Lavender

GUEST BLOGGER

My guest blogger today is Dr. Roy Lucas. I first met Roy and his wife, Veda, at the Kauffman's Enrich conference last fall. (Go here to find out about the 2019 Enrich conference.) What a delight to meet the Lucas couple! Both are writers; how 'bout that? And both were so encouraging and inspiring, about the Word, writing, and just living this life in a godly way. I think you'll enjoy his words below, just as much as I did! Please join our conversation, and then check out his website for more of his words! 

Go to the Ant

Proverbs 6: 6-8

            Trudging up the side of Tel Gezer in Israel proved to be more than a mere walk. I served among the members of the Tel Gezer Archaeological Survey Team in June of 2016. The steep hillside of Tel Gezer is surrounded by farm land with productive fields and orchards, and other untended sections.

            As the sun rose in the eastern sky, thorns and thistles pierced through my jeans and my shirt like a nurse’s needle drawing blood. Mary’s thistle, stood waist high and punctured my legs. I discovered the only safe way to traverse through the six-foot safflower and its nettles was to walk sideways and bend the tall, prickly plant to the ground.   Unexpectedly, as I climbed over a rock wall, I rolled with my head leading and my hands extended to catch my fall. I landed into an enormous hedge of stinging Roman nettles, which not only pricked me, but injected an acetic acid that irritated and inflamed my scratched skin.

            I massaged my burning legs as I sat during breakfast break. While eating red grapes, a Granola bar, and drinking from a luke-warm bottle of grape flavored water, an ant caught my attention. I watched as the ant scurried across the top of the ground, weaving in and out of the grass that obstructed his path. Shortly I spotted more ants.  Every ant darted here or there. Every ant performed a different task.  The small hill pictured a world of business. As I scanned across the ground in front of me and behind me, I spotted several more ant hills with busy ants. 

            Returning to my room that afternoon, I researched “Ants in Israel”. To my astonishment, I read that Israel possesses 241 species and subspecies of ant. Even the pesky fire ant infiltrated Israel in 1995 on a shipment of trees from America. The fire ant resides from the north in Galilee to the desert south of Jerusalem.  My interest in Israeli ants grew.

            Returning to Tel Gezer in the early morning, I crossed a rather flat and black, fire charred section of Tel Gezer with my co-archaeologists. My eyes scanned for colonies of ants while searching for tombs, caves, wine presses, olive presses, and other man-made features. That’s when Proverbs 6: 6-8 came to my mind,

            “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers.” (ESV)

            I pondered on this verse. I pondered on the Proverb’s admonition. “Go to the ant!” What can I learn?   

            I learn the ant practices self-discipline. The writer of the proverb noticed the ant works without oversight.  No boss, no officer, and no ruler tells the ant what to do or when to do it. The ant works to provide for itself and those in the colony.  Every ant moves purposely about its business. Likewise, believers need to learn self-discipline.  No ‘human boss’ ought to be needed by the believer.  Self-discipline ought to be the word for every believer. Without self-discipline, service to the Lord and to the church will be limited.  Self-discipline guarantees a readiness to serve. Calamity awaits the undisciplined.

            I learn the ant focuses on the future. The future motivates the ant to stay at the task. The ant survives hard times of winter because they are busy preparing for it in the summer.  The ant has no time for procrastination.  The ant teaches us that preparing for the future makes the hard times sufferable. Reading God’s Word, praying, study, and meditation prepares the believer for future use by our Lord.  Focusing on the return of the Lord ought to motivate the believer to hear, “Well done, my faithful servant.”

            I learn the ant works hard. As I studied the ant hill, I noticed that one ant carried a stick twice as large as the ant was.  The ant willingly tackled a project which looked to be bigger than he, but he managed to carry the stick into the hole. The Lord left a plan for his people. We are to take the Gospel of Jesus to the world.  Mission work and personal sharing of our faith demands we work hard.  Destruction waits for the lazy.

            I learn the ant gathers with other ants for protection and provision. The ant does not only exist for himself.  The good of the group is always tantamount. Regardless of his task, he works for the benefit of the ant hill.  One time I watched as an ant struggled to carry what appeared to be a piece of food. He kept dropping it. From nowhere came three other ants to help him carry the load. How Christian believers need to learn to see and lighten the loads of our brothers and sisters. As Paul said to the Galatians, “Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ, (Gal 6:2 CSB).
           

 BIO:

Author, retired pastor and retired Professor of Bible from Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville, Kentucky. Dr. Roy Lucas lives in the Appalachian Mountains in Harlan, Kentucky with his wife, Veda, also a writer. 

He has articles in LifeWay's Biblical Illustrator, Deacon Magazine, Senior Adult Bible Studies for Life, Lighthouse Bible Studies Refresh Magazine, CBN devotion, and the Revised Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2015).  “Why are You Afraid?” appears in Food for Your Soul, Compilation 1 published by Lighthouse Bible Studies (June 2019). His weekly blog is Truth-Travelers.com.

He preaches, teaches, and serves as interim pastor. His doctorate is in New Testament studies. He excavated in the Tel Gezer Project and served with the Tel Gezer Survey Project.  He leads tours to Israel.