“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.” - Proverbs 6:6-8
God reveals His truth to us in two ways: by His special revelation, the written Word of God (II Timothy 3:15-17), and by His general revelation (Psalm 19).
From observing the tiny ant, we learn at least two things. The first is the need to be industrious. Ants indeed have a strong work ethic. They don’t just hop around like grasshoppers; they work hard to build their mounds, coupled with their underground tunnels, and they work hard to bring in food for themselves and their fellow ants, including the queen. I never saw an ant sleeping on the job or taking a long coffee break, did you?
Second, unlike the grasshopper, ants practice delayed gratification. Ants, especially those who live in colder climates, collect resources by gathering seeds and other plant foods, hunting to prey on other insects, and bringing this food back to the colony to store for the winter.
But here in Alabama, we have a species our northern cousins don’t have to deal with – fire ants. These invaders are thought to have come to Alabama from South America through a port in Mobile about a century ago, spreading throughout the state. To know one is to be bitten by one, often many times.
Ants serve useful purposes, such as eating other insects and loosening the ground. But I really don’t understand why Noah didn’t stomp on those two fire ants (and swat those two mosquitoes) while he had them in the Ark.
The Scriptures tell us that we are depraved because of original sin, and our original sin has cursed all creation (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:19-22). But fire ants are the most depraved creatures in all of God’s creation! As they swarm out of their colonies, I often wonder whether they are coming up from the ground or from some nether region below. They bite repeatedly, and their venom leaves welts on the body. Small children and elderly persons have died from multiple fire ant bites. I wouldn’t wish hellfire on any person or any creature, but I suspect fire ants would feel right at home there.
And yet, God in His grace has some additional lessons for us even from fire ants. They are just as industrious as other ants, and they prepare just as diligently for the future. But there is more.
While walking recently, I came upon an extra-large fire ant mound. We’re told not to disturb their mounds because that causes them to swarm and form new mounds. But to find out whether this was still an active colony, I poked the mound with my hiking stick. Within a nanosecond, the mound was swarming with fire ants, racing back and forth. Fortunately, I’m not fluent in antlan (ant language) because I’m sure they were shouting horrible things about me. But I learned two things:
First, God placed in these fire ants a basic instinct for defense, not self-defense, but defense of their colony, their fellow ants, and their queens. I was infinitely bigger than they were, and I was armed with a deadly stick, but not one of them retreated an inch. They were ready to fight or bite to the death in order to save their colony. I don’t know whether fire ant queens give medals for valor, but these fire ant foot soldiers certainly deserve them. So I learned the importance of fighting to defend my family, my community, and my country.
Second, perhaps because of the time of year, I observed something very interesting in the exposed area: multiple white eggs that will develop into larvae and pupae. Worker ants store the eggs to keep them safe, feed the larvae, and help the pupae shed their skins and emerge as adult fire ants.
As I watched, what do you suppose the worker ants were doing? Fleeing underground to be safe from a predator like me? No, they were protecting the eggs and larvae. They were somehow picking up these eggs (which were almost as big as the ants themselves) and carrying them or pushing them underground to a place of safety.
Think of the instinct God has placed in the hearts of even these depraved fire ants: they value their young so much that they will risk their own lives to protect them.
Who is more depraved – fire ants or people?
- Especially after Covid, many Americans see no reason to work when they can live off the government. I never heard of a fire ant on welfare.
- Whatever we get, whether by working for it or getting free handouts, we squander rather than save. I never knew a fire ant who was broke.
- During Vietnam, men shot themselves in the foot, lied about medical excuses, or fled to Canada rather than serve in the military. Even today too few are willing to serve. No fire ant ever went AWOL.
- And rather than risking our lives to protect our young, we sacrifice preborn children for convenience through abortion. Fire ants die to protect their young; we abort ours.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard, because God has used even the fire ant to teach us some valuable moral lessons from His creation. Fire ants are pro-work, pro-savings, pro-military and pro-life. Yes, fire ants are model citizens. I’d almost love to have them as neighbors. But I wish they’d break those nasty habits of invading private property and biting people.
Colonel Eidsmoe serves as Professor of Constitutional Law for the Oak Brook College of Law & Government Policy (obcl.edu), as Senior Counsel for the Foundation for Moral Law (morallaw.org), and as Pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church of Notasulga, Ala., (woodlandpca.org). He may be contacted for speaking engagements at [email protected].
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
