Trivia
Small Things
It is not difficult to associate wisdom with people or things that are impressive to look at. But the wise man Agur reminds us that some things may be very small but at the same time very wise.
Ants, for example, are so small as to appear physically powerless, but they have enough wisdom to store up food to avoid a shortage when it is less readily available. Rock badgers are not as small as ants, but realizing they are an easy prey for more powerful animals, they secure themselves by building homes in rocky clefts. Locusts have no king to direct them, but they know that orderly discipline and cooperation will ensure a worthwhile existence. The household lizard is a small and apparently insignificant creature, but it is at home in places where most people could never dream of living, such as the palaces of the mighty.
God seems often to choose things that appear weak to shame those that appear strong. He chooses people who are despised to bring to nothing those who think themselves wise. When children bring him praise, they put to shame adults who cannot understand the plain evidence before them.
This is not to say that the prayers of children are to be the pattern for the prayers of adults. God does not expect childishness from mature people, but he does seem to like things that are honest and practical. And the prayers of children, though often concerned with apparently small and insignificant matters, are at least honest and practical. They know what adults have at times forgotten, namely, that God is interested in the small things as well as the big things.
If God sees the activities of ants, badgers, locusts and lizards, he sees also the details of human life. If he notices the fall of a sparrow, he notices also the activities of human beings. And again it may be the small things that indicate whether or not they are wise.
Fuel For The Fire
Immeasurable damage can be done through a trivial piece of gossip. “For lack of wood the fire goes out; and where there is no whisperer, quarrelling ceases”. Something might begin as idle talk, but through the addition of personal comments, half-truths and exeggerations it finishes up doing great damage. “A great forest can be set ablaze by a small fire”.
One problem with gossip is that we always think the problem applies to others, not to us. Some people might admit to being too talkative, and others might admit to being sharp-tongued, but it is difficult to find anyone who would admit to being a gossip. We have even learnt how to gossip by using a spiritual tone of voice. The truth is, according to the wise man, that ‘those who belittle others lack sense’, whereas ‘those who keep quiet have understanding’. While ‘talebearers reveal secrets’, ‘the trustworthy keep a matter hidden’.
If not checked, gossip can become a habit; worse still, an enjoyable habit. “The words of the gossip are like delicious pieces of food; they go down into the inner parts of the body. They give people a satisfaction that arises only because they consider themselves to be free of the failures they report in others. But such self-confidence leads to self-deception. To feel superior is a sign not of wisdom, but of folly.
There is however, another kind of speech that can become a habit — again an enjoyable habit, and again likened to something enjoyable to the mouth and the stomach. Pleasant words, like honeycomb, are sweetness to the soul and health to the body. They also have a far-reaching effect, but in this case the effect is helpful, not destructive. As wisdom teaches people to use the right words, their speech is not only pleasant but also persuasive.
