Solomon and the Ant
Everyone knows Solomon was an Israelite king known for his wisdom. A classic Solomon story (1 Kings 3:5-14) is his famous decision to “split the baby” in half because two mothers said the baby was theirs. Solomon knew the reaction of the mothers would be the key to whom the baby really belonged. In beautiful Hebrew tradition, another story about Solomon comes forth. It is simply called Solomon and the Ant. Although many different variations of the story exist they all refer to the ability of Solomon to learn wisdom from others.
Solomon had a magic carpet only he could command. One day he was flying high above the earth, and he was very pleased with himself. He said, “I am the greatest of all. I fly above the world. I understand all the languages of all the creatures. I can even hear them speak from this great height. At that moment he heard a creature say, “King Solomon is not so great.”
Solomon looked down and saw that the words had been spoken by an ant. He commanded the carpet to stop and to descend to the earth. Solomon found the tiny ant. He bent down and picked it up so he could look at it eye to eye. He said to it, “You little creature of the dust, I heard you say that I am not so great. Tell me, who is greater than I am?”
The ant replied, “I am greater than you!”
“What?” said Solomon. “How can you say that?”
The ant replied. “I am greater than you because the greatest king in the world stopped when he heard me speak, he lowered himself to earth, and bent down in front of me. He raised me up so we were at the same height, and he asked me a question that I could answer and he could not.”
Solomon smiled. He said, “I am the king who stopped when you spoke and lowered himself, and bent down, raised you up, and asked you a question that I could not answer.”
“You are,” said the ant. “And I am the creature who told you something you did not know.”
Solomon gently lowered the ant back to the earth. “O wise and mighty ant, you are greater than I thought you were, and I am not as great as I thought I was. I still have much to learn from my fellow creatures.”
(Sheldon Oberman, Solomon and the Ant and other Jewish folktales, p. 17-18)
Solomon ruled Israel from about 970 to 931 B.C. As a son of David, he was assigned by God to build the first temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately Solomon eventually fell from favor with God, resulting in Israel splitting into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Southern Kingdom of Judah. His downfall was forgetting what brought him his wisdom: listening to God.
A man gains wisdom in many ways such as trial and error, or learning from other people, creatures and things. One can only be wise if willing to learn. Some people after arriving at a destination long sought for and obtained with God’s help, revel in the result and forget what brought them there. A person might be wise to consider this fable about Solomon when they think they have “arrived.”
~Bruce Barton
Scriptures relating to this thought
Job 35:11 “Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth…”
Proverbs 6:6-9 “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. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of they sleep?”
Proverbs 30:25 “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer…”
As Solomon was the author of Proverbs and these verses, maybe there is more truth in the ant fable than one might think?
