Prepper Recon

Sunday Prepper Bible Study- The Ant and the Grasshopper

Proverbs 6:6-8 says “Go tot the ant you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

Proverbs 30:25 tells us a little bit about their ways. It says “Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer”.

The story of “the Ant and the Grasshopper” is an age old fable written by Aesop. It seems we hear it less now than before in America; perhaps we have changed our narrative for the worse. Perhaps we have turned into a society of grasshoppers who think they have outsmarted the ants and the story no longer applies. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, it goes like this:

Once there lived an ant and a grasshopper in a grassy meadow.

All day long the ant would work hard, collecting grains of wheat from the farmer’s field far away. She would hurry to the field every morning, as soon as it was light enough to see by, and toil back with a heavy grain of wheat balanced on her head. She would put the grain of wheat carefully away in her larder, and then hurry back to the field for another one. All day long she would work, without stop or rest, scurrying back and forth from the field, collecting the grains of wheat and storing them carefully in her larder.

The grasshopper would look at her and laugh. ‘Why do you work so hard, dear ant?’ he would say. ‘Come, rest a while, listen to my song. Summer is here, the days are long and bright. Why waste the sunshine in labor and toil?’

The ant would ignore him, and head bent, would just hurry to the field a little faster. This would make the grasshopper laugh even louder. ‘What a silly little ant you are!’ he would call after her. ‘Come, come and dance with me! Forget about work! Enjoy the summer! Live a little!’ And the grasshopper would hop away across the meadow, singing and dancing merrily.

Summer faded into autumn, and autumn turned into winter. The sun was hardly seen, and the days were short and grey, the nights long and dark. It became freezing cold, and snow began to fall.

The grasshopper didn’t feel like singing any more. He was cold and hungry. He had nowhere to shelter from the snow, and nothing to eat. The meadow and the farmer’s field were covered in snow, and there was no food to be had. ‘Oh what shall I do? Where shall I go?’ wailed the grasshopper. Suddenly he remembered the ant. ‘Ah – I shall go to the ant and ask her for food and shelter!’ declared the grasshopper, perking up. So off he went to the ant’s house and knocked at her door. ‘Hello ant!’ he cried cheerfully. ‘Here I am, to sing for you, as I warm myself by your fire, while you get me some food from that larder of yours!’

The ant looked at the grasshopper and said, ‘All summer long I worked hard while you made fun of me, and sang and danced. You should have thought of winter then! Find somewhere else to sing, grasshopper! There is no warmth or food for you here!’ And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper’s face.

It is wise to worry about tomorrow today.

I think as we look around, our economy is showing us signs that winter is coming soon. The advice of God’s word is just as applicable today as it was when it was written. The verses tell us to learn from the ant who stores up provisions for itself when there are provisions to be had. There is no promise that we will have the abundant selections at the super market tomorrow. There is no promise that we will have the luxury of running water or a common currency. So look to the ant and prepare for tomorrow.

As preppers, we often break our operational security to try to motivate others to prepare. Even those that agree that the system is unsustainable are rarely ready to do any thing about it. We regularly hear ” I am coming to your house when it all goes down.” That is when I tell them the ant and the grasshopper story. Unfortunately, some people are going to be grasshoppers. You can plan to help some of them, but the reality is you won’t be able to help them all.

As Christians, we will often hear “God will take care of us if everything breaks down”. That is the perfect time to say:  “He already has. He has given us the Bible that teaches us to be prepared.” Over and over, we hear the call to be prepared in the Bible and especially in the book of Proverbs. Our responsibility starts with our own household. To put our family in jeopardy by giving away the provisions we have set aside for them is wrong. The Bible says in I Timothy 5:8 “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Plan to put away as much as you can to help others, but remember your family is your first priority.

We can also take away quite a bit from Proverbs 30:25.  It tells us that ants are small and not very strong. Even thought they can carry several times their own weight, they are very limited by their size and strength. What they lack in physical ability, they more than make up for in diligence. Through their wisdom and planing, they are able to persevere through the winter despite their limitations. Maybe your limitations are a tight budget. By buying few extra items each time you go to the grocery, you can quickly build  a great stock pile. Using coupons will really help as well. Check out our Coupon Corner to learn how or to get tips on improving your couponing skills.

God is in the habit of providing for us when we can’t, but He gave us the Bible which tells us to do what we can when we can. Read our comprehensive 7 Step Preparedness Plan to learn how to be more like the ant and build a foundation for readiness.

Happy Prepping!