Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise. – Proverbs 30:24

Today's Scripture Reading (November 27, 2022): Proverbs 30

I remember watching "The Lion King" with my kids back in the 90s. It was an interesting story, where lions rule as kings over the lesser or weaker animals of the African plain. In the case of "The Lion King," the specific lions who are the sovereigns at the beginning of the story are King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, and the tale begins with the introduction of their son, Simba, the young prince and heir apparent to the African throne of his father. One of the central concepts of the movie is that it is the job of power to act in a beneficial way toward those with less power. Larger animals will always need to kill to survive, but they are permitted to kill only when they must for their survival; death on the African plain can never be without meaning. Rafiki, a mandrill (an Old World species of monkey native to west-central Africa), is responsible for ensuring that Mufasa reigns in a wise manner. Of course, the King's brother, Scar, would like to rule differently, without the restrictions of wisdom that Scar believes Rafiki has placed on his brother.

We shouldn't miss the main theme of the story. It is the task of power to bring wisdom and justice to those who are weak. But the Lion is the King of Africa because of his strength, not his wisdom. He can decide to act wisely, but his power also allows the Lion to act selfishly. Only the Lion is the most powerful of the animals living on the African plain; therefore, the Lion is King.

Of course, there are others, weaker species who live on the margins in Africa. And when disaster strikes and Mufasa dies, Simba finds his way to a more vulnerable group of animals far from the African plain's central action. These animals may not be rulers over other animals, but they are survivors and have their own kind of wisdom. This introduces another side plot to the story; it is not that wisdom is absent among the weak; it is just not as easily shared. This brings us to the major plot turn in the story. After the death of Mufasa, Scar becomes King, and he rules without wisdom and justice, all of which changes the nature of life on the plain.

So, it is up to Simba and his friends to take control of the area and bring wisdom back to its proper place. It will require the power of Simba but also the understanding of his weaker friends to return the plain to the way it was under his father's rule. At the story's climax, Scar is defeated and exiled, and Simba reinstates the wisdom of Mufasa to the African plain.

Agur focuses his reader's attention not on the large and powerful but on the small and insignificant. And even though these animals might be small, Agur insists that they are wise and that we, the powerful, can learn lessons of wisdom from them.

These small animals include ants which lack the power to fight against their enemies yet still have the wisdom to save up food during summer. Agur points at hyraxes who have little strength yet find a way to make their homes among the rocks. He watches the behavior of locusts who have no king yet advance as one toward a common purpose. He sees the common lizard, which can be held in the hand, and yet it can be found anywhere, including living in the palace of the King. All exhibit wisdom, even though they are small, teaching us that wisdom does not exclusively belong to the powerful of the world. Even the small exhibit wisdom from which we can learn the lessons of wisdom that can be applied to our own lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 31