"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, She prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, And poverty will come upon you like a vagabond, and want like an armed man." - Proverbs 6:6-11

Proverbs has some surprising advice. We are told to pay a visit to the ant to gain wisdom in making provision. The primary thrust of this passage is a rebuke for the lazy person who works just enough to get by the economic needs of today. An important secondary teaching is the wisdom of looking to the future and having the diligence to make provision for seasons of scarcity.

Wisdom for family finances is realizing that "economic winters" are a regular occurrence. From the ant we can learn the wisdom to prepare during the good times of "economic summers" for times of scarcity. While the ant only faces winter, we face a multitude of financial difficulties: economic contractions that are a regular feature of the modern boom and bust cycle, massive layoffs due to corporate downsizing, investment losses, temporary loss of income due to illness, and permanent loss of income due to disability.

Seldom do we like to think about such contingencies and too few of us prepare for them. That is why we need to consider the diligent preparations of the ant. Ants do not immediately consume all the fruits of their labor. Neither should we. Ants don't assume that the economic future will be warm and sunny. Neither should we.

Wisdom for family finances includes adequate provision for "economic winters." In Egypt, the Old Testament patriarch Joseph (cf. Genesis 41-50) had wisdom like the ant to initiate a seven year savings plan. His actions saved the entire population of Egypt along with his extended family.

The New Testament St. Joseph had the same wisdom. Have you ever wondered how the Holy Family survived financially during their flight to Egypt? In the middle of the night, St. Joseph had to leave his home and his business (Matthew 2:13-15). All he could take with him were his carpentry skills and perhaps a few tools of his trade that they could carry. How did this family of humble means finance their midnight trip and resettlement in a foreign land?

The first half of Matthew chapter two records God leading wise men across miles of desert to bring them to the Holy Family. The primary purpose of the wise men's unusual visit foreshadowed the gentile world coming to Jesus the Messiah. Their gifts were the first fruits of the wealth of the gentile world that Isaiah prophesied would come to the Messiah (Isa 60:4-6).

Is there any practical wisdom by way of a secondary application to glean from this familiar passage? Yes, if we consider that the Holy Family was like the ant and not like many modern families when they encounter some wealth. What would we do? Run to the nearest Winnebago dealership? Buy a BMW? Book a trip around the world? What did the Holy Family do with the gold, frankincense, and myrrh? My guess is that they consumed none of it on big or little luxuries. In all likelihood, they used at least a little of this "summertime" income to finance their flight to Egypt that saved the life of the Savior of the world.

The next time you get an unexpected bonus, receive an inheritance, have a good year in your work, or simply have money in your checkbook, pause to consider the ant, the patriarch Joseph, and the Holy Family. It could be God's provision for a financial winter.