The last of these four insignificant creatures that teach us some very significant lessons is the spider! Well, that’s what the King James Versions says; “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces” Proverbs 06 gecko30:28. The New King James adds a footnote to the verse which says “or lizard.” One writer said that the Hebrew Word has both meanings! I don’t believe that. After doing some original language research and reading some of the better exegetical commentaries I’m convinced that it is indeed a lizard like so many of our translations say. But even if it were a spider we might find the same lesson. Both of these creatures are so small that they can be crushed in the hand. It’s the gecko that seems to be in mind here. When we lived in Hawaii we lived with them in our house. We tried all we could to get rid of them, but they just came back. For three months in the summer of 1974 we fought to eliminate them. Eventually, we just resolved ourselves to seeing them on the walls and ceilings occasionally. It took months, but they had won!

Now I’m picturing in my mind the one from the Geico commercials. In fact, in keeping with the context of Proverbs, I can almost picture the little fellow meandering around the King’s court, spewing sayings in that Australian accent. I can see him standing, half leaning, on the King’s shoulder with one hand on his hip. He’s cocky for sure simply because you just can’t get rid of him. It seems the lesson is the success that comes from perseverance is what’s in mind.

Jesus commended perseverance Himself. In the parable of the four types of grounds, he said that the seed that fell upon the good ground, “… they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). It’s not your great giftedness that brings success. It’s not that you’re smarter than anyone else, or have any other quality that makes you stand out as exceptional. It’s all about taking the blows and getting back up. It’s perseverance! This is a mega-lesson from a insignificant creature. It’s appropriate in our careers, in our education, and most important in our marriages. The key to success is the lizard! Gentleman Jim Corbett, who held the heavyweight boxing title for five years said, “Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round—remembering that the man who fights one more round is never whipped.”