Proverbs 30.21-23
“Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.”
There are things that make the earth tremble, that disrupt society, that are unbearable. This passage describes four of those things. The theme in each situation is when a person acquires something they want, but having acquired it they respond selfishly and foolishly.
The second situation is when a fool is filled and satisfied with food. The fool here is a person who is lazy and does not have any intention to work in order to feed himself. He is irresponsible and unconcerned with contributing to society. The problem is not that he can’t work, the problem is that he won’t work.
He is a taker, not a maker. As a result, when he is fed, it simply reinforces and enables his laziness. He becomes a burden on his family, his friends, and society. Anyone who has observed the consequences of a mismanaged welfare state recognizes that society trembles and quakes under such a situation. It is unbearable.
Let’s be very clear. We have a social responsibility to take care of the truly needy and those who cannot work, but that is not the situation being described here. What is happening is that of a foolish, lazy person who is being enabled in his foolishness. He is fed and happy, and he intends on staying that way without having to do any work.
It is extremely important to recognize the high priority the book of Proverbs places on a strong work ethic. Diligence in our work is foundational to the Christian life. This is because God has designed a world where doing work is a fundamental necessity. Society simply doesn’t work without productive citizens.
“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3.10)
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4)
“Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” (Proverbs 19.5)
“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” (Proverbs 20.4)
These are verses that warn against laziness. Lazy people have adopted a foolish strategy for living, and it will lead to their self-destruction. This is true whether the setting is farm, field, factory, fellowship, or family. Diligent work is necessary for the life to which the Lord calls us, especially so since The Fall in Genesis 3. If you don’t work diligently and wisely, things will gradually deteriorate.
May we be diligent and disciplined in our work. May we set the standard for the world to see. As always, trust God and do the work!!
The third situation under which the earth quakes is when an unloved woman gets a husband. Now here is one that seems out of place. Wouldn’t it be a great thing for this unloved woman to get a husband? What is being said here?
The word for “unloved” here is a little too tame. The Hebrew word is “sane” and it means to hate. The King James does a better job of translating this word when it says “odious.” That word fits better. Several other ways this is translated is as repugnant, hateful, bitter or hated woman. This gives us a much better picture of the woman who is getting married here. This lady is NOT going to make a good wife. In fact, Proverbs has much to say about her – and none of it is good. When you meet a man married to such a woman – or experience her children and friends – you come to understand why Proverbs says the earth cannot bear up under this. She is skilled at making those who love her as miserable as they can be. Such a woman does not need a husband – she needs a moral and social makeover!
The last is when the mistress takes the place of her master’s wife. Here we have an example in Scripture, when Abraham mistakenly followed the bad advice of Sarah in taking her maidservant, Hagar as a wife. This was to have her bear children to fulfill God’s promise – but this was not how the Lord intended to fulfill His promise. This situation brings jealousy to its most ugly manifestations. If this was the way it was between Sarah and Hagar – imagine the carnage when the situation is a man who begins committing adultery with his maidservant and allows her to supplant her mistress. Unfortunately we see this again and again in our society – maybe not with slave girls, because we’ve moved past slavery. Our problem is with secretaries and with woman who work in our offices and plant floors. A woman works her way into a man’s heart (by the way, with very little protest from the whore-mongering man) at work and then becomes his mistress or wife by supplanting his current wife. The world quakes when this happens – and often the earthquake continues for years as the children are broken to pieces by the divorce and subsequent marriages that result.
