Proverbs 30:21-23 Topsy Turvy
We have another list. This time is features things that make the earth tremble because it is so out of order. It’s topsy turvy and messes are bound to be made!
Agur gives us another list of four examples. This time his examples are of things that don’t fit right in this world. Things that are out of order or upside down from the expected. I can’t say they never happen but when they do, there is generally problems that will arise where the person in newly gained positions run into serious problems. Let’s see what they are and where they will take us.
Number 1 & 4 are a lot alike. Both concern a servant taking the place of the master. My bible helps says the reason Agur believes these are bad are because the servant has no knowledge of how to function in this role. They are taking on duties that they are totally unprepared for. I can see their point. But I have a ‘what if’ that I want to propose.
‘What if’ the servant has learned by watching and helping. Wouldn’t that serve as some form of training? And as far as I know, kings aren’t born with the knowledge of how to rule. It comes with practice and guidance. ‘What if’ the servant brings experiences with him into this new role that provide a different perspective and leadership style. David certainly brought a different perspective when he became king. And he didn’t learn that perspective under the hand of a tutor. He learned it in the trenches AND the places he bowed to pray or praise.
As for the maidservant and the mistress, if they were close, couldn’t the mistress have passed on knowledge and experience to her most trusted servant? The only way I see the maidservant displacing her mistress though is through marriage. It would be practically unheard of for one in authority to marry a servant. Having intimate relations with a servant was not unheard of though.
Thinking this through a little more, Sarah was afraid her maidservant was going to displace her. Hagar had been able to provide Abraham with a child and Sarah felt threatened by Hagar’s new position. I was under the impression that the child would belong to Sarah though because of the mistress/servant relationship. Sarah NEVER felt at ease after Ismael was conceived until he and Hagar were driven from the camp. Only then did Sarah again feel secure in her position as Abraham’s wife.
The second thing included in Agur’s list has me a little puzzled. Why would a “fool when he is filled with food” be an out of the ordinary event? Is it possible that the “food” represents wealth for the man? Is this an example of a man getting everything he ever wanted and not knowing how to deal with it? This reminds me of the stories of people who win the lottery. Wealth gotten quickly and without labor slips through a person’s hands. Many a lottery winner has wound up right back where they started, or worse, because they don’t know how to handle that large of a sum of money. The ‘fool’ has no understanding of saving, tithing, giving, investing, or resisting requests for “help” from those around. He is like a new sponge that will soak up all that is around and swear he is satisfied with what he has received, while still looking for more. And what he is not discriminating in what he is ‘soaking up’. If it’s available, he will take it!
The third ‘item’ on Agur’s list, and our last, is heartbreaking. I believe most women know the ‘fear’ of being unloved. We are all afraid that there is no one out there for us, until we actually find him. When this feeling and experience goes on for a long time in a woman’s life, she may become less discriminating in searching for a husband. She becomes the one who says “Any old dude’ll do.” She will marry out of desperation the first man who even hints at marriage. She will be insecure throughout her marriage, wondering if he really loves her. And she will cling to him so tight that he can’t breathe. He whole life has been built on the premise that she is unlovable and she will believe nothing else. Any criticism he heaps on her will be accepted without argument. Any abuse she suffers she will count as the price of finally being loved.
While I was wondering what God would have me take from these verses today, I was reminded of Jesus’ life. The way He lived, His style of ministry, even His method of completing the Father’s work were ALL ‘topsy turvy’. He is a King, yet He lived a common life. He was the greatest among them, yet He served them all. He willingly died to purchase life for us. His birth, life, death, and resurrection has ROCKED the world!!! Those who don’t know Him will never really understand the way He works.
Thank You Father God for reminding me of this. You put it in my heart earlier but I got distracted. I almost ended our time by not really listening to what You wanted to show me today. Thank You that You DON’T give up. You bring just what I need at the moment I’m ready to listen. Thanks for turning my world upside down too. Topsy turvy isn’t always a bad thing; especially when it’s You who is doing the ‘reorienting’ of things.
