Proverbs 30:15-33
15 The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, "Enough!":
16 The grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, "Enough!"
17 The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, "I have done no wickedness."
21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22 For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
24 There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings' palaces.
29 There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
31 A greyhound,
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.
These things are spoken of for our understanding and wisdom. They are those unsatisfied, wonderful to behold, unbelievable in being out of place, unbeatable in wisdom, underestimated in wisdom, and majestic in their manner. The unsatisfied never have enough in their eyes, never learn contentment with God’s sovereign providence and provision. It is always a cry for more and more that never satisfies. This is not wise. The things too wonderful to behold are manifestations of God’s hand which go beyond our understanding, which we can observe but never fully comprehend. These include the laws of nature and o God’s creation living and interacting in it, things we can observe and try to explain and then see what intricacies are there by His word that made them so. Those things which are unbelievable when out of their place as God created them try to force themselves out of God’s sovereign control, yet only appear comical in their absurdity and ineffective in their efforts. The things unbeatable in wisdom seem small and insignificant yet demonstrate wisdom in skillful understanding and action to sustain themselves and find places of honor worthy of our respect. Finally, the things that are majestic in their lives walked out have confidence and boldness to live as they have been created in the situations and circumstances surrounding them which they daily find themselves in. It is wise to learn the good and bad in order to live in God’s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6-7) instead of pridefully exalting ourselves or planning evil out of the image of God we have been fashioned in, for if we force things in other ways than accordingly to His word and design, then it is only like giving ourselves a bloody nose and incurring God’s wrath by our rejection of understanding and wisdom that He wants to teach us. May we be content in satisfaction of God’s providence and provision, in awe and wonder of all His design, living according to the order He has set instead of rebellion, wise as seen demonstrated in the smallest creature of His creation and not underestimating these things, and above all else learning of His majesty lived out in His creation as a demonstration of a faithful pattern to imitate. These things are to teach us how to live wisely with knowledge and understanding, not mocking in disobedience (verse 17) or denying our wickedness (verse 20), or foolishly making ourselves to be more than we are in ungodly pride (verse 32). Amen!
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