Proverbs chapter 30,
33 verses.
The words of Agar.
God?
Who needs him?
Verses 1 through 16.
The skeptics score,
There is no God.
No God.
I can do anything I want.
I'm more animal than human.
So-called human.
Intelligence escapes me.
I flunked wisdom.
I see no evidence of a holy God.
Has anyone ever seen anyone climb into heaven and take charge?
Grab the winds and control them?
Gather the rains in his bucket?
Stake out the ends of the earth?
Just tell me his name.
Tell me the names of his son.
Come on now.
Tell me.
The believer replied,
Every promise of God proves true.
He protects everyone who runs to him for help.
So don't second guess him.
He might take you to task and show up your lies.
And then he prayed,
God,
I'm asking for two things before I die.
Don't refuse me.
Vanish lies from my lips and liars from my presence.
Give me enough food to live on.
Neither too much nor too little.
If I'm too full,
I might get independent,
Saying,
God,
Who needs him?
If I'm poor,
I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.
Don't blow the whistle on your fellow workers behind their backs.
They'll accuse you of being underhanded,
And then you'll be the guilty one.
Don't curse your father or fail to bless your mother.
Don't imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven't had a bath in weeks.
Don't be stuck up and think you're better than everyone else.
Don't be greedy,
Merciless,
And cruel as wolves,
Tearing into the poor and feasting on them,
Shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.
A freeloader has twin daughters named Gimmy and Gimmymore.
The four insatiables,
Verse 17.
Three things are never satisfied.
No,
There are four that never say,
That's enough,
Thank you.
Hell,
A barren womb,
A parched land,
A forest fire.
And I that disdains a father and despises a mother,
That I will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles.
The four mysteries,
Verses 18 through 20.
Three things amaze me.
No,
Four things I'll never understand.
How an eagle flies so high in the sky.
How a snake glides over a rock.
How a ship navigates the ocean.
Why adolescents act the way they do.
Here's how a prostitute operates.
She has sex with her client,
Takes a bath,
Then asks,
Who's next?
The four intolerables,
Verses 21 through 23.
Three things are too much for even the earth to bear.
Yes,
Four things shake its foundation.
When the janitor becomes the boss,
When a fool gets rich,
When a prostitute is voted woman of the year,
When a girlfriend replaces a faithful wife.
Four small wonders,
Verses 24 through 28.
There are four small creatures.
Wisest of the wise they are.
Ants,
Frail as they are,
Get plenty of food in for the winter.
Mermaids,
Vulnerable as they are,
Manage to arrange for rock solid homes.
Locusts,
Leaderless insects,
Yet they strip the field like an army regiment.
Lizards,
Easy enough to catch,
But they sneak past vigilant palace guards.
Four dignitaries,
Verses 29 through 33.
There are three solemn dignitaries,
Four that are impressive in their bearing.
Lying,
King of the beasts,
Differing to none,
A rooster,
Proud and strutting.
A billy goat,
A hit of state in stately procession.
If you're dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures,
Don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.
Churned milk turns into butter.
Riled emotions turn into fist fights.
End of chapter.
