Proverbs 30:17

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:17, “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.” This is another verse that talks about the importance of honoring one’s mother and father. One reason that some people “despise” their mother or father is because they want someone to blame for their own bad decisions. Another reason is that some never learn the importance of forgiveness. Proverbs 30:17 is a warning of consequences. God wants children to honor their parents. Those who do not honor mother and father will have bad things happen to them.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:18-19, “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:[19] The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” The writer mentions four things on God’s green earth, and he calls them “wonderful.” He looked in the air and saw an eagle flying, and he said “it’s wonderful.” God’s creation is something to wonder at. God has made a beautiful world, full of wonders for all to see and enjoy. It says in Psalms 19:1-5, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.[2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.[3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.[4] Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,[5] Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.”

One of God’s wonders is “the way of a man with a maid.” Love. Love between a man and a woman is from God. True love is from God. True love is when God gives love to both a man and a woman for each other. One purpose of that love is to symbolize God’s love for us.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:20, “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” Immorality is a terrible sin because it goes against God’s plan for men and women. God wants to guide you to that person of the opposite sex that He has for you. If you know Jesus as Savior, look for a mate who also knows Jesus as Savior and who is as dedicated to Christ as you are. Pray. Ask God to guide you, and ask for His will to be done. God will bring the man and woman together that He wants to be together in marriage. Once you are married, make sure that both have the right amount of submission and love for each other. Treat each other well. The home is now a castle with a king and a queen in authority in that home. But “an adulterous woman” will destroy a home, just as an adulterous man will. Infidelity is one of the surest ways to destroy a home and a marriage. If you have sinned in this way, as in any other sin, tell the truth about it to God. Do not justify yourself. Repent of your sins and find forgiveness. One of the biggest failures of Hollywood is that they have too often portrayed such sins of adultery as acceptable. There is no justification for departing from God’s plan that “a man should leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife,” and that the two should become “one flesh.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:21-23, “For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:[22] For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;[23] For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.” There are things in life that just do not seem right. If certain things happen, the result will not be good. In the four examples a servant and a handmaid are mentioned as two of the examples. A servant is at the bottom of the totem pole. There is often a long way from being a servant to being the one in charge. Thankfully, in a nation like America, a person can rise from the lowest rank to the highest because of equally of opportunity. We do not have a cast system, and that is the way it should be. But normally even in our good system, a person must rise through the ranks, gaining qualifications, knowledge, and experience as they go. If you were to take a person who was not ready for it, and make them the leader, the result would not be good. And that is why it does not usually happen.

Something else that does not usually happen: “a fool when he is filled with meat.” A fool from a practical standpoint is someone who does not understand life. They do not understand that hard work results in food and other material needs. A fool does not know how to set priorities. A fool finds excuses to not do what needs to be done. A fool is lazy, or afraid, or crazy. It is not going to happen that a fool has plenty of food, unless someone else takes care of the fool. The government is taking care of a lot of fools.

There is one more thing that causes the earth to be disquieted: “an odious woman when she is married.” The word that is translated “odious” means enemy or adversary. There are some women who are adversarial in nature. Such an attitude will not fit well with marriage. One of the first descriptions that God gave for the woman that He created was “helpmeet.” Men and women in marriage are supposed to help each other. That will require a certain amount of submission. See what your mate wants or needs, and submit to helping to supply that. It says in Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” And then women are reminded in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” A woman who cannot do that will cause trouble in marriage: she will be “odious,” and that marriage will be far from what it could have been.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:24-28, “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:[25] The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;[26] The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;[27] The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;[28] The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.” We can learn from the animals and insects on the earth. We can see what abilities and strengths they have, and we can learn from them. The lesson is this: even though you are small, you can do great things and important things. You can be wise in your understanding of how life works. An ant is small, and yet ants are very industrious. They know that they must work, and work they do. They work when the opportunity is there, and they save and store up the results of their labor, and then winter comes, and they reap the benefits. Life is just like that. Work and save while you can. The time will come when you will need those savings.

“Conies” are little animals similar to rabbits. They are small and easy prey to carnivores. Yet they have very good homes: homes that are safe and secure. In other words these little animals understand the importance of having a secure home in a dangerous world. They understand life on this earth.

Verse 27 is an interesting verse in that most of the Proverbs, if not all of them, were written by a king. “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands.” Do we really need leaders to tell us what to do? Not if we knew how to cooperate and get in sync with one another. That is really what Christianity is supposed to be like from an organizational standpoint: a band of brothers and sisters, working together.

People tend to think of the king as being at the top of the food chain, and some people desire greatly to get to the top. If you are at the top, you will live in a great palace. “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.” But the king is not the only one who lives there. Spiders live there. And a king needs a lot of people to live in the palace with him to work for him and help him. You can get one of those spots much easier than becoming king, and then you can enjoy the palace as much if not more than he does.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:29-31, “There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:[30] A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;[31] A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.” The writer lists four beautiful things in God’s beautiful creation. All four are mighty and strong: a powerful lion, a swift greyhound, an aggressive male goat, and a man who is king. All of these symbolize God. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. How swiftly the judgment of God can fall. People live their lives as if they will not die, but then one day suddenly the grim reaper comes, and they are gone from the earth in an instant. The same thing will happen at the rapture of believers and then again at the return of Christ. God can move suddenly when He decides to move: “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” A he-goat has horns with which he can aggressively push against an adversary, and thus the animal is symbolic of strength and power that cannot be resisted. Strange that people resist God. They will lose that battle. Finally, a king is mentioned: a powerful king. We know who is the most powerful of all kings: Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Bow before this king now, or you will bow before Him at your judgment when it will be too late.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:32, “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.” Two things are exposed here: pride and evil thoughts. Pride has to do with what we think about ourselves. If you lift up yourself, then the Bible says you are foolish. God has His ways of bringing us down. If you have the wrong thoughts about yourself or anything, it will be known by your words. Therefore, it is best to get your thoughts in order. That is one of the many advantages of being a Christian: you have all the resources to have a good thought-life from the Bible and from the work of the Holy Spirit. A Christian certainly should not be prideful. We know that we are sinners, and we have admitted our sins and found forgiveness from Jesus. What is there to be proud about? We also know the warnings of scripture: “pride goeth before a fall.” If you do the following consistently: reading the Bible, listening to good Bible teaching, memorizing Bible verses, and meditating upon the Word, you will go a long way towards winning the battle against the wrong thoughts.

The Bible says in Proverbs 30:33, “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.” For every action, there is a reaction. People will respond to you based upon how you act towards them. If you want peace in your relationships with others, then make sure that you keep anger and aggressiveness under control. Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

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