The Earth is Trembling

Proverbs 30:21: "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food, an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress."

To use the imagery of "trembling" for the earth in response to these egregious examples, reveals the level of utter disdain that each of these areas brings.


A servant who becomes a king, presumably lacks the experience and the maturity to handle the overwhelming position of leadership. Without the benefit of acute leadership abilities, this ruler will be taken advantage of by other national leaders or even his own subjects to the detriment of his kingdom. He also in time may allow his esteemed position to become an enticement for a power-hungry, tyrannical, and self-absorbed disposition to the detriment of his followers. This inept leader may celebrate his new found affluence and esteem unaware that his kingdom is in danger; and frankly he does not care, for he enjoys the ceremonial pomp and adulation that is given to him. Thus, his lack of giftedness in leadership may sink his nation politically and economically, causing widespread skepticism and hostility among his subjects. Eventually, the animosity towards the unqualified ruler may lead to insurrection and overthrow. It is an equation for national disaster, and for this the earth trembles.



A fool who is full of food is a painful presence to others, for he is likely to think himself worthy of his plenty. He is self-absorbed in his affluence, and he prides himself in his prosperity, even if that prosperity was acquired through the manipulation of others. This fool will become so overbearing in his conceit, that he will think himself to be worthy of exaltation. He also will be less inclined to motivate himself to continual self-improvement (after all, his belly is full of food); instead, in his lethargy, he will become slack and in the end will lose the very prosperity that he once enjoyed. Eventually, this "self-made" man will become a liability upon his community, for he foolishly will lose all that he had acquired and will become destitute. Tragically, this fool will not take ownership for his misfortune, but he will look to others as the culprits for his demise. The fool's ever-increasing bitterness at his circumstances will be most difficult to those around him, and for this the earth trembles.



A married woman is designed by the Sovereign Lord to be loved and cherished by her husband. God so wired women this way in order that He might teach humanity on a spiritual level that His bride, the Church, needs unconditional love from her Husband, the Lord Almighty. As the Church craves the love and affection of her Husband, so too the wife needs the focused love and adoration of her beloved. When a wife is deprived of these blessings over a long period of time, she likely will become bitter and depressed; and it is with great sorrow that others observe the neglect that she receives from her husband. When the one relationship that should be the bastion of intimacy and love becomes instead the forum for spousal shunning and deprivation, the earth trembles in disgust.



Finally, when a maidservant displaces her mistress, there is upheaval in the household. Possibly, the maidservant had become so envious of her mistress' position in the home, that she plotted the demise of her mistress so that she could assume such an esteemed position. Maybe the maidservant wanted the husband of the home, or the material wealth, or the position of authority in the home; nevertheless, the maidservant secretly schemed her way into the position of her superior. This maidservant destroys the home in which she serves because she is not content in her position as servant; instead, she covets what her mistress has and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Such betrayal in the home is utterly destructive, and for this the earth trembles.


As we look to the commonality in each of these examples, we can find that the global trembling is the result of people who displace loving others for their own insatiable desire for self-exaltation. Whether it is a servant who permits his elevated position of king to lead to his arrogance, or a fool who prides in his material accomplishments, or a husband who is too absorbed in himself that he neglects his wife, or a maidservant who is willing to destroy her mistress to get her position, all situations are motivated by the idolization of "self."


God desires that all men would demonstrate selfless love towards each other, being an agent of blessing to others even before oneself. Tragically, the world is filled with personalities that crave personal desires above their fellow man (even God himself). This egocentricity has led to the accumulation of the global problems that we see today, and these problems will continue as long as mankind is absorbed in his own appetites to the detriment of others.


So, we should not be surprised that the earth "trembles." It will continue to do so until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.