That Which Would Cause The Earth To Tremble ⋆ Effie Darlene Barba

Fountains of Wisdom—A Study in Proverbs (Part 53)

Throughout the scriptures we know that God in His perfect Righteousness and as part of His perfect Justice hates sin. He knows that sin is the barrier that prevents mankind from being able to be lavished in the Glory, Love, and Joy that God wishes to pour forth on us. Sin blinds us to the truth of Him being our greatest treasure.

As we look at the next verses in Proverbs 30:21-23, let us remember this—it is our sin which separates us from God. Nahum wrote of the judgment that would come upon Ninevah for their sin; while at the same time comforting those who had placed their trust in God for their Salvation. How true this remains for today as well. Judgment will come; even, if God by Grace tarries one more day so that you might come to know Him. So let us look at the prophecy of Nahum and realize that it is God’s judgment referred to when we think of the earth quaking.

Nahum 1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.²God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.³The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.⁴He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.⁵The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.⁶Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.⁷The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

I hope that gives you some better understanding as to the importance of the text in Proverbs 30 when Agur begins to look around and say, there are these things which cause the earth to tremble and quake.

PROVERBS 30: (NIV) 21“Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot bear up:

22a servant who becomes king,

a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,

23a contemptible woman who gets married,

and a servant who displaces her mistress.

Given the introduction as our backdrop, let us now look more deeply at these 4 occurrences which can make the earth quake.

1. Servant who becomes king. The central core of all of man’s sin, from Adam to today, is man’s desire to self-exaltation. Each person sees himself as the center of the universe, king of his own domain. When man thinks he is king, his own desires and pride drive him farther and farther from God. As God’s servants we are partakers of His Royalty; yet, as self-appointed Kings we run head on toward judgment and condemnation. (2 Peter 1:1-4)

2. A Godless fool who gets plenty to eat. Satiated by all that is counterfeit, the fool can never see his need for God. He has filled himself with earthly pleasures without recognizing the emptiness and depravity of his own heart. Lost without hope of redemption unless he becomes hungry for God’s truth in his life. (Matthew 19:16-26)

3. A contemptible woman who gets married. There is no mention that she was transformed by love into that which is sweet; nor is there mention here that she was so overwhelmed by the love of her husband that she adored him. No—here it stands that she married for position and to attempt to rule and reign over her husband. She joined him for what he could give her, not because she was awed by his love. Many join the church for the same. They come to God wanting what he can give them or as a get out of hell free card—not out of transforming love and devotion. These when they join the church bring disharmony and bitterness to the church they join—not the peace and harmony that a true believer brings. (Matthew 7:15, Matthew 25:1-10)

4. A servant who displaces her mistress or in the KJV “handmaid that is heir to her mistress.” There is no greater example of this in history than that of Hagar and Sarah. Because of a lack of faith on the part of Sarah and Abraham, Ishmael was born as the firstborn of Abraham. The consequences of that sin has quaked the Middle East throughout history and continues to do so today. (Genesis 16, Genesis 21)

Yet, God poured forth His wrath for sin upon His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ and the earth shook—the price for sin was paid and the veil was rent in two. We may come before Him, accepting by faith the salvation He so freely wishes to bestow upon us.

Matthew 27: ⁵⁰Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.⁵¹And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;^{… 54}Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

So, the questions I wish to ask you are: Do you bow before Him and desire to be the Servant of God–the King of the Universe? Do you hunger and thirst to know more of Him? Have you come to God to worship Him for who He is, or have you come with your bucket list of what you want Him to do for you? Finally, do you trust Him with the details of your life; no matter what or how it looks at the moment?

Watch this video rendition of I HaveDecided to Follow Jesus which includes the incredible story of the writer of this beautiful hymn.

The Birth of a Hymn – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus Music Video (Ft. Jadon Lavik)

New International Version (NIV)

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/ronald+barba/all

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

That Which Would Cause The Earth To Tremble

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