Proverbs 30 Commentary
What makes the author of these utterances more stupid than any man? Verse 2.
Well, it’s probably because he hasn’t answered an important question: “Who has established all the ends of the earth?”
His ignorance of the Most High makes him stupid – the description of a fool.
The thought is that a normal human being should answer the questions in Verse 4.
But the author wants to be different. He won’t accept falsehood and lies. Verse 8.
Let’s consider the question of who established all the ends of the earth. Falsehood is the lack of truth. Deliberate distortion of the truth is called a lie. Ignorance feels safe, but you still lack the truth. It becomes falsehood.
The scripture invites mortals to investigate the realities of their environment. This chapter suggests something deeper. Every human is born with an investigative mind. It’s inhuman not to think about the questions in Verse 4
Deception (lies) is the cause of the famous fall in Genesis 3. The devil has perpetuated lies for countless generations. The lies about God, as reflected in the opening 4 verses.
We also have lies about satisfaction. More money, more satisfaction, so the deception goes. But the scripture keeps it simple: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.” Verse 8.
“Give, give, and please give” is a waste of effort. Like the grave, you cannot have enough. There is no end to want.
What is the difference between the grave and the barren womb? They are both insatiable appetites! Have everything and keep receiving. Have absolutely nothing with zero hope of ever receiving. They both bring us to the same point: “Dissatisfaction”.
Go try life on the high end, free and unhindered. Probably the pinnacle of achievement – the eagle in flight. Or the underworld of concealments – the deception of outward happiness. The slippery end of transactions. The intelligence and the advantage gained from human ingenuity. Or commerce and industry. Then the obvious sensual world – the “Do-as-I-feel” world.
It is the world of Lady Wickedness. The saint is warned. She doesn’t look bad because she has learned to clean herself and present a saintly appearance for the next victim.
But it is all lies. You cannot become a king this way. You cannot be happy this way. You remain alone, isolated, and miserable. Simply put, the LORD God never designed life to function this way.
While brilliantly exposing the pitfalls of wickedness, this chapter gives us great hope. The people who become beasts because of a silly understanding of the obvious can have hope. Even an ant has done great things! You can think of your future!
A servant can become a king. But it’s a trip back to the basics. We cannot alter the design to fit our wrong appetites. “Don’t add to His word.”
The chapter seems to revolve around the central thought of strong faith in the LORD God. Everything else is a lie – a life without understanding.
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