June 6 Justice

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. ~Proverbs 30:21-23

Praise be to the Lord who will set all things right! He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. ~Revelation 21:5-8

“Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up.” It can’t go on, and God has promised that it won’t. There is an order to life. Satan’s goal is to create chaos, to disrupt order as much as he possibly can, but there will be an end to the chaos when all will be put right.

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself would be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:19-22)

“Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up.” Creation suffers through the chaos with us. A servant who becomes king most likely refers to a coup, which is always a situation in chaos. A fool full of food is a fool out of control. We have already explored Solomon’s opinion of a fool. There is no reasoning with them, their ways bring folly that leads to chaos, especially if he is out of control.

The last two, the unloved wife and the maid who replaces her speaks of chaos in the most basic of God’s building blocks, the home. When there is chaos there, the main foundations of society are under attack. When the foundation of a structure crumbles, the building is condemned.

It was a mercy when God prevented Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of life. This meant that they wouldn’t go on living through the chaos that they brought into the world, for however many ages it might be before Jesus returns to make all things new. Can you imagine how Adam and Eve would feel about their sin if they were alive here with us today, to see how different the world is compared to what they knew God had intended? In death, there would be release.

Yet, as we see from Revelation, there is still a reckoning. There has to be. Not everyone meets their justice in this life. Some who are cruel, go to their graves in peace. Some who lived exemplary lives died in tremendous suffering. God does not forget. There will be an accounting as He stops the chaos and restores the order.

As we explore what God says in this passage, however, there are a few surprises that stand out and cause even those of us reading this to examine ourselves to see if we are contributing to the chaos. “the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

This does not shock us. We see this as justice, but do you notice the first two mentioned in the list? “The cowardly, the unbelieving,” are lumped in with them. We may be tempted to think of these as harmless, personal sins that affect no one else. God, however, does not agree. He sees cowards and unbelievers as adding as much to the problem of chaos as the others, maybe not by actively being part of the problem, but by refusing to be active as part of the solution.

We started by saying that the earth trembles because of disorder. If even the heavens declare the glory of God, it cannot comprehend why humans would be so hesitant to do so. If the whole universe knows who holds it together, yet puny humans, for whom its creator shed His blood refuse to believe, how can it help but be shocked and incredulous at the possibility. Can there be anything more chaotic and out of order than that?

Lastly, look again at the four things the world cannot endure. They are simply human relationships. Servants of kings may be important actors on the stages of life. We can understand how that’s a major influence on world order. But how can a fool full of food, an unloved women and a maidservant mistress be such a big deal to God and the world? It has already been said. These have an impact on the basic building blocks of society.

But it also means that being an active part of the solution does not require you to be a major player who makes the news. There is hope for all of us in this. If you really want to be faithful and brave to act as part of the solution. Start at home and just be decent human being, who loves and lives well, with the wisdom that comes from God! That’s what sets things right around you and brings order to your home and family, along with joy and peace. And never forget to give thanks for the gospel of hope by which our sins are forgiven as we stumble along to find our way.

Prayer: Father thank you for reminding us about how much the little things matter to you and what a big difference they can eventually make if the bad ones, like cowardliness, are left unchecked, and the good ones, like faithfulness, are not developed and encouraged! Today, Lord, I want to live for You, with Your joy and gladness in my heart, to bless the world in which I live. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Song: So Will I

“So Will I” by Hillsong