“For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up: for a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress” (Proverbs 30:21-23 NKJV). These sayings are dealing with the imbalances which occur in society with intolerable consequences. Some believe these are satirical and not to be taken seriously. Although, it does seem like Agur is wanting to give these things serious contemplation:
- A servant who reigns—While this concept is often romanticized in literature and movies, it can be a dangerous situation when someone reigns without the experience and training necessary to do the job well (often even those who rightfully rule don’t seem to have this). This can be a dangerous situation for those under him.
- A fool who is filled—if a fool is satisfied it may provoke him to say more foolishness and give him and arrogance that makes him even worse.
- A hateful woman who gets a husband— Her wretched disposition would normally have kept her single, but by some fluke, she lands a husband. Then she becomes imperious and haughty, taunting those who are still unmarried.
- A maidservant who succeeds her mistress—The story of Sarah and Hagar shows what happens when this last one occurs—jealousy, envy, fighting, and cruelty were the result. There needs to be a proper order in life. People need to understand their position. When people abandon their position and take the lead over someone who rightfully has the position it disrupts everything.
These four situations all lead to arrogance. Arrogance is dangerous—it is dangerous to be arrogant and it is dangerous to be around arrogant people.