Proverbs 30:21-23,  For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

Chapter thirty is Agur's (aw-goor') chapter. Agur (aw-goor') teaches by example.

In this thirtieth chapter he presents for our learning two things he requires of God, four generations, two daughters, three wonderful things, four little things, and four comely things,

The proverbs which describe a number of things are given in this fashion to cement in our minds a principle.

We may not be able to determine a principle based upon one thing but with several things we will be more sucessful.

God through Agur (aw-goor') gives us several similar things so that we may have clarity of what that principal is.

The scriptures are designed to give reward only as a result of study and these proverbs give much opportunity for study.

They demand study before they yield rewards.

The word of God withholds rewards to the casual reader but gives plentifully to the one who studies.

In our passage for today he tells us of disquieting things, things that the earth cannot bear.

The earth was not created for these things.

These are things that take away the quiet and bring noise, disquieting things!

Things that are against quiet.

These are things that ought not to be.

These are things that are out of order.

Out of order things are disquieting things.

These are things that go against the scripture of 1 Corinthians 14:40: which says to,  Let all things be done decently and in order. not out of order.

And quiet is given of God as part of that order.

Quiet is part of God's creation and disquiet is against God's creation.

Solomon in Ecclesiastics 9:17 wrote,  The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

Authority is most perfectly exercised in quiet. Authority can most easily be heard in quiet.

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 to, ...study (eager or earnest to do something) to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

Peter in 1 Peter says we are to wear,  the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

But Agur (aw-goor') herein describes four things that disquiet the earth, four things that are out of God's desired order, four things that ought not to be.

He describes four people, two men and two women, who are in places that they should not be in.

He describes people who have been advanced to a position that they are unsuited for and because of this the earth is disquieted.

He describes four people who have left their place and have gone to a place for which they are unsuited.

These are out of place people.

These are out of order people.

The first one he describes as out of place is a servant who reigneth.

Now a servant is to be obedient.

A servant is to be under a master.

A servant is to receive direction and orders.

And as one who now reigneth all of this is reversed.

He no longer receives orders but now commands orders.

This could be because others have caused him to reign or it could be a servant who by his own pride and his masters faults assumes for himself authority he has no right to assume.

Perhaps his master was loose in his authority over his servant and allowed his servant too much freedom to act.

Perhaps the master has forgotten his own responsibility to exercise authority and by so doing has caused his servant to reign in the household.

Perhaps his master has broken down the walls of separation between master and servant by familiarity thus causing the servant to aspire higher than he ought.

To promote a servant by not exercising our own authority causes the servant to lose his servant hood and he soon loses his respect for authority.

And because of this disquiet results, disorder results.

Leaders, be careful when you cause someone to change places.

Leaders are to promote with success in mind for the one promoted.

Promotion is not to be by default of because of your faults.

Don't put a person in a position just to get you out of a jamb, it may be their ruin. Be careful you do not promote to failure.

The earth is also disquieted and cannot bear a fool when he is filled with meat.

A fool when he is filled with meat indicates that the fool has plenty which he does not deserve because he is a fool and had not earned the plenty though hard work, honesty and diligence.

The plenty has come to him without that which hard work and diligence would have prepared him with to deal with plenty.

He is not prepared to have plenty.

He does not have the ability or temperament to be a good steward of plenty.

The steps of life that are God given prepare a person for plenty and for some reason he has advanced beyond those steps and has not learned life's lessons with which to deal with plenty.

It is out of God's order for a fool to have plenty.

God's intention is for those who exercise diligence, honesty and hard work to have plenty.

That is one reason why the lottery is disquieting in God's economy.

Plenty that the lottery provides to people is outside God's plan for his creation.

The lottery brings plenty to many fools.

It is disorderly and disquieting.

The earth cannot bear it and God is against it.

The earth is disquieted and cannot bear an odious woman when she is married.

Odious means hateful, deserving hatred. Jezebel was odious!

Odious expresses something less than detestable and abominable.

Odious is offensive to the senses, odious is disgusting.

Does this sound like someone who should be married?

This woman rules the household.

People flee to the housetop or the wilderness to escape her wrath.

The Bible says that a women is to be a helper of the man.

The Bible says that the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

But this woman is the head of the husband and she is the tormenter of the body.

She occupies a place that ought to be occupied by one who loves not one who hates.

A woman who is hateful and deserving of hate is in the wrong place when she is in the place of marriage.

The earth is disquieted because she occupies a place unsuited to her.

And the earth will cast her out as Jezebel found as she was thrown down to be eaten by the dogs.

The earth could not even bear to receive her body because they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

And lastly the earth is disquieted when a handmaid is heir to her mistress.

A handmaid as used in this verse is a female slave that is a member of the household.

Hagar of Abraham's household is a good example.

Because of Sarah's impatience in waiting on the Lord, Hagar was promoted to Abraham's wife thus becoming heir to her mistress.

Hagar did not rise to the level of wife as she despised Sarah when she paraded her bountiful self before her baren mistress.

She was fit as a handmaid but she was not fit as a wife.

We are to be careful in our actions which may cause a person to leave that which they are called or fit to do.

And that includes making people heirs of our fortunes.

What will that fortune do to that person?

Will them becoming an heir cause them to stumble?

Will them becoming an heir cause them to cease being a servant?

The earth is disquieted when a servant reigneth and when a fool becomes rich, and when an odious woman marries and when a handmaid becomes as heir.