Considering the Implicit Illicit Acts

Scripture:
This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats, and wipes her mouth,
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when glutted with food;
an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.
Proverbs 30:20-23

Observation: This proverb addresses the danger of those who truly sin through treachery and deceit. The first example is an adulteress who will sin and then sincerely declare she has done nothing wrong once the evidence is gone. However, the four other items reflect similar behaviors. In every case, they are about people who have exceeded their station, but very likely through a scheme of lies, deception, treachery, and theft. While it is implicit, in all cases it is unreasonable to assume the individual can achieve their ends without illicit action.

In the four examples that cause society to tremble and crash, the individual has achieved a noble goal, but certainly has done so in an illicit manner:

-- The slave has nicely improved his position in the world, but likely through rebellion and violence

-- The fool has earned enough money to eat well, but having great excess while still being a "fool" implies improper procurement - theft - of such resources

-- The unloved woman - who is thus still unloved even by the man who marries her - can only get a husband through improper seduction or coercion

-- The maid has improved her status in the household, but did so by improperly seducing the master of the house

This is the warning of the wise to the world ... that behaviors such as these - behaviors that create what many might consider desirable outcomes but are the result of harmful actions - will be the downfall of the world. This is not to say that improving the lives of those who struggle is the problem, but rather the scheming acts of people is the problem. When everyone is doing whatever it takes to advance themselves and achieve only their own ends - and then declares they have done nothing wrong because the outcome is perfectly acceptable - society cannot "bear up".

Application: Still today we talk about the means justifying the ends. We have so very many "causes" now whereby people are seeking to change the lives of people ... and many of those causes are valid. However, we are pursuing these causes through campaigns driven by hate and anger against others.

Our society is trembling ... it cannot bear up. The implicit actions that drive toward the just outcome cannot be dismissed ... they cannot be wiped away with a declaration that no wrong has been done.

Prayer: Lord, I ask that you help give us all wisdom. May we find ways to address issues of justice and equity, without introducing new methods of hatred and disunity. Amen.