POST IT!

Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,
yes, four things shake its foundations—
when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
when a whore is voted "woman of the year,"
when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife.

(Proverbs 30,21-23)

As a young man I despised them, but lately I am learning to appreciate the usefulness of lists. The shopping list comes handy in the store, just as the post-it stickers all around the house remind me commitments yet to be fulfilled, things to grab, and important tasks to attend. Once superfluous, nowadays I consider them practical necessities. Putting things in order, readying myself for those uncomfortable lapses in memory, guarding against interfering thoughts and tasks while trying to accomplish something – lists are my new friends.

In the Sixth Chapter of Proverbs we find a list of hateful things as observed by Solomon, and in Chapter 30 there are five other lists, created by Agur, the son of Jakeh. I put these lists on my list; Lord’s willing I plan to preach on them next Spring. They call on us to pay more attention to life. They remind us, that life seeks to follow a created pattern, and violations to that pattern just simply don’t fit. People who insist on living by their own pattern, are fools – teaches this book of wisdom. So, keep these lists close to your heart, use them to weigh your actions, because the artful Weaver of Life’s Patterns wants to keep you on track!

Agur’s lists are not intended to be exhaustive. I am sure, you will agree, this third out of the five, as quoted form the Message Bible is a list of circumstances that offend common sense. Just think about them for a moment, have a mental picture of them, and go on living the life God intended for you!

Each of these situations pictures a person in the wrong place. A boss (in other translations, “the king”) should learn to serve, but do not give the reign to the servant. The great “invention of the French Revolution”, copied by the Leninists was, to turn the whole world upside down. Rulers made in the instant turned out to be even more unfit than the ones they have replaced. The well-fed bonehead will miss the lessons to be learned in situations that would otherwise awaken him to his foolishness. When society worships whoredom, the sense of beauty is lost. Throwing away faithfulness will not manage the pains that come with mid-life crises. Friends, make a note of this, your wife is better in every way than that nice babe whose boyfriend, a weathered piece of furniture like you and me cannot be. If you like the rhyme, post it!

Pastor Novak