Proverbs 30:15-19 — I can’t get no… Sat-is-fac-tion…

READ THIS: Proverbs 30:15-19

15 “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: 16 the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’ 17 “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. 18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: 19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

You may be wondering, “what on earth are these verses talking about?” Don’t worry, I was too! Let’s break it down into 2 sections: verses 15-16 talk about things that are never satisfied, and verses 18-19 talk about things that are so amazing that we can’t fully understand them. Verse 17 is super similar to yesterday’s lesson on our eyes, so check it out if you haven’t!

First, let’s talk about these things that can’t seem to be satisfied! The grave (or death) is something we can’t avoid… everyone will die one day. However, with Jesus, we can have life beyond the grave! “The barren womb” describes a woman who can’t have children. The Bible has many examples of people who can’t give birth and the struggle and longing they face to have a child. Lastly, we have two things from nature: the earth (or land), which is always longing for water to grow, and fire! Think about forest fires… as long as there is stuff that can burn, the flames will spread constantly.

Now, let’s check out verses 18-19, which show us 4 mysteries of the world that amaze the author to the point that they can’t fully understand them! The first two have to do with creatures: eagles and their ability to fly despite being much heavier than other birds, and snakes that can find comfort and move their bodies along rocks, which aren’t usually characterized for their comfort. The third description is a ship and how it can manage to stay afloat and even move successfully across the dangerous waters of the sea. Lastly, he describes the mystery of the love that comes from marriage, which Paul actually describes once again as a mystery that models Jesus (Ephesians 5:32).

But what on earth does all this have to do with us?! What can we get out of this? First, it’s important for us to understand that the world and nature are full of things that we can’t understand, but we can rest peacefully knowing that our God is in control of all things in nature. God created fire, water, eagles, snakes, and people, and He loves us! These passages also teach us that it can be dangerous to never be satisfied. If we search the world for satisfaction of any kind, we will never find it! TRUE satisfaction comes from Christ alone!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Can you think of a time where you were unsatisfied with life? How does knowing Jesus change that?

2. What in this world is a mystery to you? 

TRY THIS:

 

Think about one of those mysteries that the world has, and go check it out this week! If its something in nature, take some time outside and marvel at what God has created, remembering that He is in control!