WHEN CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE IN POWER

Proverb 30:21-23 NKJV 

21 For three things the earth is perturbed, 

Yes, for four it cannot bear up: 

22 For a servant when he reigns, 

A fool when he is filled with food, 

23 A hateful woman when she is married, 

And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. 

This is a short passage that sheds some rather interesting light on human nature. 

The issue at hand is what happens when people are elevated or put in a more powerful position. Verse 21 says the earth is perturbed. The word perturbed means to shake, agitate, or disturb. The four things listed are related, with the exception of a fool who is satisfied with food. I am not sure how that plays out, but the other three are similar. 

A servant when he reigns. The NASB says, "a slave when he becomes king..." This is an extreme case of someone being elevated and not in a good way. Someone who has been on the low end of every social and economic ladder suddenly being placed in the top position can be troubling. This is the person who has been mistreated but is now in a position of power and will use that power for payback. 

A hateful woman when she is married. The word hateful is better translated as hated or unloved. This is the person who has been overlooked and passed up all her life but now has a husband. Now, what others think of her doesn't matter, and once again, payback is coming. 

A maidservant who succeeds her mistress reminds me of the situation between Abraham's wife Sarah and Hagar. When Hagar became pregnant with Abraham's baby, something Sarah was unable to do, it caused problems. Genesis 16:4 says that when Hagar conceived, her mistress, Sarah, was despised and thought lightly of in her eyes. Hagar looked down on Sarah when she was in a power position. 

APPLICATION 

I spent some time in a fraternity during my college years. I can't say I am proud of everything I did, but it was a learning experience. During the pledging process, when I was a lowly pledge, the fraternity brothers who mistreated pledges the most were the ones who resented the treatment they received when they were pledges themselves. But now that they were in a position of power, instead of being sympathetic and remembering how it felt, they dealt out the mistreatment. I found this surprising as an 18-year-old. Our verses for today give some insight. How a person handles power is telling. 

When we interview a potential staff member for the church, we pay attention to how they treat different staff members. If they are rude or difficult with staff members they perceive as being beneath them, we take note. And we don't take them. How someone treats the server in a restaurant can speak volumes about someone's character. 

The moral of the story. If you are elevated to a position of leadership or power, take Jesus' example and serve others with grace and kindness.