Proverbs 30:18-20 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 30:18-20, which read,

There are three things which are too wonderful for me, four which I do not understand:  the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.  This is the way of an adulterous woman:  She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."

Agur continues on with this technique of stating three things and then adding a fourth for emphasis.  These three verses are all about hypocrisy.  We are given four images to think about in light of the last verse which gives us a sin but the one committing it denies that it is a sin.  The woman who has committed adultery which is a relationship outside of the holy relationship of marriage between a man and a woman calls it not a sin.  The woman professes innocence or denies that she has done anything wrong.

A couple of parallel passages of denying is Proverbs 28:24 which says,

"The one who robs his father or mother and says, 'That's no sin,' is a companion to a person who destroys."

Another is 1 John 1:8 which says,

"If we say, 'We have no sin,' we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

So lets look at the four examples of this concealment of a sin and denying it happened or professing that it is no longer a wrong to commit it.

The first is "the way of an eagle in the sky."  The eagle soars but unlike the jet, it leaves no vapor trail.  It doesn't leave a trace and so is the attempt of sin, to leave no mark.  You desire to soar like an eagle with what seems to be total freedom and to sin with no strings attached.  It looks glorious.  Of course we know there are laws of nature that are in place for the eagle to be there in flight but we set aside who created those laws and just look to sight of what seems freedom without restrictions.  We want to sin and leave no trace and experience the freedom of doing wrong.

The second is "the way of a serpent on a rock."  The serpent on a rock does the same as the eagle in the air, it leaves no mark or trace or trail.  It is an image that is a little more disturbing that the soaring eagle and usually makes us jump when we see a snake but the end result is that nobody saw that I was here or what I just did.  We try our best to hide our sin or if we can't do that then we profess that it isn't sin.  So Agur is amazed at how well people can sin and leave no mark that they have.

The third is "the way of a ship in the middle of the sea."  The ship at sea leaves a wake but in the middle of the sea that wake disappears very quickly and depending on the speed of the ship it is again an untraceable trail.  The effects are felt on the shore much later depending on the size of the body of water and other elements to nullify the waves.  We want to sin and be where no one can see us but then find our way back to the port for needed supplies.  We want all the blessings of God, the port, but live a life at times that dishonors God, in the middle of the sea.  We who sin can find our way home just as a ship in the middle of the sea.  

The fourth is "the way of a man with a maid."  I would like to take this in the positive in light of the three negatives that we have looked at.  I would like it to be that Agur is amazed in light of how we try to hide sin and deny it that there are those who honor God's words and ways.  In the positive light, a man with a maid is two people in the sea of humanity destined by God to be together for a lifetime.  In the face of all the sin of the world that a holy relationship could survive and thrive.  In the negative sense it could be another example of someone trying to hide their sin without a trace as the man walks away with no mark but the woman might and maturing in nine months time.  The man could slip away and conceal by his absence that nothing ever happened.

The point is that we try to hide our sin and if we can't hide it anymore then we try to justify that our sin is not sin any longer.  

One other interpretation of these verses is the symbolism as such:

• The eagle represents God soaring over all.
• The serpent represents Satan slithering on the earth.
• The ship represents Man at sea finding his way.
• The Man with a Maid represents Christ and Church and the holy relationship that is found.

It is too wonderful to think that God provided a way in the midst of sin that is rampant, rebellious and revered.  Take either interpretation and let us live a life that honors our God rather than deny His standards of holy living to give Him glory.  Let us pray.

"Lord, help us to see that sin does effect us.  We deceive others with sin and we also deceive ourselves.  We try to make an excuse for it or we try to hide it or we try to redefine it to cover our guilt of knowing this is wrong before You.  May we confess sin rather than doing all those other things.  May we experience the forgiveness of sin in the midst of its consequences and live a life of seeking to honor You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam