Is It Three or Four?

(Proverbs 30:21 KJV)  For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

We see this literary device several times in Proverbs.  I say “literary device” because we need to be careful about one of the central beliefs of Christians.  We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God.  If you don’t believe that, it is hard to know what your justification is for claiming to be a Christian because it would be impossible to know what a Christian is or who Jesus is.

The caution is about how we define “inspired.”  This means different things to different people.  Some people would look at this and call it a mistake.  How can there be three and four at the same time?  Some people want to take every statement as literal and feel that makes them have a belief that is more pure than others. 

The Bible is not a science textbook.  It is not a grammar.  It is not, strictly speaking, a history.  It is a group of writings, assembled and preserved by the Holy Spirit.  In the process of that assembling God used many different personalities and styles to communicate His truth.  You will find allegory, hyperbole, simile and other literary devices.  You will find biography, history, personal letters and advice columns. 

So?  This is the written word of God.  It contains all of the truth that God wants it to contain in a style that God wanted.  Enjoy it.  Learn from it.  Let it speak to you, three or even four times.