The Servant Class

(Proverbs 27:18 KJV)  Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.

Most Americans find the second part of this verse hard to understand.  Since when do we have a “master” (113)?  We tend to emphasize our independence and freedom.  A master speaks of slavery and inferiority.  Yes, it does and at all levels it gets our dander up.  We resist anyone telling us what to do.

At one end you have the idea of a slave owner.  Keep in mind that in many ancient Middle Eastern cultures there was only one free man in the entire country, the king.  All the land belonged to him.  Everyone was considered his servant.  The idea of the independent warrior comes from the barbarians of Europe.  It was not a question of “Are you a servant?”  It was a question of “How high or how low?”  We reject this thinking.

At the other end this word is used of God himself.  Unfortunately this independent thinking also extends to God for most people.  The offensiveness of God to us is not that He is bigger or stronger but that He thinks He has the right to tell us what to do.  That is why I think that on judgement day, even standing before the throne, most people will refuse to bend and acknowledge Him as Lord.

So?  Yes, Jesus is a friend of mine.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, we are joint-heirs with Jesus.  We are also servants.  Get used to the idea and accept it.