Proverbs 14:35 The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
In the poem, Paradise Lost, Milton wrote that Satan said, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
All I can say is, “Not so!” There will not be any parties in hell nor good times for the good old boys and their friends. However, there will be a lot of gut-wrenching regrets on an eternal Richter scale of ever growing pain. Mark 9:48 Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. Separation from all that was ever known and understood will be the reward of a soul left in hell. Eternally left to one’s own thoughts of what could have been. The torment of that mental anguish is not understandable to our free and present-day mind.
What Milton said is poetic fiction. The truth is – being a servant in God’s kingdom is freedom and life. King David wrote that a servant of menial ranking was in a better position in God’s service than anything offered in the establishments of the wicked. Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Of course, menial in the kingdom of God is greater than anything that could be thought of or gloriously imagined in Satan’s realm. The least in the kingdom of God is much greater than the best promotion ever given in the world system.
No wonder Satan rails against God and man. No matter who we are in Christ, God honors us, and we are fulfilled through His love. We are the apple of God’s eye. The jealousy Satan experiences because of our anointed position in Christ, causes the devil to break out in a tantrum and scream his nonsense of, “Hell is a great place.” What a lose-lose offer Satan has for the gullible. There is nothing the devil can offer mankind that will ever give life or fulfilment. The wages of sin is death regardless if the sin is fun or not. The end game is a hellishness of eternal anguish. Try and reign in an insane asylum and see what you get.
You may be taunted by the devil that you are only a servant in God’s kingdom. And on top of that, be accused of the sins of your past and therefore, not deserving of God’s love. Psalm 35:21 They open their mouths wide against me and say, “Aha, aha! We saw it! ” Don’t worry, a forgiven servant washed in the blood of Jesus, is greater than the highest ranking and station in hell. As a result of the new covenant that we have through Christ, the lowest servant is blessed in the kingdom of God. Matt. 11:11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he!
“Only a servant,” you say! Well, the good news is that we who are in Christ are all servants of the most high God. We do not have to worry about eternal rankings and positions. Luke 22:24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus said those who serve would be blessed. Luke 22:26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.
I know this is contrary to the world system of promotion and goal reaching. The enemy of our soul would have us scratching and manipulating our way to success. Satan would have us kill each other for the sake of raising our own kingdoms. God has a better plan. It may seem old-fashioned and unaggressive – but trust the Lord’s integrity for your life. 1 Cor. 1:25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
Prov. 14:35a The king’s favour is toward a wise servant. I would rather be a servant with God’s favour in the kingdom of heaven than floundering my way through the maze of the world’s uncertainty. God is good, and His thoughts toward us are love, peace, and the joy of our victory through Christ. Let us raise our servant’s heart toward Him and thank the Lord for all He has done for us in our past, present, and for what He will do in our blessed future. Amen!
To be a Master you have to be a servant first and foremost!