The Gait of Godly Dominion Text: Proverbs 30:29-31
Introduction: Learning from the Animals
The book of Proverbs is intensely practical. It is God's inspired instruction manual for living skillfully in His world. And because it is for living in this world, God frequently directs our attention to the created order. He tells us to go to the ant, to consider the rock badger, to learn from the locust. God has written lessons for us not only in the Scriptures, but also in the very fabric of the world He made. The heavens declare His glory, and the stately march of a lion declares something of His nature as well.
Our text today, from the sayings of Agur, is one such lesson. It presents us with a series of created things that are "stately in their march." This stateliness is not just about aesthetics; it is about a kind of inherent dignity, an authority that is carried in the very way these creatures move. In our egalitarian age, which despises all hierarchy and authority, this is a much needed lesson. We are taught to shuffle, to slouch, to be diffident and unsure. We have been catechized in cowardice. But the Bible presents us with a different picture entirely. It shows us creatures that walk with a purpose that God gave them, and they are not ashamed of it.
Agur uses a common Hebrew rhetorical device, the "three, even four" formula. This is a way of saying that the list is representative, not exhaustive, and that the fourth item is the capstone, the one that brings the point home. We will see that these four examples build upon one another, moving from the animal kingdom to the pinnacle of human authority, giving us a picture of what true, godly dominion looks like. This is not a lesson in arrogant swagger. This is a lesson in the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your place in God's created order and occupying it without apology.
The Text
There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
The lion which is mighty among the animals
And does not turn back before any,
The strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.
(Proverbs 30:29-31 LSB)
Unflinching Courage (v. 30)
The first example sets the foundational tone for the others.
"The lion which is mighty among the animals And does not turn back before any," (Proverbs 30:30)
The lion's stateliness is rooted in its might and its courage. He is the king of the beasts, not because he won an election, but because of his nature. His authority is not borrowed; it is inherent. And the primary evidence of this authority is that he "does not turn back before any." A lion does not flinch. It does not yield its ground out of fear. When it walks, it walks with the assurance that it belongs right where it is.
This is a picture of righteous authority. The man who has been given responsibility by God, whether as a father, an elder, or a magistrate, is to carry himself with this same kind of unflinching courage. This does not mean he is belligerent or looking for a fight. The lion is not always roaring. But it does mean that when confronted, when challenged, when faced with opposition, he does not retreat from his God-given duty. He does not turn back from the path of righteousness for fear of what men, or devils, might do to him.
Our generation has traded this lion-like courage for the skittishness of a field mouse. Men are terrified of being disapproved of. They are governed by the fear of man, which brings a snare (Prov. 29:25). They will turn back from any principle if the opposition gets loud enough. They will apologize for their convictions. They will surrender their authority to the loudest shrieking voice in the room. But the righteous are to be as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1). This boldness is not self-generated machismo; it is a fruit of faith in the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who set His face like a flint toward Jerusalem and did not turn back.
Unashamed Presence (v. 31a)
The next two examples are presented together and highlight a different, but related, aspect of this stateliness.
"The strutting rooster, the male goat also..." (Proverbs 30:31a)
Here we move from raw power to a kind of dignified, public presence. The "strutting rooster" is a picture of confident awareness. He patrols his domain. He is not hiding in the shadows. He crows to announce the dawn. He is visible, present, and unashamed of his role. The male goat, or the he-goat, was the leader of the flock. He walked at the front. His stately march was one of leadership, of going before the others.
These animals are not mighty like the lion, but they are stately in their own sphere. Their dignity comes from fulfilling their created purpose without embarrassment. This is a crucial lesson for us. Godly masculinity involves a public, visible, unashamed presence. Christian men are not called to be secret agents. They are to lead their families in a way that is visible. They are to be present in their churches, leading the way. They are to take their stand in the public square, leading the way.
The modern evangelical project has often encouraged a sort of privatized, feminized piety. The ideal man is "nice," quiet, and stays out of the way. He keeps his faith to himself. But this is the opposite of the strutting rooster and the he-goat. True Christian leadership is not obnoxious, but it is also not invisible. It takes responsibility, it goes first, and it is not ashamed of the gospel or the law of God. It has a confident gait because it knows the path it is walking on was laid out by God Himself.
The King and His People (v. 31b)
The list culminates in the human realm, with the image of a king.
"And a king when his army is with him." (Proverbs 30:31b)
This is the capstone. The king's stateliness is not found in his solitary grandeur, but in his relationship to his people. The phrase is better rendered "a king against whom there is no rising up," or as the KJV has it, "a king, against whom there is no rising up." The idea is that of a king who commands such loyalty and respect from his people, his army, that the thought of rebellion is unthinkable. His authority is secure, not because of his raw power alone, but because he is united with his people.
This brings all the previous images together. A good king has the courage of the lion. He has the public presence of the rooster and the goat. But his strength is magnified and made secure by the willing loyalty of those he leads. His march is stately because thousands march with him, in lock step, under one banner.
This is a profound picture of covenantal authority. True authority is never an isolated, individualistic thing. A father's authority is displayed when his family joyfully follows his lead. A pastor's authority is displayed when the congregation is united behind his teaching. And a magistrate's authority is displayed when the people are loyal and the nation is secure. This is the opposite of tyranny. A tyrant rules by fear and must constantly watch his back. A true king, a godly leader, rules by love and faithfulness, and his people are his strength and his glory. His throne is upheld by mercy (Prov. 20:28).
Christ, the Stately King
As with all such pictures in the Old Testament, these four stately walkers are meant to point us to Christ. He is the ultimate fulfillment of this proverb.
Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). He is mighty and does not turn back before any. He faced down all the powers of hell and death and did not flinch. He conquered not by running from the cross, but by marching straight to it.
Jesus is the one who goes before His flock like a he-goat. He is the great Shepherd of the sheep. He does not drive us from behind but leads us from the front. He is the rooster who announced the dawning of a new day, the coming of the kingdom of God. He was not a hidden messiah, but one who taught publicly and declared His authority openly.
And finally, Jesus is the King against whom there is no rising up. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of His dominion there will be no end. His authority is absolute. And His stateliness is seen in the fact that His army is with Him. The church is the army of the living God. When we march in unity, in loyalty, and in obedience to our King, we display His stately authority to the world. A divided, squabbling, disloyal church obscures the glory of the King. But a faithful church, marching together under His banner, is a terrifying and beautiful sight to the world. It is a stately march.
Therefore, this proverb is a call to us. It is a call for men to reject the shuffling cowardice of our age and to walk with the quiet courage of the lion. It is a call for leaders to be present, visible, and unashamed in their calling. And it is a call for the church to unite around our King, to be that loyal army with whom He marches, so that His stately dominion might be made manifest in every corner of the earth. We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have received, and that calling is to follow the King whose gait is the most stately of all.