An Ordinary Man’s God-Given Wisdom

Proverbs 30:1-14

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance.
This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son's name,
If you know?

5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

10 Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

This chapter is the wisdom of of an unknown man Agur, probably similar to Job in standing among his people who would listen to his words.  It is interesting that wisdom may be learned by people of any nation who turn to follow the LORD, and not just of the twelve original chosen tribes of promise.  We who have the faith like Abraham are also of the faith of God in Christ as Galatians 3:6-7, 8-9 plainly state.  This man Agur told these proverbs to his friends Ithiel and Ucal in a humble way.  He did not see himself as a refined or scholarly man of great understanding or wisdom taught him of the Holy One, but spoke prophetically about the Messiah as God gave him the words of knowledge and wisdom.  He wrote about how nobody has gone to visit God in His heaven nor has God come down to earth except God alone.  This is also quoted later in John 3:13 where it is spoken that it was Jesus Christ the Son of God who descended to earth from heaven as Emmanuel and rose again to return in glory to heaven.  He alone as God controls the wind and rain because He established the created world we love in as the spoken and living Word of God as the Son of the Father (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17)!  The word of God here spoke also to ask the reader if we know God’s name and that of His Son because that is our source of wisdom and our work (John 6:28-29) to acknowledge Him and His creation as part of the gospel.  God’s word is to be honored to learn this understanding for wisdom because He is our shield of faith according to His word (Ephesians 6:16) in whom we put all of our trust.  We are warned not to add to the scriptures in verse 6 as it is reiterated in Revelation 22:18, or we will be revealed as liars who twist His words and are rebuked for it; this is a clear warning for bad and false teaching which does not come from the Bible (James 3:1, Revelation 22:19).  Agur then wisely gives an example of what to ask of God (not health and wealth, mind you), knowing the truth and being content (1 Timothy 6:6) by having just what is needed, not more or less.  Truth to not presume upon God and to live a pleasing life, and contentment to avoid self-reliance of having an abundance and forgetting God is the source of it all, or stealing to survive and breaking several commandments in the process.  He reminds us not to slander others other, for those untruths will expose our guilt of lying eventually and humiliate us instead.  Then he finishes the chapter by observing problems with the world around us, an evil generation (Galatians 1:4) that curses parents, is sinful and yet self righteous, ever so proud, and who are brutal at gaining for themselves at any cost over the abuse of others.  There is no love of God or their fellow man, only for themselves.  These things profane God’s name instead of glorifying it in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.  May we learn from these wise words of an ordinary man’s God-given wisdom.