Humble before God

We go now the words of a man named Agur.  Who he was, no one knows.  But in his words, we find not only wisdom, but humility.

Verse 1 is  bit obscure in its meaning.  A possible meaning (and held by most translations), is that Agur is speaking to two people, Ithiel and Ucal.

But another possible meaning is seen in the ESV as well as a few other versions.

The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.  (Proverbs 30:1, ESV)

He then goes on to say,

I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding.  I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.  (2-3)

In other words, Agur is a man who stands before God in all his weakness.  All pride has been stripped from him.  Pride in his own strength, and pride in his own wisdom.  And in his weakness, he seeks God.

In verse 4, he asks,

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?  Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?  Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and the name of his son?  Tell me if you know!

In other words, what person has gone up to heaven and come back down to tell us about God?

Who is this person who created everything?  What’s his name, and the name of his son?

These are all rhetorical questions, of course.  For as we see in verse 7, he knows the name of the Creator.

The interesting thing he asks is the name of the Creator’s son.  This he doesn’t know.  But that he would ask the question is very interesting.

And when Jesus came to this earth, he answered that question.  More than that, he told and showed us who God is in a way that Agur nor anyone else had ever been able to do.

As John wrote,

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.  (John 1:18)

Agur then exhorts us to listen to God’s words and take refuge in him, saying,

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.  (5-6)

He concludes the section with a beautiful prayer.

Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.  (7-9)

In short, “I want to honor you with my words and with my life.  So do what you must to keep sin far from me.”

May we all have such a heart.  Humble before God, and seeking to honor him.