Proverbs 30:1-9
Only Enough, Please

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.

      Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
            I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
      Surely I am too stupid to be human;
            I do not have human understanding.
      I have not learned wisdom,
            nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
      Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
            Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
      Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
            Who has established all the ends of the earth?
      What is the person's name?
            And what is the name of the person's child?
            Surely you know!

      Every word of God proves true;
            he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
      Do not add to his words,
            or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.

      Two things I ask of you;
            do not deny them to me before I die:
      Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
            give me neither poverty nor riches;
            feed me with the food that I need,
      or I shall be full, and deny you,
            and say, "Who is the LORD?"
      or I shall be poor, and steal,
            and profane the name of my God.

New Revised Standard Version

While the bulk of the book of Proverbs has been attributed to King Solomon, the end of the book contains wisdom shared by other Hebrew sages. Some of these, like Agur, have been lost in history--all we know of him, or his father Jakeh, is this passage.

What we have in this passage shows a maturity and a faith that yearns for a proper relationship with God. As we break this text apart, we find a model for living the Walk written centuries before the Gospel story.

Agur's first point is to accept his limitations. So long as we strive to be a peer of God's, on an equal standing with God, we will fail to find God. So much of living the Walk is giving up--giving up our notions of who God is to accept who God really is; giving up our ambitions to accept God's direction for our lives; even giving up our deep urges to control so we can depend more wholly on God. Agur has reached this point as he admits, "how can I prevail?"

The logical response to opening ourselves to God is to cease trusting in ourselves, but this is an altogether unnatural act for us to do. We want to depend on our wisdom and our understanding, because to give those up is to admit not only that we are not an equal to God, but that we are helpless.

Agur's second point is to recognize God's greatness. "Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hand?" Only God! Agur assures us that God is good and pure, too, not only great. "He is a shield to those who take refuge in him," great assurance once we conclude we cannot take refuge in ourselves, but need to rely on God.

Agur's third point in this passage is humble obedience. What a stunning prayer he makes! We all are likely to pray to be given enough, but to pray not to be given an abundance? Agur's principles are so solid, asking to be kept close to God and away from temptations that would weaken that relationship. Agur is profoundly wise to see that his relationship with God is much more valuable than any food or possessions would be.

Compare this passage to the Lord's Prayer:

"Hallowed be thy name..."

"Thy will be done..."

"Give us this day our daily bread..."

"Lead us not into temptation..."

Both the teaching of Agur and the words of Jesus remind us that the best goal for us to set is to be close to God. All other goals are likely to interfere with being an obedient, faithful, trusting follower.

This week, as you pray, ask that God would lead you away from temptations, and call out those temptations that separate you from God. Be brave! Pray that God would keep you from being so "full" that you deny the need for God in your life, and deny God the opportunity to use you.