Who is Agur and What Can We Learn?

Proverbs 30:1-9, New Living Translation

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message.

I am weary, O God;

    I am weary and worn out, O God.

I am too stupid to be human,

    and I lack common sense.

I have not mastered human wisdom,

    nor do I know the Holy One.

Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down?

    Who holds the wind in his fists?

Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak?

    Who has created the whole wide world?

What is his name—and his son’s name?

    Tell me if you know!

Every word of God proves true.

    He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

Do not add to his words,

    or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.

O God, I beg two favors from you;

    let me have them before I die.

First, help me never to tell a lie.

    Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!

    Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”

    And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Today is quick reflection because honestly, I’m running out of time.

Chapter 30:1-9 is one of the sections that most scholars assume was not written by Solomon.  Of course, the section is labeled as the “sayings of Agur, son of Jakeh, but we have very scant clues as to who that may have been. 

In any case, “Agur” offer of wisdom has to do with a humility before God.  It reminds me of my “Introduction to Christian Theology” course I took my second year of college when my professor began our first class with this statement: “The first thing a theologian needs is a healthy sense of humor.”  What he meant by that is what Agur means here.  Agur, and my professor, had spent most of their lives studying, thinking, and writing about religious wisdom/theology, but both admit that they can’t really know anything for 100% sure.  To spend your life in such a pursuit knowing that you will always come up woefully short of complete knowledge requires a sense of humor/humility.  This is not just true of theologians and biblical wisdom scholars; it’s true of anyone that proposes to know anything about the divine. 

The other significant offering from Agur is his two requests of God:  (1) to help him be a person of truth and not deceit and (2) to provide him only what he needs – no more or no less.  I think the wisdom of choosing these two requests of God should be self-evident.

Questions:  What does humility about knowledge of God mean to you personally?  What do you think of Agur’s requests of God?  What would be your top two requests?

Prayer:  Lord, I know I tend to think that I know more than I really do.  Show me the path between appropriate confidence about the Truth You have revealed to me and the openness to learn where I am wrong.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for people you know that follow a different faith than you (Muslims, Jews, etc).

Song: Thomas Rhett – Life Changes