Wise Advice from an Obscure Source
We commonly think of King Solomon as the author of the book of Proverbs. While this is mostly true, it’s not completely correct. Proverbs also contains wisdom from Agur (as well as Lemuel, whom we’ll cover later).
Agur is the son of Jakeh. Neither man, however, appears anywhere else in Scripture, so we know nothing more about them from the biblical account. Yet what Agur writes does reveal his practical insights.
Sandwiched between his opening praises to God and his ending plethora of wise insights, is a key consideration.
He asks God for two things.
First is that God will keep falsehood and lies at bay. We can see this as him wanting protection from the untruths of others, as well as to not spread them himself.
His second request is that God will give him neither poverty nor wealth. He merely asks for his daily bread.
Though this may seem like a strange petition, he explains his rationale.
He worries that if he is satiated, he may turn from God, feeling a smug self-satisfaction. His counter concern is that if he has too little, he may steal to provide for his needs.
He wants to avoid both extremes. So asking for his daily bread, neither less nor more, is his petition.
What can we learn from Agur’s two requests?
Should we share his concern about not having enough or alternately of having too much?
[Read about Agur in Proverbs 30. Discover more in Matthew 6:9–13.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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