The Prayer of Agur
30: 1-9
A proverb is a short and memorable saying designed to be our blueprint for living in the world that ADONAI has created. It is important to note that proverbs are not promises; they are generally true principles, all other things being equal.
Ancient wisdom for discovering your sweet spot in life.
What is a sweet spot? Tennis players know there is a sweet spot on their racket where the ball jumps off the nylon strings with maximum velocity and precision. When that happens, there’s no vibration in their hand and the ball travels straight and true. The same is true of baseball bats and vocal performances. You’ll hear players say things like, “It was a fastball right down the middle, and it found the sweet spot of my bat.” Or vocalists say, “I love that song. It’s really in my sweet spot.” Career counselors will describe your sweet spot as the job where your gifts and passions meet with the needs of the marketplace. In other words, doing what you love, doing it well, and getting paid for it. Likewise there is a way ADONAI wants you to live. Where you’re living with purpose, not futility. Where your senses realize clarity, not chaos. It’s not running too fast nor too slow. It’s not amassing a fortune or living in squalor. You’ll find your sweet spot when you have a sense of belonging because you know God loves you for who you are, not for what you have or what you do. Sound good?550
Utterance from a collector (30:1-3): These are the sayings and the oracle (Hebrew: massa meaning oracle or burden) of Agur, son of Jakeh. It is possible that massa is a place; however, the idea of a burden normally describes a prophetic oracle of some kind. In Hebrew, the name Agur can be translated as “collector.” Which leads us to ask, “What did Agur collect?” As you will discover, he was a list maker. The short lists he includes in the second half of his chapter are the kind of deep thoughts with an ironic twist you might expect from a standup comedian specializing in observational humor. You might say Auger was a collector of ideas and questions, which he would ultimately share with us.
The name of Agur’s father, Jakeh, comes from an Arabic root meaning carefully religious. If I may speculate, it’s possible that Agur’s father would get caught up in scrutinizing the complexity and subtext of every papyrus scroll laying around the Temple or every word passed down by word of mouth from the days of Abraham, the Exodus, judges, and kings. Being carefully religious can be a healthy pursuit, unless getting caught up in the details prevents you from applying God’s Word to your daily life. I think I prefer the approach taken by Jakeh’s slightly rebellious son, Agur, who uses down-to-earth common sense to observe and reveal the obvious. After reviewing his personal lineage. Agur introduces us to his audience of one.
Agur declared to Ithiel (Hebrew, scholars translate his name as God is with me). It could be that Agur sought out Ithiel as someone with godly insight who might be able to answer his many questions. But you’ll notice at this point, Agur doesn’t speak with great confidence or authority. He delivers a mere utterance that suggests some hesitation or searching for the right words. “I am completely worn out, ADONAI, but I can prevail” (30:1 Hebrew)? Agur admits to being weary but he still wants to say something worthwhile: I can prevail, he writes, with a hint of hopeful desperation.
In the verses that follow, our new friend powers through his weariness to formulate some perceptive questions. Still, there’s a disarming and welcome humility about his approach. Agur is the refreshing opposite of those slick, conceited “teachers” to claim to have all the answers to every question. Personally, I prefer to listen to a Bible teacher who acknowledges his need for a Savior. Someone who tells self-deprecating stories and admits he doesn’t know it all. Therefore, Agur declares: Surely I am the most stupid person alive, because I lack common sense; I have not learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One (30:2-3 Hebrew). Agur uses irony and exaggeration to humbly declare his ignorance compared to ADONAI’s unrivaled power and supreme wisdom. Despite his extensive quest for knowledge, Agur knows that his wisdom does not come close to the sovereign wisdom of YHVH, the Holy One. The introduction to his oracle contains five rhetorical questions:
Agur asks six questions worth asking (30:4): As Agur begins verse 4, he speaks with clarity and conviction, asking six questions: Who has visited heaven? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who controls the seas? Who made the earth? What is His Name? And what is the Name of His Son? Then he answers his own questions by saying: Surely you know! You have to love his confidence. It’s the same confidence expressed in Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God. Agur is acknowledging that his confidence comes from something beyond himself. He’s confirming that anyone who considers the wonder of nature . . . the wind, the seas, the size and scope of the earth . . . must acknowledge the Creator.
In the B’rit Chadashah, that confidence is reinforced and takes a step further. Romans 1:20 tell us that since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. In other words, the creation proves there is a Creator. There really isn’t any excuse for not coming to that conclusion. People who think otherwise are probably a little too distracted with their own personal accomplishments to notice God’s accomplishments.
Going back to verse 3, Agur has just confessed that he doesn’t have knowledge of the Holy One. In verse 4 he explains why. Agur has been busy pondering the source of creation, deliberating about who or what controls the universe. Agur asks big questions. Then he lands on the obvious answer. Surely you know! he tells his audience with exceeding confidence. Indeed. Surely anyone who has ever contemplated the heavens, the seas, or the scope of the planet knows that ADONAI is large and in charge. While the first four questions center on the idea of creation, the next two bombshells take on the task of identifying who is in control. What is His Name? And what is the Name of His Son?
Keep in mind that Agur’s writings appear in the middle of the TaNaKh. As he asked those questions, a great number of names for the Creator of the universe had already been established, including LORD (YHVH), El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Elyon (God Most High), ADONAI (YHVH), Ha’Shem (YHVH), and ADONAI Jireh (ADONAI will provide). After a dose of humility, Agur reveals a firm grasp on God’s sovereignty. His confidence establishes a foundation for the sincere prayer he will be offering in just a few more words. By asking: What is His Name? he confirms that not only is God worth praising, but even His Name is glorious. Just as we are commanded in Deuteronomy 28:58, His glorious and awesome Name must be revered.
Then comes Agur’s sixth question. What is the Name of His Son! When Proverbs came together, anyone paying close attention to the writings of the prophets would have seen scores of verses foreshadowing the coming Messiah. But there had been only three references that the Messiah would be the Son of God: 2 Sam 7:12-15, Ps 2:7-12 and Ps 89:24-28. The members of Agur’s ancient audience may have been a bit perplexed since they would not have known the name of Yeshua – but that’s the nature of prophecy.
Agur takes a moment to endorse Scripture (30:5-6): After establishing his humility and stunning his audience with insight about God and His Son, Agur tell us that every word of God is pure; He shields those taking refuge in Him. Don’t add anything to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you to be a liar (30:5-6 CJB). This is reinforced in Second Timothy 3:16 where we are promised that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Aagur’s warning in verse 6, that anyone adding to God’s Word will be rebuked, foreshadows one of the last verses in the Bible. Revelation 22:18 promises: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. That is to say God’s Word can, and does, stand on its own. In his own way, Agur was saying, “ADONAI is eager and able to give you refuge from all the crud of this world. If you go your own way and listen to what the world says, you will suffer the consequences. Agur is confirming that the Bible speaks to everyone in the world who is willing to listen. God’s love extends to every soul. But God’s protection only applies to those who have surrendered to Him. Agur doesn’t spend any time at all defending the Bible. He just wants you to make sure – before he begins his prayer – that you know where he stands.
Agur’s Prayer, Part I (30:7-8a): Agur wants us to find our sweet spot for our finances. He begins his three-verse prayer with a promise to keep his request short. Just two things. ADONAI, I have asked two things of You; do not refuse them before I die (30:7 NIV). That’s a good strategy for prayer. If we drone on and on with a long list of complaints, frustrations, and requests, we’re going to start adding items we don’t really need, plus we’ll have a hard time tracking God’s response. Any time you can boil your prayer down to a small number of specific heartfelt desires – as modeled by our friend Agur – you’re going to find yourself more aware of God working in and through you to deliver answers. So what two things does Agur ask for? After thinking it through, he identified his top two most hazardous personal weaknesses. The two things that he struggles with the most: discerning truth and owning stuff.
First, Agur prays: Keep falsehood and lies far from me (30:8a Hebrew). You can almost hear Agur’s thought process and expanded prayer, as if he’s saying, “I know the world is filled with lies, and they trip me up way too often. Father in heaven, please protect my ears from hearing lies that might lead me down the wrong path. And keep my lips from lying so that I might not deceive others. I think Agur is on to something. Truth matters. Whether it’s input of output, whether you are hearing it or speaking it, there’s truth and we know it. It sets us free. Ignore truth, and bad decisions result. Satan, the father of lies, has been obstructing truth since the Garden of Eden, and we all know how that turned out.
An excellent example of disregarding truth comes from Pontius Pilate, the wishy-washy Roman governor of Judea who couldn’t make up his mind about what to do with Yeshua. In John 18:37-38, he asks Yeshua a series of questions attempting to discern whether He really claimed to be a king. The Master responded: You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into this world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me. Pilate scoffed: What is truth? If Pilate ha been paying closer attention, he would have known that the man he was about to sentence to death was truth incarnate. Messiah was, and is, ADONAI’s promise of love, hope, faith, and virtue in human form. Curiously, Pilate suggested more than once that Yeshua was innocent, but he caved to public pressure. Once you start denying the existence of truth, then every decision you make will be without a firm foundation.
Part I of Agur’s prayer is a sincere brokenness before the Creator of the universe. Somehow he knows the destructive consequences of falsehood and lies. He recognizes that the Adversary – even though he is a master deceiver – can’t stand up to virtue and integrity. Agur wants us to be on the winning team. That comes from hearing the truth, discerning the truth, and speaking the truth. The three short opening lines of Agur’s prayer also foreshadow one of the key teachings that the Lord would give regarding prayer during the Sermon on the Mount: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13).
Agur’s Prayer, Part II (30:8b-9): The beginning of Agur’s prayer is a personal request that he would give and receive only truth. That’s extraordinary, but not surprising. After all, everyone wants to know what’s really true. Even liars know lying is wrong. However, Agur’s second request is a stunner. He dares to pray for a life of moderation. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread (30:8 NLT).
Moderation? That’s not on anyone’s checklist, especially in the twenty-first century. We are living in an age of extremes. For most people, bigger and better. More house. More car. More closet space. More shelves for more trophies. More activities. More responsibility so you can gain more of the above.
On the flip side is another extreme: a subculture of people – even entire communities – who are choosing to live as minimalists. It’s not a new phenomenon, but minimalism has recently made it back into the public eye. They are obsessed with cutting up credit cards and cutting down on the amount of clothes they need. Their expressed goals include napping more and living 100 percent debt-free. They are conspicuously moving into micro apartments and tiny houses. Committed minimalists pause before purchasing and practice the “one-in, one-out” rule, they don’t buy something without getting rid of something they no longer need or use.
Agur is not endorsing minimalism, or that wealth and influence define success. He endorses neither fast nor slow, big nor small, fancy nor simple. Our engaging friend Agur has identified the sweet spot: the perfect balance of getting what you need and needing what you get. He sums it up nicely: my daily bread. Any of Agur’s peers who heard this prayer would instantly connect this request to the daily manna that YHVH had provide to their ancestors as they wandered the desert for forty years as described in Exodus. Manna appeared once a day, provided by ADONAI in just the right amount at just the right time (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Cr – I Will Rain Down Manna from Heaven for You).
As twenty-first-century readers, we recognize the phrase: give us this day our daily bread from the Lord’s Prayer, delivered almost a thousand years later by Yeshua in His Sermon on the Mount (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dp – When You Pray, Go into Your Room and Close the Door). The words are comfortable, and we nod our heads. Yes, Lord please meet our daily needs. The thing is, that’s not what Agur prayed. He added the word only. That introduces an entirely deeper level of trust in the One who provides. Raise your hand if you have the courage to say: but give me only my daily bread. Why, by the way, would anyone pray that way? The last verse of Agur’s prayer presents two good reasons.
For if I grow rich, I may have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is ADONAI?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus dishonor the name of my God (30:9 Hebrew). Do you know your weaknesses? Have you considered when and where you are most vulnerable to temptation? Agur, a bright guy who had a lot going for him, identified the chink in his armor. It was greed. This passage reveals that he was well aware he had trouble dealing with money. Agur’s personal obsession over his cash flow was his Achilles’ heel. He knew that too much or too little could easily distract him. Even destroy him.
To be clear, money itself wasn’t the problem. It was Agur’ emotional attachment to money. That idea reminds us of the often quoted (and misquoted) warnings of the B’rit Chadashah. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (First Timothy 6:10a). It’s worth noting that many quote this verse but leave off the first three words. Paul was not saying that money causes all kinds of evil. What kinds of evil? Some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10b).
Once again, let’s applaud the self-awareness displayed by our friend Agur. He is praying, in essence, “Lord, keep me dependent on You. Having complete trust in You is the sweet spot in which I want to live. I can’t do life without You.” Agur also realizes that if he has too little, his physical hunger will likely override his integrity. He will steal food and get caught, and the Name of ADONAI will be dragged through the mud. Agur knows Deuteronomy 5:19, Do Not Steal, is still valid, and accepts that stealing is punishable by the courts and God.
Having more than we need; having less than we need. Both extremes are a lose-lose proposition. But somewhere in between is that beautiful concept known as contentment. Is that something you can pray for? Can you pray to have neither too much or too little? Can you pray for just right? If having just enough becomes one of your top priorities, you’ll find plenty of biblical support. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13); Godliness with contentment is great gain (First Timothy 6:6); Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil (Proverbs 15:16).
Now let’s move beyond Agur’s temptations and vulnerabilities and talk about yours. Perhaps greed isn’t a problem for you. Congratulations! But beyond greed, what about laziness, envy, anger, pride, lust, or gluttony? Commonly called the seven deadly sins, these vices are not listed in the Bible. But they can be a helpful place to start when choosing to do a self-examination of what’s broken in your life.
Like Agur, if you trust ADONAI with your weaknesses, you just might find a satisfying balance in your life. Whether you’re lazy or a workaholic, ask God to help you find that sweet spot balance of work and rest. If you’re a control freak, you’ll want to find a career path or avocation that requires an impassioned organizer, but ask the Lord to help you consciously let some things slide once and a while. Maybe you have a troubled relationship with food, leaning either toward deprivation or over-indulgence. That’s a tough one, but without God’s help, you can find a healthy balance.
No one is saying it’s always easy to live in contentment with who you are and in every circumstance. From the outside looking in, moderation may even seem boring. But it’s not at all. In fact, it’s freeing – especially when you invite God to help you find your sweet spot. Expect to find joy in having things just right.
Whatever character trait causes you problems, there may be a constant push and pull against extremes. Like Agur, you’ll want to identify when and where you are most likely to feel Satan’s tug. In some cases, you may want to seek the help of a counselor, an accountability partner, or trusted family member. And when you find your balance, continue to pray for God’s protection. Pray that you’ll never forget the Adversary’s seductive power, because he’s always just around the corner. But also pray to cast your cares on the Lord. Don’t let you heart be troubled (John 14:1). Trust Him for shelter in any emotional storm. Trust Him for your daily bread. This is ADONAI’s sweet spot for your life.551
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