He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Proverbs Of Agur: The Secretive Nature Of
Sinful Acts: Proverbs 30:18-20
18) There be three [things which]
are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19) The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
20) Such [is] the way of an
adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no
wickedness.
In
this chapter we may have a new author, a man by the name of Agur. Very little is known about this man but, from
the context of our text, it seems as if he is a teacher who is instructing his
two students Ithiel and Ucal.
EXPOSITION:
Agur
now gives to us several pictures of things that are conspicuous in God’s
creation …
18) There be three [things which]
are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
Agur
begins this section by listing for us several acts of nature that cause wonder
on the part of man…
1. There are three things that are mysterious and
undetectable in God’s creation
2. Four things that leave no evidence for man to
examine
Agur
will now share with us things of God’s creation that cause man to wander and be
amazed. Why are these such wondrous
acts? It is because they leave behind no
evidence for man to examine, they produce no proof of their existence.
Please
note: Normally, the term “wonderful” is
used to describe things that are so great that they produce and attitude of awe
and amazement. However, in this verse, “wonderful”
is used to describe “that which cannot be known” as in Job 42:3…
“Who [is] he that hideth
counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not;
things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” (Job 42:3)
19) The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
1. The eagle as it soars above the earth
2. The reptile as it warms itself on the warm
rocks
3. The ship that floats in the middle of the ocean
4. The man that has intimate relations with a
woman
All
of these things have one thing in common, secrecy….
1. The eagle – an eagle leaves no lasting trail
in the sky as it soars
2. The reptile – a reptile leaves no lasting impression
on the rocks after it departs
3. The ship – a ship leaves no lasting trail as
the water closes in burying its wake
4. The man and maid - Their intimacy is performed
in secret leaving no lasting public evidence of the encounter.
Please
keep in mind, although we cannot prove these things take place due to lack of
evidence, the Lord does not need evidence to have knowledge of these things,
nor does He forget they have taken place.
“O LORD, how manifold are
thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. [So is] this great and
wide sea, wherein [are] things creeping innumerable, both small and great
beasts. There go the ships: [there
is] that leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee;
that thou mayest give [them] their meat in due season. [That] thou givest them
they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they
are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their
dust. Thou sendest forth thy
spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” (Psalms 104:24-30)
The
theme of secrecy is then carried through using a sinful example of secrecy…
20) Such [is] the way of an
adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no
wickedness.
1.
This same principle applies to the road
taken by the sinful who serve their fleshly lusts…
2. They consume acts of sin to fulfill the
hunger of their flesh
3. They then attempt to wipe away any evidence
of their wrongdoing
4. They verbally deny any wrongdoing in the
hopes it will never be detected.
Just
like the eagle, lizard, ship and man, the sinful individual, many times, leaves
no perceptible trail of wickedness.
Often they receive no earthly punishment for breaking the laws of
God.
However,
just like the above four examples from nature, although the wicked may hide
their sins from man and never face human
judgment, the Lord knows these sins have taken place and will render His judgment
in the last days.
“For his eyes [are] upon
the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. [There is] no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of
iniquity may hide themselves. For he will not lay upon
man more [than right]; that he should enter into judgment with God.” (Job 34:21-23)
SUMMARY:
Many
times our human perspective and understanding will fail us and the deceptive nature
of the sinful will seem to prevail.
However, the Lord’s perception will always overcome the deceit of lost
mankind. Sinful mankind will never
escape the sight nor justice of the Almighty.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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