He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
The Proverbs Of Agur: Agur’s Identity and
Humility: Proverbs 30:1-4
1) The words of
Agur the son of Jakeh, [even] the
prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2) Surely I [am] more brutish
than [any] man, and have not the
understanding of a man.
3) I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4) Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered
the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath
established all the ends of the earth? what [is] his name, and what [is]
his son's name, if thou canst tell?
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.
However,
many sound scholars believe that “Agur” is simply another title for King
Solomon….
“Agur
the son of Jakeh” is translated from the Hebrew phrase “the one of the harvest
who is the son of the obedient one”.
Both
parts of this title could easily apply to Solomon:
1. Solomon was “the one of the harvest” , he is
the one that had gathered (or harvested) all of this wisdom throughout his
lifetime and then compiled it into this book.
2. He was clearly the son of “the obedient one”,
David, who was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14).
My
own personal thoughts are that “Agur” is probably not a title for Solomon. As we read down through this chapter, we will
see the sentence structure seems to be somewhat different…
1. Solomon was making constant comparisons of
opposites by using the form a:b (a compared to its opposite b). please refer to 29:2-4 for one of MANY
examples of this. This form is not found
once in this chapter.
2. Also, many of the verses in this chapter are
longer in length than the previous chapters we have studied.
3. Some of the descriptions of himself do not
seem to match Solomon. For example his
limited education (vs 1-3) and his mid class lifestyle (vs 7-9) cannot apply to
Solomon, one of the most highly educated and rich men who ever lived.
I
am the first to admit I have a limited knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew
language, so I certainly cannot speak with any certainty on this subject. But I did want to mention my thoughts on the
subject.
EXPOSITION:
In
this section of his writings, the author describes himself and gives us a
glimpse of his humble spirit…
1) The words of
Agur the son of Jakeh, [even] the
prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
Agur recognized the
great importance of his calling….
1. The advice and counsel of Agur was received
as a “burden” (a heavy responsibility).
2. Agur spoke as an oracle (one who speaks as a
representative of God) to Ithiel and Ucal
Agur was a man that
was given the responsibility to represent God by teaching wisdom that
originates from God. He took this
responsibility very seriously and therefore it “weighed heavy” upon him. It is with this recognition of the great
importance of the teachings of God that he presented his message to his
students.
2) Surely I [am] more brutish
than [any] man, and have not the
understanding of a man. 3) I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge
of the holy.
Agur
understood that, apart from the Lord, he was unable to fulfill the great
responsibility given to him….
1. Truly Agur believed he was ignorant and
foolish (like a beast) in comparison to other highly educated men.
2. He recognized himself as not possessing the human
discernment that others exhibited in their lives.
3. He recognized that he did not attend schools
that taught the philosophies and psychologies of men
4. Nor did he have the same level of knowledge of
religious things like other men.
Here,
we see that Agur quickly acknowledges his shortcomings in the eyes of other
men. He was not highly educated in
religion, philosophy, or psychology of men. When others looked at him, there was no
compelling reason for them to listen to his message.
He
recognizes his shortcomings in the eyes of the world. Yet he knows he must fulfill his calling and
reveal the words of God to men. It would
be a matter of faith on his part, knowing that the Lord must enable him to
speak the truth and open the hearts of those to whom he would speak.
4) Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered
the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath
established all the ends of the earth? what [is] his name, and what [is]
his son's name, if thou canst tell?
His
explanation why others should listen to his message...
1. Show me the person who has risen to heaven (reached
a level equal with God)
2. Show me the person who has come down from
heaven (is God, Himself, come down to man)
3. Show me the person who has restrained and
possessed the winds with his hands (possesses the authority of God)
4. Show me the person who has captured the
fountains in their clothing (possesses the strength of God)
5. Show me the person who has founded the entire
earth (has accomplished works equal to that of God)
6. Who can show me, specifically, any highly
humanly educated fallen man and his son who rise to the level of the Lord in
any area of existence?
This
is a rhetorical question when the answer is limited to fallen mankind. NO SINFUL HUMAN can begin to claim equality
with God in any area of their life.
However
there is one human, the God/Man, Jesus, who can rightfully claim to be equal to
God. Therefore, the only father and son who are equal to God are God the Father
and Jesus, His son. This is the only possible correct answer to the question
posed by Agur.
Agur’s
basic argument is this…. Although other
men may be more educated with a human education, really what good is it? Of all these humanly educated men, none can
begin to compare to the Lord. Therefore,
if Agur presents the teachings of the Lord (and not his own thoughts and
wisdom) men should pay him much more attention than those who are highly
educated in the wisdom of sinful fallen men.’
Please
take notice… Agur is not finding fault with human education that would equip a
person to supply the needs of his family etc.
He is specifically explaining that education in the fields of religion, philosophy
and psychology, when based wholly upon the teachings of fallen man, are of no
real value. God alone has insight into the
truth for these three areas, this is why the teachings of Agur (and the entire
Word of God) are so valuable for each of us. It is through the Word of God that
we all can come to an understanding of spiritual, philosophical, and psychological
truths from the mind of God.
SUMMARY:
In
these opening verses, Agur displays a genuine, humble attitude of one who
recognizes his limitations and the need of Godly intervention for him to be
faithful to his calling. But he also
understood the grave importance of his ministry. God’s Word is the only source of truth in
this fallen world.
May
the Lord impress on all of our hearts, and especially the hearts of those who
minister His Word, to recognize their shortcomings and need of His daily
gracious intervention in their lives. In
doing so, this will give tremendous motivation to be sure to ONLY speak the
truths of God while putting away our own personal thoughts, and the teachings
of sinful, fallen mankind.
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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