Devotions

20241202

Agur in the middle

Proverbs 30:1-33 (JDV).

Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur, son of Jakeh. The pronouncement. The strong man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
Proverbs 30:2 I am more stupid than any other person, and I lack Adam’s ability to understand.
Proverbs 30:3 I have not gained wisdom and have no knowledge of the Holy One.
Proverbs 30:4 Who has gone up to the sky and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the land? What is his name, and what is his son’s name — if you know?
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Proverbs 30:6 Don’t add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
Proverbs 30:7 Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die:
Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me the food I need.
Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is Yahveh?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:10 Don’t slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.
Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.
Proverbs 30:12 There is a pure generation in its own eyes but not washed from its filth.
Proverbs 30:13 There is a generation — how haughty its eyes and pretentious looks.
Proverbs 30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind.
Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough!”:
Proverbs 30:16 Sheol; a childless womb; the land, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough!”
Proverbs 30:17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it.
Proverbs 30:18 Three things are too wondrous for me; four I can’t understand:
Proverbs 30:19 the road of an eagle in the sky, the road of a snake on a rock, the road of a ship at sea, and the road of a man with a young woman.
Proverbs 30:20 This is the road of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Proverbs 30:21 The land trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four:
Proverbs 30:22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
Proverbs 30:23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
Proverbs 30:24 Four things on the land are tiny, yet they are extremely wise:
Proverbs 30:25 ants are not strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Proverbs 30:26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
Proverbs 30:27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
Proverbs 30:28 a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
Proverbs 30:29 Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk:
Proverbs 30:30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything;
Proverbs 30:31 a strutting rooster; a goat; and a king at the head of his army.
Proverbs 30:32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, hand to your mouth.
Proverbs 30:33 Because churning milk produces butter, twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.

Agur in the middle

If you assume that the wise people of Solomon’s day were just arrogant know-it-alls, let me introduce you to Agur. He found the balance of godly humility (recognizing that he was low) with the desire for God’s wisdom (seeking great insight). He was not looking to increase his status. He didn’t want to become rich. He wanted just enough to keep himself from being distracted by excess or need.

LORD, give us the wisdom to be middlemen like Agur.