Proverbs 30:1-14
Up till now God has spoken through Solomon, the wisest of all the wise men. But in order to show that His Book owes nothing to human wisdom, He now makes use of Agur, a man who recognized himself to be more stupid than anyone else.
Having introduced himself thus (v. 2) and having confessed his profound ignorance, Agur begins by asking fundamental questions – who is the Creator? Who is His Son? How can a person get to heaven? To answer these, God had to reveal Himself, to come down Himself from heaven where man could not ascend and make known His glorious purposes in His pure Word (v. 5; compare the questions in v. 4 with John 3:13; Ephesians 4:10; Mark 4:41; Luke 1:31-32).
Agur knows his understanding is limited but he knows too that his heart is perverse and he addresses a twofold prayer to God:1) that vanity (self-seeking and the good opinion of men) and lying words may be removed far from him; and2) that he may remain dependent, for he recognizes the dangers of both riches and poverty.These are wise requests from which we can draw inspiration.
Without any illusions about himself, Agur knows too the principles of the world – revolt, self-righteousness, pride, oppression (vv. 11-14). Is our generation any better than his?