Proverbs 30:15-33
Agur has noticed and put in groups for our instruction things which are dangerous and hateful and others which are wise and beautiful. The lust of the eyes and also of the flesh both clamour for satisfaction – "Give, give." They both have the same insatiable mother, the horse-leach, in other words, this thirst for pleasure which each man possesses which eats him up (vv. 15, 16). Pride is included with these lusts too (1 John 2:16). It shows itself in many different ways, but v. 17, which should be considered carefully by all young people, puts special emphasis on the contempt of authority and the spirit of independence. In parallel with these worldly rules of conduct, vv. 18 and 19 bring before us the mysterious ways of God in judgment as well as in love. Vv. 21-23 tell of four things which are hateful because they overturn the order established by God. Then we learn that wisdom goes hand in hand with the feeling of its own weakness: with discretion, trust, communion and smallness (vv. 24-28); whilst beauty is linked with one’s walk (vv. 29-31). How many lessons may we learn in the company of a man who declares himself to be stupid but whose humility places him among the ranks of the wise according to God! (1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; 1 Corinthians 8:2).