Know Thyself

"The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh--an inspired utterance. This man's utterance to Ithiel: "I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know! "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. "Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

- Agur's sayings are divinely inspired, yet he declares that he is ignorant and worn out from his quest for wisdom. He concludes that human reason alone cannot discover the truth. He realizes that God alone has wisdom, and it is His Word that is true and lasts forever. Agur's understanding of the need for divine revelation shows us that we need to have a personal relationship with God to overcome the human condition of blind ignorance. He then prays--the only prayer in Proverbs--petitioning God for honesty and temperance. He acknowledges his own human weakness, and it is in this humility that Agur displays inspired wisdom.

No One Is Good without God

"Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful; those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind."

- Have you ever heard anyone say, "I am a good person," or "Deep down, I know I am not that  bad"? It is a sign of a wicked and depraved generation that these words are uttered by those who believe they are essentially good. Goodness is not a human characteristic; the heart is filled with unspeakable evils. This prideful generation not only refuses to honor their parents, but curses them instead. They lift their eyes in haughtiness, believing their wisdom is above God's, but they are deluded. They are an offense to God because they believe themselves to be pure apart from His cleansing touch. May we set ourselves apart from this wicked generation and seek God's wisdom with humility.