Proverbs 30:1-10

CHAPTER 30
TEXT Proverbs 30:1-10

1.

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle.

The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

2.

Surely I am more brutish than any man,

And have not the understanding of a man;

3.

And I have not learned wisdom,

Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

4.

Who hath ascended up into heaven and descended?

Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?

Who hath bound the waters in his garment?
Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?

5.

Every word of God is tried:

He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.

6.

Add thou not unto his words,

Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

7.

Two things I have asked of thee;

Deny me them not before I die:

8.

Remove far from me falsehood and lies;

Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:

9.

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah?

Or lest I be poor, and steal,

And use profanely the name of my God.

10.

Slander not a servant unto his master,

Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 30-1-10

1.

Who was Agur (Proverbs 30:1)?

2.

What does oracle mean (Proverbs 30:1)?

3.

Who were Ithiel and Ucal (Proverbs 30:1)?

4.

Does brutish in v. mean what we usually understand by this word?

5.

What is meant by the statements in Proverbs 30:3?

6.

What is the author getting at in Proverbs 30:4?

7.

Tried in what sense (Proverbs 30:5)?

8.

Where else in the Bible is the same instruction given (Proverbs 30:6)?

9.

What are these two things (Proverbs 30:7)?

10.

Was this his own falsehood or somebody else's (Proverbs 30:8)?

11.

What is the danger of having too much (Proverbs 30:9)?

12.

What is a danger of having too little (Proverbs 30:9)?

13.

What is slander (Proverbs 30:10)?

PHARAPHRASE OF Proverbs 30:1-10

1.

These are the messages of Agur, son of Jakeh, from Massa, addressed to Ithiel and Ucal:

2-4.

I am tired out, O God, and ready to die. I am too stupid even to call myself a human being! I cannot understand man, let alone God. Who else but God goes back and forth to heaven? Who else holds the wind in his fists, and wraps up the oceans in His cloak? Who but God has created the world? If there is any other, what is nameand his son's nameif you know it?

5-6.

Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to Him for protection. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7-10.

O, God, I beg two favors from you before I die: First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs! For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. And if I am too poor, I may steal, and thus insult God's holy name. Never falsely accuse a man to his employer, lest he curse you for your sin.

COMMENTS ON 30:1-10

Proverbs 30:1. Four names are here introduced to us, unknown to us but probably well known in those days: Agur (the author), Jakeh (his father); and Ithiel and Ucal (the ones being addressed). Ithiel is more important of the two in that he is not only mentioned first but twice. These last two Chapter s contain material that is not compiled by Solomon (this chapter by Agur and chapter 31 by King Lemuel). Both Chapter s depart from the one-verse sayings to sections of material. The word Oracle shows that what follows is inspired even if not written by Solomon.

Proverbs 30:2. Whoever Agur was, he here reveals the fact that it was not through natural endowment that he was about to write. Psalms 73:22 also uses the word brutish, and it carries the idea of a low level of understanding.

Proverbs 30:3. And this verse shows that it was not through education received from others that he was about to write. It is very probable that he was a rustic, without education, and without any human help, as was the prophet Amos; and that all that he knew now was by the inspiration of the Almighty, independent of which he was rustic and uneducated (Clarke).

Proverbs 30:4. Here are five questions dealing with the sublime and divine, Concerning the ascending and descending, Romans 10:6-7 asks two questions: Who shall ascend into heaven?...and Who shall descend into the abyss? What would be the purpose of such ascending and descending? Deuteronomy 30:11-13 is that from which Romans 10 is quoting, and it shows that such going up and going down (or out) was for the purpose of gaining divine knowledge and bringing it back to mankind: This commandment...is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, and make us hear it, that we may do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us? The answer to the first four questions in this verse is, No man! Creation and Providence are the works of GodJob 38 - Psalms 104; Isaiah 40:12-14 (questions 2-4), and so is the Revelation1 Corinthians 2:9-11 (question 1). If somebody insisted that some man has done these things which we attribute to God, Agur wanted to know his name and his son's name.

Proverbs 30:5. As the light of nature and metaphysical speculation are of no avail in obtaining the perfect knowledge of God which the seeker craves, he must be all the more thankful for the revealed Word of God, which teaches him as much as he is capable of learning (Pulpit Commentary). The message that Agur is bringing is the Word of God, and every word of it is true for it is tried: The words of Jehovah are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace of the earth, Purified seven times (Psalms 12:6); Thy word is very pure (Psalms 119:140). Psalms 19:8 again states its purity and what it does for mankind: The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. God and His Word are spokes of as a shield to those who take refuge in Him: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him Psalms 18:30); Jehovah God is a sun and a shield (Psalms 84:11); O Israel, trust thou in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. Ye that fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:9-11)

Proverbs 30:6. Since God's Word is pure (just like He wants it), true, and right, He does not want man tampering with it. Twice in Deut. did God sound the same warning: Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it (Deuteronomy 4:2); What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deuteronomy 12:32). And the last warning in the Bible says, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18-19). Anyone wrestling (twisting) the Scripture does so to his own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). If we deny God's Word, He will reprove us (prove us wrong, deal with us), and we will be found to be nothing less in His sight than a liar (absolutely wrong). Examples: 2 Kings 6:24-31; 2 Kings 7:1-17; Jeremiah 27:2; Jeremiah 27:6; Jeremiah 27:8; Jeremiah 28:1-4; Jeremiah 28:10-17.

Proverbs 30:7. This chapter contains several groupings (Proverbs 30:7-9, Proverbs 30:11-14, Proverbs 30:15-16, Proverbs 30:18-19, Proverbs 30:21-23, Proverbs 30:24-28, Proverbs 30:29-31), and this verse introduces the first group or set. Two things were urgently desired or were asked of God, and which he did not want to be denied. Before I die means while I am in the flesh or while I live.

Proverbs 30:8. No. 1: Remove far from me falsehood and lies; No. 2: Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me goes with No. 2 as a restatement of it. And Proverbs 30:9 is an explanation of request No. 2. As we look as these two requests, the first is what he wished God to remove from him, and the second is what he wished God to give him. Now knowing Agur (the compiler), we do not know whether he was personally plagued with falsehood and lies and wanted to be delieverd from them or whether he saw so much unfaithfulness in humanity that he personally wanted to be completely free from it himself (let us hope it was the latter). And we too need to be free from such unfaithfulness: Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor (Ephesians 4:25). Agur also wished that in God's providential dealings with him, he would spare him from the extremes of both poverty and wealth, for he saw dangers in both (see comments on Proverbs 30:9). His wish was that he might merely have the provisions that were suitable for him. And observation shows that people are more righteous, happier, and more satisfied when they are found in the great middle class that has to work for what they have, and that appreciate what they get.

Proverbs 30:9. What was the danger of riches? Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? Over and over in the Bible shows this tendency: Lest, when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied; then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget Jehovah thy God...and lest thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth (Deuteronomy 8:12-17); Thou are waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek; Then he forsook God (Deuteronomy 32:15). Also see Deuteronomy 31:20; Nehemiah 9:25-26; Job 31:24-25; Job 31:28; Hosea 13:6. What was the danger of poverty? Lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God. Stealing is wrong whether one is stealing out of want or otherwise, Situation Ethics notwithstanding. But one cannot deny the tendency of the poverty-stricken to steal from others. Under those circumstances one might use profanely the name of God by cursing Him for his circumstances, or he might affirm his innocence by an oath in which he used God's name (likely the former: When they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their GodIsaiah 8:21).

Proverbs 30:10. Slander is not good: Romans 3:8; Psalms 101:5; Psalms 50:19-20; I. Tim. Proverbs 3:11. Lest he curse theewho is the he? More likely the servant than the masterthe one slandered rather than the one who hears the slander. Since the slanderer would be guilty, the curse would be effective.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 30:1-10

1.

What four persons are mentioned in Proverbs 30:1, and what do we know of each?

2.

What word in Proverbs 30:1 shows the contents of the chapter to be inspired?

3.

From what two sources did the author of this chapter not get the material he was about to present (Proverbs 30:2-3)?

4.

Discuss the ascending and descending of Proverbs 30:4.

5.

How pure is the Word of God said to be (Proverbs 30:5)?

6.

Where else besides Proverbs 30:6 does God warn about tampering with His Word?

7.

Why did Agur want falsehood and lies removed from him (Proverbs 30:8)?

8.

What is meant by Food that is needful for me (Proverbs 30:8)?

9.

Where else besides Proverbs 30:9 does the Bible warn about the danger of riches?

10.

How might a poverty-stricken person use the name of God profanely (Proverbs 30:9)?

11.

Who is the he of Proverbs 30:10?