Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Proverbs 30:7-9 wherein we are encouraged to follow the example of Agur, who wanted His Lord more than anything else.
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
Be careful what you wish for. This is instruction that we’ve heard but perhaps don’t often consider as serious. But the author, Agur, aware of his own personal weakness and at the same time trusting in God’s wisdom, asks that God would not put him in a place that might cause him to either think or act in ways that would offend Him.
Notice that he is not really asking all that much of God. He approaches Him with a wonderful confidence that comes from a belief that God is to be glorified through his life. He simply requests that anything false in him would be removed and that God would supply for his most basic needs. We hear this same wisdom later in the Scriptures within the prayer Jesus gives as an example to His disciples: Give us this day our daily bread (Mt. 6:11). What Agur feared is something that we should all consider. He, likely from observing others in the world who had become rich, was fearful that he would experience great abundance and not live in humble thankfulness for it. A certain degree of needfulness can indeed serve to remind us of our personal weakness and great need for God’s strength. Without such, there might arise a great and frightening temptation: to deny God altogether and think ourselves self-sufficient. But he also faced a problem when he thought of the possibility of ending up in poverty. Knowing that stealing was wrong but finding himself overcome by hunger pangs, he had concern that He might give in and break God’s command. Being on either side of the spectrum (rich or poor) has the potential to expose the weaknesses of our flesh–full and proud or hungry and desperate. Agur wanted to find himself in a place where he was most likely, from his perspective, proud of and desperate for His God.
Perhaps we might consider asking God today to put us in the place that is best for us, the way in which we would be most likely to walk uprightly before Him. This is going to look different for each and every one of us, but our perfect placement is for God to decide and to His decision we should submit. Christians must remember that we live for and follow a King whose riches were never of this world. Don’t envy the rich or neglect the poor, and ask God to give you just what you should have, nothing less, nothing more.
Last 5 posts by Seth
- Matthew 28:18-20--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 24th, 2010
- Matthew 27:20-23--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 23rd, 2010
- Matthew 26:30-33--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 22nd, 2010
- Matthew 25:29-30--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 21st, 2010
- Matthew 24:3-5--Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation - April 20th, 2010
