Agur the Brute

Proverbs 30:7-9, “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.”

This scripture is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. For me, it summarizes both my weaknesses and my desire to rise above them. It emphasizes my internal drive for self-importance, the desire within myself to have meaning, and it cautions me about the lure of materialism, holding God’s gifts in an open hand.

WHO IS AGUR?

Agur is the son of Jakeh, a friend to Ithiel and Ucal. The name Agur comes from a Hebrew word meaning “collector.” Neither he nor Jakeh is mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Some think it might be a pseudonym for Solomon, but the writing style does not match.  What we do know is that he is righteous enough that God thought we needed to hear what he had to say.

I love how he identifies himself:

Proverbs 30:2-3, “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.”

When I read this, I fell in love with the character of the man. I long to be that kind of person who humbly acknowledges who he is and what he needs to rise above himself. He also dares to implore God, “do not refuse me before I die.”. He sees himself on a journey and prays earnestly to arrive at its destination.

FALSEHOODS AND LIES

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes think my weaknesses are burned into my genetic code in a way that cannot be modified. The desires of my heart are so strong that they rule my head. It doesn’t matter how much head knowledge I have; my heart wants to control. So I deceive myself into believing that what I want is what is real.

In my life, the prayer of Agur is not just about being truthful to those around me but being honest with myself. Agur acknowledges that he is only a brute, not a man. In this statement, Agur deceives himself. No brute could conjure up such a great prayer to God. No brute could step outside himself and ask for help. Agur may have brutish ways, but he is not a brute.

We all have attributes that we dislike. We all feel insecure in some aspect of our lives. Many of us don’t like that to be common knowledge, so we fudge a little; we embellish, we protect ourselves. Most of these issues are so minor that others, especially our friends, don’t see them. But we live with them day in and day out. We feel a need to defend who and what we are. Not in a big way, an outright lie, but small little falsehoods that misdirect and deceive. In time we stop deceiving others and start deceiving ourselves.

Agur not only wants to stop lying, but he also wants to stop deceiving. My heart wants to be that strong; it wants to be that confident in who God made me. But as Agur points out, we are on a journey, and that is our desired destination.

Lord, do not refuse me before I die.

WEALTH AND POVERTY

This part of Agur’s prayer is significant in my life. I cannot go into the details of the story because it involves others, but at one point, I was wealthy, by most standards, and overnight I became destitute.  Destitute in that I was over $100K in debt with no cash, no income, and no assets. This condition was brought about by a decision I willingly made; no one forced it on me. But, there comes the point in life when you have to decide what is important. That point in life was thrust upon me, and I decided. It was the most insane leap of faith I have ever made, one in which I still feel at peace.

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” I have lived by that for over a decade. Every time I want more or feel materially insecure, I think of Agur. I think how incredible it is that God had his words inscribed for all men to read. I hold everything God gives me with an open hand. I want for nothing. I volunteer my time and my money to travel the world in the act of worship. I don’t ask for support because God has already given it to me. As a result, I am secure spiritually, emotionally, and materially.

Agur knew the secret of a whole and fruitful life. He says, “I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.” Folks, life is a journey, not always a pleasant one. Sometimes admitting we don’t have the answer is the answer.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”