Be Broken Like Agur

Through the first 29 chapters of Proverbs we have studied the sayings of Solomon, though Solomon may not have created all, but he collected them all.

Proverbs 1-22:16 Proverbs of Solomon
Proverbs 22:17-24:34 Proverbs of the “Wise”, collected by Solomon
Proverbs 25-29 Proverbs of Solomon compiled
by King Hezekiah’s wise men

Tonight we’re looking at the writings of an unknown man named Agur.

Agur Was A Broken Man

Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur [āḡûr (pro. aw-goor’)] the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

No one knows who these people really are. We are told in:

1 Kings 4:30-32 KJV Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. 32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

Solomon was the wisest man of his day. But there are others who were wise, “Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol”. My commentary notes that āḡûr (pro. aw-goor’) – his name means “one who gathers or collects” – could have been one of the wise men who lived during Solomon’s reign.

What is interesting about āḡûr (pro. aw-goor’) is that Derek Kidner’s Commentary he notes that both chapters 30 & 31 are from non-Israelites, just like the Book of Job.

When Agur refers to God, he uses the Hebrew אֱלוֹהַּ (‘ĕlôha), rather than Elohim the Triune Name of God. Eloha is singular, and used in the Book of Job (who was from the land of Uz) about 44 times. The Bible tells us that:

2 Peter 1:20-21 (NKJV) … no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for PROPHECY NEVER CAME BY THE WILL OF MAN, but HOLY MEN OF GOD SPOKE[as they were] MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Though he might have been a Gentile (perhaps an Arabian from Massa per Derek Kidner), the words he wrote as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. One of the most overriding principles of Christianity is that …

In order to be used of the Holy Spirit, you must be broken. You must be surrendered to God and His leading.

We see the brokenness of Agur in how he speaks of himself. He is possibly a public teacher, as he is addressing “Ithiel and Ucal”. He says of himself:

Proverbs 30:2-3 Surely I am more BRUTISH {baʿar, stupid, like a beast} than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

This word was used in Proverbs 12:1 to describe someone who could not be taught:

“he that HATETH REPROOF IS BRUTISH”

Agur is saying “like a beast, I am hard to teach”. He makes himself out to be the worst of men that he knows. The Apostle Paul often did this.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NKJV) This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

Paul is saying “When I’ve examined all around me, I am the worst sinner of all times. Yet God used me to lead others to Christ”. When Paul compared himself to the other Apostles, he wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 (NKJV) For I AM THE LEAST OF THE APOSTLES, who am NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED AN APOSTLE, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God [which was] with me.

Paul is not an Apostle because he is better than other Christians. Paul is an Apostle because he is more broken than those around him. He gives glory to God. It is all of grace.

Ephesians 3:8 (NKJV) To me, WHO AM LESS THAN THE LEAST OF ALL THE SAINTS, this GRACE WAS GIVEN, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Paul not only calls himself to chiefest of sinners, the least of the Apostles, but the most unqualified Christian ever. Here is the principle: The more broken you are, the more God Himself can use you. God is using Agur because he is humble. Not like the Pharisees humble, but genuinely humble, unable to do.

Agur Did Not Doubt The Word of God

Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?

The words that Agur uses here are very similar to those of Moses. When Moses gave Israel the Word of God, the commandments that they were to follow, he said:

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NKJV) For this commandment which I command you today [is] not [too] mysterious for you, nor [is] it far off. 12 “It [is] not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 “Nor [is] it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 “But THE WORD IS VERY NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART, that YOU MAY DO IT.

Only God has gone into Heaven and returned. Jesus said:

John 3:13 (NKJV) No one has ascended to heaven BUT HE WHO CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, [that is], the SON OF MAN WHO IS IN HEAVEN.

Only Jesus had – up to that point in human history – ascended to Heaven, and come down from Heaven. Our God is incomprehensible. He “GATHERS THE WIND IN HIS FISTS”. We can’t touch the wind nor hold the wind. God moves it as if it were a solid. God “BOUNDS THE WATERS IN A GARMENT”. It is God Who tells the sea, “thus far you shall come, AND NO FARTHER, and HERE shall your proud waves be STAYED” (Job 38:11). As Agur wrote, he said “can you tell me God’s Name, and God’s Son’s name?”.

Only God can reveal Who He is. Only God can reveal His Son Jesus as Messiah. The only way we know of God is through His Word, what HE has SAID to us.

Agur knew Who God was not because of his knowledge, but because he brokenly received the Word of God, trusting in it. We cannot know anything of God apart from His Word. We must, like Agur and Paul, become surrendered to God’s Word. Though God is incomprehensible, though God is higher than all our thoughts, “His Word IS VERY NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART, that YOU MAY DO IT”

God never tells us what He wants us to do, and makes it undo-able.

Proverbs 30:5 EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

The means by which we get closer to God is through the application of His Word. Most of the people who have joined the Church – it has been my experience – will join and come to the Church maybe on Sunday morning, and maybe regularly on Sunday morning. But I would honestly access that most of those who join the modern Church in America spend about 1 hour a week contemplating God, and no more than the 30-45 minute sermon on Sunday morning dwelling on the Word of God.

You cannot grow as Christians that way.

God can take a Saul and turn him into a Paul, and take a brutish man and turn him into an Agur, but only if the person is broken and willing to seek God out through the Scriptures. Many see the Bible as an old, outdated book. God says:

Psalm 12:6 (KJV) The WORDS OF THE LORD [are] PURE WORDS: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

God brings trials into our lives to break us, to bring us to the state of Agur, where we realize our full dependence on God. “For You, O GOD, have PROVED US, and TRIED US as SILVER is TRIED”. The Word of God is pure. God uses that Word to draw us closer to Him when we are tried.

Psalm 3:3-8 (KJV) But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my Glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and He heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set [themselves] against me round about. 7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies [upon] the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 SALVATION BELONGETH UNTO THE LORD: THY BLESSING IS UPON THY PEOPLE. Selah.

We cry out to God with our voice in prayer. God speaks His answer to us through His Word in our hearts.

Preach: Because people have rejected the Word of God – but want the Presence of God – many who profess to be Christians are spiritual Schizophrenics. When troubles come they don’t know how to deal with them, because the Word of Christ is not in their hearts. Lloyd J. Ogilvie wrote in his book “The Other Jesus”:

“(The Real Jesus is) not the Jesus we’ve created of our own making and faking – an easy going, good natured Jesus Who’s on call when we want Him to help us deal with our personal agenda. Having only this culturalized, benevolent, but somewhat weak ‘errand boy’ Jesus stunts our spiritual growth. ‘It’s a sniveling, modern invention … for which there’s no warrant in the Gospels”.

When the Living Word came into His Creation, He repeatedly said “it is written”, quoting and emphasizing the written Word of God. If you want to know more of God, you must surrender more of your life to God.

Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

We are to heed God’s Word, but not add to God’s Word. God warns us:

Deuteronomy 12:32 (ESV) Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. YOU SHALL NOT ADD TO IT OR TAKE FROM IT.

As God finished our Bible, He wrote:

Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone ADDS TO THEM, God will ADD TO HIM THE PLAGUES described in this book, and if anyone TAKES AWAY FROM THE WORDS of the book of this prophecy, God WILL TAKE AWAY HIS SHARE IN THE TREE OF LIFE and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

It is a serious thing to mishandle the Word of God. But it is a great blessing to learn from it, and to do as God has said.

Agur’s Prayer Was To Know More Of God

Proverbs 30:7-8 Two things have I REQUIRED (šā’al) of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 REMOVE FAR FROM ME ALL VANITY AND LIES

What Agur does here is very similar to what Solomon did when God called him to be King over Israel. Solomon asked God to:

1 Kings 3:9 “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil”

Agur prayed and “BEGGED (šā’al)” God for two things. He asked God to remove “FAR FROM ME ALL VANITY AND LIES”. When King David prayed, he asked:

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV) ONE THING I HAVE DESIRED of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD All the days of my life, To BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD, And to INQUIRE IN HIS TEMPLE.

David prayed that the LORD would be the LORD of his home, and that He would be present in his life in a very real way. David wanted to “BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD”, and to “INQUIRE IN HIS TEMPLE”, to be able to speak face to face with God in glory.

Agur asked that God remove all “VANITY” or emptiness from his life, along with all “LIES”. That’s a really good prayer! We all often, when we misstep, tell ourselves lies to justify what we did. LET US BE REAL IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

Proverbs 30:8-9 give me NEITHER POVERTY OR RICHES; feed me with food CONVENIENT (ḥōq, pro. khoke) for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Agur asked God to help keep their relationship real, by removing anything that hindered a close relationship with God. And then Agur addressed the dangers of misplaced economy.

As I came to the Church this morning I saw a black, four door, top of the line Jeep pulling a trailer. On that trailer was the most tricked out golf cart I’ve ever seen. Agur would have fallen out! The person driving that Jeep, parading that gold cart on the new trailer, his focus is not a deeper relationship with God. This is the problem we have in America! Our gods are wealth and health. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24-27 (NKJV) Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

If you want to follow Jesus, to get closer to God, you need to “DENY YOURSELF”. You can’t chase riches and Jesus at the same time. Agur prayed that God would give him just enough so that he could continue to pursue God without distraction. Agur didn’t want to be impoverished, for those whose bellies are gnawing with hunger cannot focus on a good relationship with God. But Agur didn’t want to be rich, because the rich are often focused on being richer rather than getting close to God. Agur said,

feed me with food CONVENIENT (ḥōq, pro. khoke) for me

Word Study: The word rendered “CONVENIENT” is the Hebrew ḥōq, which means “that which is prescribed or for the best of”. Agur said, “Lord, whatever You give me, I will receive it graciously knowing this is what YOU want me to have. I will be satisfied with the lot You have given me. Just let me be closer to You.”

This again is similar to what the Apostle Paul said:

Philippians 4:11-13 (KJV) Not that I speak in respect of want: for I HAVE LEARNED, in WHATSOEVER STATE I AM, THERE WITH TO BE CONTENT. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENETH ME.