Proverbs 30

Proverbs 30:1

VI. THE WORDS OF AGUR (Chap. 30)30:1 All we know about Agur is found in this chapter. He introduces himself as the son of Jakeh. The words his utterance (oracle, NIV) may also be translated “of Massa” (RSV). This would identify Agur as a descendant of Ishmael (Gen_25:14). The second line may also read, “The man said, ‘I have wearied myself, O God, I have wearied myself, O God, and am consumed’” (ASV margin). This leads naturally into what followsthe impossibility of the infinitesimal comprehending the Infinite. 30:2 Agur begins with a confession of his own inability to attain to understanding. Apparently it is a statement of genuine humilitya proper attitude for anyone who would inquire into the works and ways of God. 30:3 He does not profess to have learned wisdom or to have found God by human searching. He recognizes that he does not have the power in himself to attain to the knowledge of the Holy One. 30:4 By a series of questions, he sets forth the greatness of God as He is revealed in nature. The first describes God as having access to the heights and depths of the universe where no man can follow Him. The second points out His control over the massive power of the wind. Third is His might in containing the waters, either in clouds above the earth or in the ocean beds. Next is His establishment of the boundaries of the land masses. What is His name, and what is His Son’s name? The thought is, “Who can ever fully know such a great Being, so incomprehensible, so mysterious, so powerful, so omnipresent?” The answer is “No one can ever understand Him fully.” But we do know that His name is the Lord (Jehovah) and His Son’s name is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a text that surprises most Jewish people, who have been taught that God never had a Son. From this verse OT believers could understand that God has a Son. 30:5 Agur now turns from the revelation of God in nature to His revelation in the Word. He asserts the infallibility of the sacred Scriptures"every word of God is pure." Then he speaks of the security of all who trust in the God of the Bible"He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.“30:6 The absolute sufficiency of the Scriptures is asserted next. No man should dare to add his thoughts and speculations to what God has spoken. This verse condemns the cults which give their own writings and traditions the same authority as the Bible. 30:7-9 These verses contain the only prayer in the book of Proverbs. The prayer is short and to the point. It contains two petitions, one covering the spiritual life and the other covering the physical life. First Agur wanted his life to be worthwhile and honest. He didn’t want it to be wasted on trivia. He didn’t want to major on minors, and he didn’t want to deceive others or to be deceived. As to the physical, he asked to be delivered from the extremes of poverty and riches. He would be satisfied with the provision of His daily needs. He was saying, in effect, “Give me this day my daily bread.” He gives reasons for wanting to avoid the twin extremes of affluence and poverty. If he were full, he might become independent of the Lord and deny Him by not feeling any great need for Him. He might be emboldened to say, “Who is the LORD?“that is, who is He that I should look to Him for what I need or want? The peril of poverty would be that he might steal, and then, to cover up, he might deny under oath that he had done it. 30:10 In what seems to be an abrupt transition, Agur warns against slandering a servant to his master. The penalty would be that the curse he pronounces against you would come to pass because God is the Defender of the oppressed. The NT warns us against judging servants of the Lord; to their own Master they stand or fall (Rom_14:4). 30:11 The generation described here bears striking resemblance to the generation living today and to the one which will exist in the last days (2Ti_3:1-7). Notice the following features: Disrespectful to parents. They curse their father and show no gratitude to their mother, thus breaking the Fifth Commandment. The hostility of young people toward their parents is one of the chief characteristics of our decadent society. 30:12 Self-righteous. These people are vile and unclean, yet they have no sense of shame. Outwardly they appear like whitewashed tombs but inwardly they are full of dead men’s bones. 30:13 Pride and arrogance. They resemble Rabbi Simeon Ben Jochai who said, “If there are only two righteous men in the world, I and my son are the two. If only one, I am he.” 30:14 Fiercely oppressive. In their insatiable greed for wealth, they rip, tear, and devour the poor by long hours, low wages, miserable working conditions, and other forms of social injustice. 30:15, 16 The greed of the oppressors in the preceding verse leads on to other examples of desires that are never satisfied.

1. The leech or vampire (ASV margin) is pictured as having two daughters who have an endless capacity for sucking blood. They are both named “Give.“2. The grave never says “No vacancy.” Death never takes a holiday, and the tomb never fails to accommodate its victims.
2. The barren womb is never willing to accept its sterility but hopes continually for motherhood.
3. The earth is not satisfied with water, no matter how much rain falls. It can always absorb some more.
4. The fire never says “Enough!” It will devour as much fuel as a person wants to feed it. The expression “There are three things . . . yes, four . . .” is a literary formula used to produce a sense of climax. Grant indicated that four is the number of earthly completeness or universality (as in the four corners of the earth), or of the creature in contrast to the Creator. 30:17 This proverb seems to be isolated from the rest, though similar to verse 11. It teaches that a son who mocks his father and disobeys his mother will die a violent death and will be denied a decent burial. To the Jewish mind, it was a great tragedy and disgrace for a body to be unburied. The fate of the wayward son is for his carcass to be devoured by vultures. 30:18, 19 Agur lists four things that were too wonderful for him. As we study them, we have a vague suspicion that there is a spiritual analogy beneath the surface, but what is that analogy and what is the common thread that ties them together? Most commentators suggest that these four things leave no trace behind them. This seems to be confirmed by the way the adulterous woman in verse 20 is able to hide her guilt. Kidner says that the common denominator is “the easy mastery, by the appropriate agent, of elements as difficult to negotiate as air, rock, seaand young woman.”
5. The way of an eagle in the air. Here we face the marvel of flight. The gracefulness and speed of the eagle are proverbial.
6. The way of a serpent on a rock. The wonder here is the movement of a reptile without benefit of legs, arms, or wings.
7. The way of a ship in the midst of the sea. It is possible that the “ship” here may be a poetic name for fish (see also Psa_104:26), and that Agur is marveling at the navigational finesse of marine life.
8. The way of a man with a virgin. The simplest explanation of this expression refers it to the instinct of courtship. Some, however, take a less idyllic view and apply it to the seduction of a virgin. 30:20 A fifth wonder, apparently thrown in for good measure, is the way an adulterous woman can satisfy her lust, then wipe her mouth and protest her complete innocence. 30:21-23 Four insufferable things are next listed; they are the kind of things that throw the earth into turmoil.
9. A servant when he reigns. He becomes arrogant and overbearing, drunk with his new position.
10. A fool . . . filled with food. His prosperity causes him to be more insolent than ever.
11. A hateful woman who finally succeeds in getting married. Her wretched disposition would normally have kept her single, but by some fluke, she lands a husband. Then she becomes imperious and haughty, taunting those who are still unmarried.
12. A maidservant who succeeds her mistress. She doesn’t know how to act with refinement and grace, but is coarse, rude, and vulgar. 30:24 Now Agur turns to four things which are wise out of all proportion to their size. 30:25 1. The ants are tiny creatures and seemingly helpless, yet they busy themselves during the summer months. Most of the common ant species do not provide for the winter, because, according to the World Book, “Ants cluster together and spend the winter sleeping inside their nests.” The harvester ant is an exception, however, since it stores food in warm, dry seasons for later use during cold times. The emphasis in this text, though, is on the ants’ busy activity preparing their food. 30:26 2. The rock badgers are naturally feeble and defenseless, yet they have the wisdom to find protection in the rocks. (The rock badger, also known as the “hyrax,” is not to be confused with the common badger, which is quite a fighter.) Cleft rocks provide the best protection. The spiritual application is found in the hymn, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me.” 30:27 3. The locusts have no visible ruler, yet the order in which they advance is remarkable. 30:28 4. The spider, or lizard (NASB), is small, yet it succeeds in getting into king’s palaces. Its access to unlikely and important places is often duplicated by Christians today. God does not leave Himself without a witness, even in courts of royalty. 30:29-31 The final series has to do with four examples of stately, majestic, or graceful movement.
13. The lion, the king of beasts, is majestic and unruffled as it walks.
14. There is considerable uncertainty about the second example. It may be a strutting rooster (NIV), a warhorse (JND margin), or a greyhound. All these fit the description of lofty dignity, but perhaps the graceful greyhound is the best choice.
15. A ram or male goat is a picture of noble bearing as it strides at the head of a flock.
16. There is also some doubt about the fourth example, whether it should read “a king, against whom there is no rising up” (KJV), “a king striding before his people” (RSV), or “a king whose troops are with him” (NKJV). In any case, the point is clear that the king marches with regal dignity. 30:32, 33 The chapter closes with two verses that seem strangely unrelated to what has preceded. Williams paraphrases the verses: If feeble man in his folly has lifted up himself against God, or even indulged hard thoughts of Him, let him listen to the voice of wisdom and lay his hand upon his mouth; for otherwise there will be a result as surely as there is a result when milk is churned, the nose wrung, or anger excited.