Proverbs 30

Proverbs 30

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Wisdom of Agur

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any man,

And do not have the understanding of a man.

3 I neither learned wisdom

Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?

Who has gathered the wind in His fists?

Who has bound the waters in a garment?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,

If you know?

5 Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6 Do not add to His words,

Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You

(Deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;

Give me neither poverty nor riches—

Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9 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.

10 Do not malign a servant to his master,

Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father,

And does not bless its mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,

Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!

And their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,

And whose fangs are like knives,

To devour the poor from off the earth,

And the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters—

Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,

Four never say, “Enough!”:

16 The grave,

The barren womb,

The earth that is not satisfied with water—

And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17 The eye that mocks his father,

And scorns obedience to his mother,

The ravens of the valley will pick it out,

And the young eagles will eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,

Yes, four which I do not understand:

19 The way of an eagle in the air,

The way of a serpent on a rock,

The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,

And the way of a man with a virgin.

20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:

She eats and wipes her mouth,

And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

21 For three things the earth is perturbed,

Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

22 For a servant when he reigns,

A fool when he is filled with food,

23 A hateful woman when she is married,

And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little on the earth,

But they are exceedingly wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong,

Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk,

Yet they make their homes in the crags;

27 The locusts have no king,

Yet they all advance in ranks;

28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,

And it is in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are majestic in pace,

Yes, four which are stately in walk:

30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts

And does not turn away from any;

31 A greyhound,

A male goat also,

And a king whose troops are with him.

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,

Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,

And wringing the nose produces blood,

So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

My Thoughts:

1. So let’s start with (v. 1) we read “The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
   1. Now we start the fifth section of Proverbs. So who is Agur? The author in chapter 30 is known as Agur of which we know nothing about other than what we read here. This includes the names Jakeh and Ucal. The name Ithiel is found in (Neh 11:7) as belonging to the descendant of Benjamin. There are some Jewish interpreters that believe that “Agur” was an Allegorical name for Solomon. While others do not believe that Solomon wrote these verses. I do not think they are written by Solomon because the tone is different and I do not get the same feeling from the writer.
2. In (v.5) we read “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him”
   1. The Hebrew word for “Word” is “imrah” and is not found in any other proverb, it does show up in (Psalms 119:140) maybe that is where the author got this thought from. But as it says the Lords words are pure and are never to be taken lightly. We need to study His words and write them in our hearts.
3. Let’s finish with (v. 8)we read “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me;”
   1. The Hebrew word here emptiness the thought of worthlessness and to me I read this verse saying that we need to as for moderation in our lives.

Thought of the Day

“Test all teaching by the truth of God’s Word”

Revelation. To some people, it’s more than just the name of the last book of the Bible. To some self-promoting preachers, revelation is something God personally gives to them. In most cases, however, what they say God has given them contradicts His teachings in the Bible.

Have you ever been exposed to those who claim to have had a special “revelation” or “word” from God? If so, be careful. Unless what a person proclaims as truth can be verified by the clear teaching of the Bible, it is personal opinion at best and heresy at worst—not divine revelation.

The Scriptures warn us not to add to nor take away from what God has revealed to us in His written Word. Deuteronomy 4:2 tells us, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it.” Similar warnings are found in Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, and Revelation 22:18. It is indeed a precarious position for a person to put himself in—claiming to add to God’s inspired Book.

If someone attempts to teach a doctrine not found in the Bible, beware—no matter how polished and well-known the person is. Test the teachers you hear by God’s Word. If they talk of receiving a revelation, make sure they aren’t violating God’s clear warnings. —Dave Branon  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

God’s Word must verify the truth

Of what is wrong and what is right,

And test what seems so real to me

Of feelings, sense, and sight. —D. De Haan

Personal Reflection and Discussion

1. What do you think about (v. 1) do you think Solomon wrote the chapter?
2. What other things do you see in the text?

Prayer Activities

1. Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
2. Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
3. Pray with them and ask for the following;
   1. For God to see our hearts and help us to be more like Him.
   2. For God help us to always be in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.
   3. For the individuals on your pray list.
4. Let’s use (Matthew 1:21) for today’s prayer verse.