He Must Reveal Himself
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up 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? Surely you know! Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar
Proverbs 30:1-6
This summer, I had the opportunity to teach a Bible Study for my church’s Young Adult group. Before the first session I made a decision. In years past we had taken prayer requests at the beginning of our time and prayed for them right before we began the study. This year, we took prayer requests as per the usual but instead of praying through them, I focused my prayers, both at the beginning and end of the study, on gratitude for the Bible. A small change, I know, but one that gripped my heart with a newfound appreciation for God’s Word.
If it is true that we don’t know what we have until its gone, then Proverbs 30 helps us to experience life without Scripture. The passage begins with a simple and profound truth: left to our own devices we cannot know God or be wise. Agur complains that he is weary and stupid. He feels that he cannot grasp true wisdom nor could he know God. He despairs that even with all the labor in the world, he falls short of truly knowing God.
In a generation of Christians so accustomed to the doctrine of biblical inspiration, Agur’s complaint is a wake-up call desperately needed and graciously sent by God. It is a pitfall to our joy in God if we cannot grasp the magnitude of one of His greatest gifts: His revelatory Word.
This passage reminds us that if God had not revealed Himself, we would never have found Him. The Bible is not a list of demands for us to obey, a guide to living one’s best life, or a mere history book without a point. It is the revelation of God’s character and deeds to a people who by themselves could not fathom even the slightest part of His glory!
As I prayed each week in gratitude for the Word, I was struck by how lost I would be without it. Many in this world criticize conservative Christianity for “elevating the Bible to a position equal to God” and yet the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself! It is the most precious material item I own because my God has spoken to me in it and revealed Himself through it! Accusations of deifying the Bible fall short in light of the Bible’s purpose. We do not worship the Bible, but the Bible reveals in extraordinary detail the God that we do worship!
With all that being said, it might call to your mind the subject of natural revelation. Paul talks about knowing God from nature and mankind being judged for ignoring this (Romans 1). Our passage does not contradict this but instead intensifies it. Agur asks “Who has gathered the winds in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?” In short, the created world points clearly to a superior being, a powerful and limitless Creator. However, it is the Word of God that teaches us about this Creator. One is a wonderful fact found through nature; the other is a glorious person known through the Word!
Speaking by the Spirit, Agur asks a final question:What is His name and what is His son’s name?” This is the final glorious fact foreseen in Proverbs 30. It is by the Scriptures that we know God’s name (Yahweh), a sign of a relationship and covenant and it is by the Scriptures that we know God’s Son who can bring us back into a perfect relationship with God and overthrow the bondage of sin!
Proverbs 30 responds to every one of its complaints. The Word of God is the relief for Agur’s weariness! It is true and a refuge and is not to be edited! Agur’s gratitude and care towards the Word should stir our hearts to greater gratitude that the transcendent and mighty God would reach out to us by revealing Himself. What a great gift!
