Classic KJV - Proverbs 30:7

Primer on Prayer

The Book of Proverbs doesn’t say much about prayer, but it does assert one essential fact: “He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination,” Proverbs 28:9. This is a forceful warning: the person who stops his ears from listening is ignoring both what’s spoken and the speaker. The law is read to him, but he makes no effort to grasp it. He’s content hearing background noise. Yet, if he ignores God speaking to him, God will ignore him. It's simple. If we disdain God’s law (like the Ten Commandments), God will disdain our prayers.

Conversely, the more we respect the Bible, the more God respects our prayers. If we want God to listen to our words, we must listen to His. This is exactly what George Mueller of Bristol, England, widely acknowledged expert in prayer, advised on effective praying.

Mueller takes us step-by-step:

‘First, read the Bible carefully and thoughtfully. Then you will learn mor and more about God’s character—how kind, loving, merciful, wise and faithful He is. Then when difficulties come, you will be able to rest on God’s ability and willingness to help you.

‘Second,’ said Muller, ‘try to keep your conscience clear. Don’t make a habit of doing those things which are displeasing to God. Otherwise when your faith is tested, you will have no confidence in God because of your guilty conscience.

‘Third, don’t try to avoid situations where your faith might be tested. Naturally we don’t like trusting in God alone but it is when we do this that our faith is strengthened.

‘Finally, remember that God will not test you more than you are able to bear. Be patient, and He will prove to you how willing He is to help and deliver, the moment it is good for you.’

- Heroes of the Cross: George Muller by Roger Steer¹

Who is Praying?

So, the first question with this unique, prayerful proverb is, who’s doing the praying?

Proverbs chapter 30 was written, not by Solomon, but by Agur. Who? The Hebrew word means “collector,” therefore a “gatherer” of wise counsel. Some scholars believe this was just an alias for Solomon, but I doubt it. Solomon had incredible wealth; he may have been the wealthiest man in the entire Middle East. So it would be a little late for him to pray to avoid riches. But, no matter; whoever Agur was, he prayed a divinely-inspired prayer for wisdom in money matters.

When to Pray?

Note: when Agur says, “Do not refuse me before I die,” he wants “the two things” here and now, while he’s still alive. As Adam Clarke commented, “He wishes the answer now, that he may live the rest of his life in the state he describes.” Gill expresses the same notion: Agur is not on his deathbed, nor does he want his petition fulfilled just any time before then. This is an urgent cry for an immediate response. We need these blessings, protection from dishonesty and confidence in our livelihood, immediately—God willing—so we can live the rest of our lives in trust and gratitude. The grave is too late. We need God’s provision while we’re living!

How to Pray? Pray Smart

We all want to avoid poverty, but this proverb says there are two more treasures we should be seeking. They’re not what you might expect. The wise don’t request abundant assets, but abundant life. Abundant life is interwoven in constant companionship with the invisible God. Agur clearly asks for just two things and describes each:

1. Keep me honest. Keep deception and lies far from me.
2. Give me a moderate or dependable livelihood, neither pompous riches nor resentful poverty.

Abundant life begins with integrity, not prosperity. This is a strange message in our materialistic culture, and yet we really know in our hearts that worshipping wealth will cripple us.

Translation: deception and lies

The Hebrew word for “deception,” שוא (šāweʼ, pronounced “shăv”), aappears fifty-two times in the Bible, first where we’re commanded, “Do not take the Name of the LORD, our God, in vain” Exodus 20:7. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament suggests the primary meaning is “emptiness” or “vanity,” something unsubstantial, illusory, and worthless, whether materially or morally. The word can be used for bare-faced lies, for example, at Deuteronomy 5:20: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.” But it’s used most often in the sense of “emptiness.” So “vanity” (KJV) or “emptiness” (rather than “deception”) may be a better rendering of šāweʼ, I think, especially given what comes next.

The dishonesty issue is addressed by the very next word, כּזב (kā•zāḇ, pronounced “kah-zahv”), which clearly means “lie” or “deception.” We should assume that wise Agur wants to avoid an empty redundancy in the text—“dishonesty....dishonesty” (as both the NASB and ESV have it), by using two words expressing the same idea. So it makes sense that each of these dangers, the “two things,” are both “two-sided,” the risk to truth being both “emptiness” and lying, in the same way that his concern for his livelihood wants to avoid both riches and poverty.

Deception and Futility

I think the distinction between empty vanity and active lying, captured by the classic KJV, is an important one, especially in an age when we sometimes avoid blatant dishonesty, but promote falsehood with beautiful packaging, “empty” masks or warnings unspoken. In the first part of his prayer Agur is requesting protection from:

• Deceitful packaging, smoke in mirrors, fuzzy numbers, fog, spin, fine print, and lack of clarity—any instance of “nothing” disguised as “something.”
• And then, deliberate dishonesty, lies and deceit.

Prayer Part Two: Asset Optimization

When it comes to asset management, it’s best to optimize, rather than maximize. Having too many assets can be just as bad as having too few. The optimal amount is best. Everyone knows that shortages cause trouble, but surpluses bring trouble of a different kind. The Japanese auto industry promoted just-in-time supply-chain management, because they knew that excess inventory is a waste of resources.

A Different Prize

Agur is more invested in his relationship with God, the LORD, than in his resources. His spiritual affairs take precedence over his financial affairs. He loves God more than he loves money. He knows that too much money can be just as dangerous as too little. It’s risky, like gasoline, powering motors in controlled amounts, but explosive, if uncontained. Agur is humble; he does not want to offend God or lose His favour, and this means he has a healthy attitude toward money, treating it like his d-o-g, rather than his g-o-d.

Gimme Food

The issues with our livelihood start with our foodstuffs, and then creep into every other material need. The often ignored question is, “How much is enough?” How much is enough food, clothing, housing, transportation, recreation? What’s my portion? Who decides what goes into it?

Translation: my portion

The Hebrew word for “portion,” חק (ḥōq, pronounced “khōq”), is derived from the legal term for to an authorized allotment or prescribed amount. It appears in 124 Bible verses, first at Genesis 47:22, when the Pharaoh of Egypt gave an allotment (ḥōq) of food to his priests during the Seven Years of Famine. It usually it refers to a statute or decree engraved in stone, like hereditary boundary markers, then by extension, to the appropriate share of a physical good. So it’s used it to denote Job’s “necessary food” or “prescribed portion” Job 23:12.

In Proverbs 31:15, a wise wife and mother gives their “portion” to her servants, whether of food or of work, but always an amount carefully considered. We find the same word in Ezekiel 16:27, when the LORD reduces the “ration” of food to the inhabitants of Jerusalem because of their distrust and faithlessness toward Him.

Will That be Food or Faith?

Sometimes God calls the people of Israel His sheep, which sounds all very comforting, until we remember that sheep are really, really stupid. He goes further, saying that Israel’s faith fades when their stomachs are full. “As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot me” Hosea 13:6. That’s pathetic! Jesus Christ told the crowds that followed Him, “You follow me, just because I gave you plenty of free bread” John 6:26. How ignoble! How like all of us! We humans are more stomach-driven than we care to admit, and our greediness at the dinner table carries over into the rest of life.

Carefully Controlled Diets

I know an elderly woman who suffered a paralyzing stroke. She’s fully conscious and able to move one arm, but unable to speak. She cannot swallow, so she needs to be tube-fed with a directly into her stomach. Her diet is a carefully calculated blend of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and water, so she stays as healthy as possible, though totally bedridden. So she’s definitely not finding her “reason for living” in her cuisine.

Optimal Nutrition

Olympic athletes, training intensely, have very strict diets, as carefully controlled as the patients in intensive care. But sadly, most of us are completely undisciplined, so constant “feasting” becomes our daily norm. Then, ironically, we’re no longer able really to feast, genuinely, when an occasion like Christmas or a wedding demands. We all must learn to optimize our diets. Bad habits make us our own worst enemies. Wouldn’t it be great to have a savvy dietitian, always nudging us with a perfect nutrient mix, so we always operate at peak efficiency? That’s what Agur is asking of God, and that’s what God gives to those who ask.

Rationing Manna

God used “feasting and fasting,” when he fed his people of Israel with “manna from heaven,” in their long migration from Egypt to the Promised Land (Exodus 16:1-36). But their feasting was always just optimal. When they tried to stockpile their daily rations, God ensured that they had “only just enough” (Exodus 16:17-18), perhaps adding some or taking some from each family. Each got just the right amount. More is not better, and most is not best! As the saying goes, “God always gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him.”

Translation: full

We might ask, “What’s wrong with being full?” The Hebrew word for “full,” שבע (śā•ḇăʽ, pronounced “sah-ḇăh”), usually denotes satisfaction from physical nourishment. First in Exodus 16:8, it describes God providing bread and then meat to the Israelites escaping from Egypt, satisfying their need for food. Yet this proverb implies an inverse relationship between a full stomach and personal trust in God. A full stomach dulls our conversation with God? Can it be that simple?

Does a full stomach bring thankfulness, or encourage self-centered independence? When fully satisfied, do we say to God, Thank you? Or goodbye? Someone once said, “Empty stomachs have no ears,” but it seems stuffed bellies need hearing aids. Agur knew his own tendency to ignore God, whenever he felt fully satisfied. Ignoring our dependency on God is a natural human tendency, at least since the first Adam. The second Adam does not have this problem.

Who is the LORD?

What’s wrong with denying the LORD? As this proverb says, the LORD is also God. When we see the word “Lord” in uppercase, as “LORD,” it utters the personal name of God the Almighty. This proper name appears first at Exodus 3:13-15, where it translates as, “I AM WHO I AM,” comprised of the Hebrew equivalent of the letters YHWH. For many years, YHWH has been transliterated, “Yahweh,” or translated, “Jehovah.” Refer to Proverbs 19:17 to learn more.

Here’s the point: The LORD is the name of a person, not a force or a cosmic principle. So, to deny the LORD is to deny and offend a person—the most important person in (and beyond) the universe. Deny Him at your peril. Agur wanted never to deny God, but more, he wanted to avoid insulting Him.

Insulting God

Celebrating someone as your superior and benefactor, but then launching into lawless and degrading behaviour (like theft) insults him. Theft is one form of dishonesty, but so also are lying, false advertising, or “bait-and-switch.” So Agur asks for just enough of everything, so he’ll never be tempted to “cut corners” morally, so he’ll never be tempted to “profane the name of the LORD.” Profaning the name of the LORD God brings Him into public dishonor.

People accept bribes more easily if their income is marginal. In poorer countries, policemen and government clerks are paid very low wages, so many accept bribes to supplement their income. Scarcity indirectly encourages dishonesty. Adequate pay keeps a person from excessive temptation. Note that the text begins and ends with the same theme: Honesty.

The optimal amount of wealth does not maximizes our assets, but our relationship with God. Praying smart, optimizing our wealth, and maximizing our relationship with God Almighty is our financial sweet spot.

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

Jesus warned His followers that riches easily impair their ability to trust in Him. In itself, wealth is not evil; otherwise it would not be given to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as seen in Revelation 5:12. The trouble starts when wealth is pursued as a primary life goal.

Jesus taught His followers how to pray at Luke 11:1-3. He counselled us to ask simply for our “daily bread,” not sirloin for the next twelve months. Why didn’t Jesus tell us to ask for more? And why just “bread?” This proverb gives us the answer: excess leads to an independent spirit, and an independent spirit is fatal! How? Turning away from the source of life is always deadly!

Pray smart: choose life, not wealth.

¹Roger Steer, Heroes of the Cross: George Muller (Basingstoke: Marshall Morgan & Scott, 1984), 94.