October 4, 2000
Reading
“Give me only my
daily bread” ( 8)
These words of Agur (vs 1) are so full of wisdom that Solomon added them as an addendum to his own writings of wisdom. Agur did not see himself as a wise man, “I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom nor have I knowledge of the Holy One,” vss 2,3. When he contemplated Jehovah and the mighty things He has done Agur had the same response as everyone that draws close to God. When Isaiah saw in a vision the glory of God he said, “Woe to me! ... I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips,” Isaiah 6:5.
Agur requested only two things of the LORD, “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread,” vs 8.
The reason for Agur’s requests were very genuine and sincere. He was very concerned about his relationship with the LORD and wanted nothing to jeopardize it in any way. “Feed me with food convenient for me” – “Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become too poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God,” vs 9. Agur knew his heart very well and asked the LORD to keep him from these particular temptations.
Do these words remind you of the words of Jesus when the disciples asked how they were to pray? Jesus said, “Give us today our daily bread, ... And lead us not into temptation,” Matthew 6:11,13. Hundreds of years before Jesus spoke these words Agur prayed the same thing!
The KJV translates these words as “Feed me with food convenient for me.” In other words “LORD, you know my limitations, my boundaries, give me only those things that are needful for me. Do not give me too much or too little because I do not want to offend you or dishonor your name in any way. Lead me not into temptation.
Agur may not have considered himself a very wise man but his prayer to the LORD was far from ignorant. He knew God, he knew himself, and he did not want to face any temptation wherein he might cause his fellowship with the Almighty to be interrupted. Not a bad prayer, huh? To live a comfortable life without facing any real spiritual warfare would be the prayer of all of us. But, as we know, we have a very real enemy whose sole purpose in life is to cause us to do exactly what Agur did not want to do. God frequently allows us to face temptations because He knows that every victory won strengthens us for the future and causes us to depend on Him more.
The promise of God stands true,
“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up
under it,” 1 Corinthians
Agur, listen well, my ignorant friend (his own admission), God is faithful, and should poverty or riches ever come your way, He will be there for you and will always provide a way of escape so you will not dishonor His name.