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 or riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Wow - what a chapter! This is perhaps my favourite in the whole Book of Proverbs. At the start, Agur says that he is the most ignorant of men (v. 2), and then proceeds to detail some of the most insighful, evocative and witty words in the whole collection of wise sayings. Here we see again that humility is the beginning of wisdom.
Agur seeks life in the middle. With enough food to eat, but not enough to become bloated; a life of moderation. This is consistent with repeated admonitions in the Bible about wealth and poverty; neither are God's desire for humanity. Poverty is a curse, a distortion of God's economy that results from the sin of injustice and greed. Wealth is a danger, a snare that traps the unsuspecting in pride and ignorance.
Our life is created to be lived in dependence on God, and so we pray, 'Give us today Lord our daily bread.' In our affluent society much of life is centred around getting, protecting and growing our wealth. We never seem to have enough money, even when historically we enjoy lifestyles unrivalled. So many of us are never, ever satisfied. So Lord, Agur's prayer is my prayer - lead me into a life of moderation and daily dependence on you.
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