Welcome to our study of the last chapters of Proverbs. I hope I add a little wisdom to my life each day, and I pray the same for you. Today, we will conclude this incredible book by reading chapters 29-31.
A Nation’s Need for a Just King
As I prepared, I wished that Proverbs 29:4 had been in yesterday’s reading, as it captures the point I was driving toward about our need to accept Jesus as our King: “By justice, a king gives a country stability.” ¹ Our nation needs stability. We have been through turbulent times, and there has been more violence and protest in the last few years than I have seen since my childhood in the 1960s. Only the reign of a perfectly just king provides true, lasting stability for any nation or heart.
The Mysterious Voice of Agur
As I moved from chapter 29 to 30, my initial thought was to write about the servants mentioned in verses 19 and 21, but the descriptions didn’t align with the faithful servants I know. Instead, I felt drawn to the author of the next section, a man named Agur, son of Jakeh.
There is no firmly believed answer to who this man was. He is a genuine biblical mystery. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible notes one ancient theory suggesting Solomon himself, writing under a symbolic name, may be the man. Others believe an unknown sage, whose words were so profound they were preserved, was this man. Because the name “Agur” implies one who gathers or collects, some have even speculated it could refer to a great compiler like Ezra. He could have even been a non-Israelite “wise man,” as some translations refer to him as the “man of Massa,” a descendant of Ishmael.
If he was Solomon or a contemporary, these sayings would date to the 10th century BCE. However, later scribes, perhaps during King Hezekiah’s reign (8th-7th century BCE), might have compiled these sayings.
A Cry That Echoes Through Time
The reason I feel compelled to speak about this mysterious sage is because of the raw, vulnerable cry he utters starting his pronouncement. It is a passage that speaks directly to the soul:
I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? (Proverbs 30:1b-4, NIV)
In his weariness, Agur models a profound humility, admitting his own understanding is nothing before the majesty of God. He asks a series of questions that no human can answer, highlighting the infinite power of the Creator. And then he asks the most important question of all. When he asks for the name of God’s son, I see a clear signpost pointing us toward the Gospel. He is speaking of Jesus, the very Word who was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-3). Agur, centuries before Christ’s birth, understood that God was not alone.
I am weary. Not from writing these devotionals for over one hundred ninety days, but because my search for a new job is wearing on me. Finding a job can sometimes be harder than doing the job itself. But, I am refreshed daily by the time I spend in the Word and by forcing myself to stop all activities in my life to research and write this for you. Without you all out there reading it, I might grind myself further down.
Therefore, as we close this twentieth book of the Bible, I would like to thank you. We are about to get into some of my favorite writings—the Prophets! But first, we have two more beautiful books of wisdom and poetry to contemplate together.
Tomorrow, we will read Ecclesiastes 1-4.
Footnotes
¹ All biblical citations are from the New International Version (NIV). ² John Gill, An Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746-1763), s.v. “Proverbs 30:1,” accessed via a variety of online archives. Gill compiles traditional Jewish and Christian interpretations, including the view of Agur as Solomon from the Midrash.