Living Within Boundaries

God, we come to you this evening recognizing that you oppose the proud but give grace to the humble.

Just as water flows down to the lowest valleys, the water of your grace flows down to those who have lowered themselves,

those who have humbled themselves before you.

And Lord, that is exactly what we hope to do this evening as we come to this chapter in Proverbs which speaks of our need to live humbly before you.

We pray that you'd shape us in that way, that you'd speak to us and impress the truth and the goodness of your word to us deeply this evening.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs chapter 30 verses 1 to 33.

Proverbs 30 · chapter mention

The words of Agur, son of Jacke.

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 act to his words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Two things I ask of you.

Deny them not to me before I die.

Remove far from me falsehood and lying.

Give me neither poverty nor riches.

Feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you and say,

Who is the Lord?

Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Do not slander a servant to his master,

lest he curse you and you be held guilty.

There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

There are those who are clean in their own eyes,

but are not washed of their filth.

There are those, how lofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift.

There are those whose teeth are swords,

whose fangs are knives,

to devour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind.

The leech has two daughters,

give and give.

Three things are never satisfied,

four never say enough.

Sheol, the barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says enough.

The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother

will be picked out by the ravens of the valley

and eaten by the vultures.

Three things are too wonderful for me,

four I do not understand,

the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a serpent on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a virgin.

This is the way of an adulteress.

She eats and wipes her mouth and says,

I have done no wrong.

Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot bear up.

A slave when he becomes king,

and a fool when he is filled with food.

An unloved woman when she gets a husband,

and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

Four things on earth are small,

but they are exceedingly wise.

The ants are a people not strong,

yet they provide their food in the summer.

The rock badgers are a people not mighty,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs.

The locusts have no king,

yet all of them march in rank.

The lizard you can take in your hands,

yet it is in king's palaces.

Three things are stately in their tread,

four are stately in their stride.

The lion which is mightiest among beasts

and does not turn back before any.

The strutting rooster,

the he-goat,

and a king whose army is with him.

If you have been foolish,

exalting yourself,

or if you have been devising evil,

put your hand on your mouth.

For pressing milk produces curds,

and pressing the nose produces blood,

and pressing anger produces strife.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

In his book, G.K. Chesterton,

in his book, Orthodoxy,

writes about the paradoxical aspect of Christianity,

where he says,

the more I considered Christianity,

the more I found that while I had established

a rule and order,

the chief aim of that order

was to give room for good things to run wild.

Imagine that you're driving up a mountain road,

and that road has no guardrails

to keep you from driving off the cliff.

Would that make you drive more freely,

since there's nothing restricting you?

Or would that make you drive more timidly,

because there's nothing to protect you?

Likewise, God imposes

a certain order on the universe.

He imposes a certain rule on his people,

but this is for our good.

It's for his glory,

and that's where true freedom

is found for good things to roam wild.

And Proverbs 30 is all about that.

It teaches us that those who follow

the humble king

ought to live humbly within

our God-given boundaries.

First, we see the God-given boundaries of Scripture

in verses 1 to 9,

and then we see the God-given boundaries

in society in verses 10 to 33.

Verse 1 tells us that

we're in a new section, as I mentioned.

It says,

the words of Agard, son of Jacay,

and he designates this an oracle,

which means divinely inspired speech.

Like Solomon, who earlier in chapter 2

claimed that knowledge and understanding

that he is teaching,

he's imparting to us in the book of Proverbs,

are from the Lord's mouth,

Agard claims divine inspiration.

He is consciously writing

with the sense, the awareness,

that God himself is speaking through him.

And notice that he doesn't defend

that claim in any way.

He doesn't appeal to any other external authority

to say, well, you know that this is God's word

because it's consistent with such and such philosophy

or such and such ethical framework.

He doesn't defend the authority of the oracle.

He simply asserts it.

Scripture often does this.

The apostles often do this.

In 1 Thessalonians 2, 13, Paul says,

we also thank God constantly for this,

that when you received the word of God

which you heard from us,

you accepted it not as the word of men,

but as what it really is,

the word of God,

which is at work in you believers.

But again, Paul gives no proof.

This is because Scripture is ultimately

self-authenticating.

It is self-attesting

because it is the final and ultimate authority.

It appeals to no other authority.

In Hebrews 6, 13, it says that

since God had no one greater

by whom he might swear,

he swore by himself.

When you're a student writing a paper,

you need to cite sources.

You need to appeal to other authorities

to prove your point

because you have no authority.

But if you are the leading scholar

on the subject,

if you are the authority

on the subject,

you don't cite other sources.

You just speak

because you are the authority.

That's what Scripture is like.

It doesn't appeal to others' authority.

It is God's word

and therefore needs

no other verification.

We don't believe Scripture

because it is consistent

with popular opinion.

We don't believe Scripture

because it is consistent

with even expert opinion.

Whatever the domain

of that expert might be,

we believe in God's word

because God spoke it.

And how do we know

that God spoke it?

Jesus, the incarnate word of God,

says this in John 10, 2-3,

The sheep hear the shepherd's voice

and he calls his own sheep by name

and leads them out.

The sheep follow him

for they know his voice.

Those who belong to God

recognize his voice.

This is why we say

that Scripture is self-authenticating

or self-attesting.

And that self-authenticating authority

is behind the word oracle.

This is what God says to us.

So let's listen to what he has to say.

The man declares,

I am weary, O God.

I am weary, O God,

and worn out.

What is Agur weary from?

We see the answer

in verses 2-4.

He seems to be exasperated

by people who claim

to have wisdom and understanding

apart from God's gracious revelation.

People who claim understanding

and wisdom

when they actually have

nothing of the sort.

He says sarcastically,

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 the garment,

who has established

all the ends of the earth.

What is his name

and what is his son's name?

Surely you know.

Many people in the world

claim to be wise.

They set themselves up

as gurus and coaches

that can guide us

through life.

They act like they know

everything there is to know

about God

and this world.

But if they are right,

then Agur must surely be a fool.

Someone too stupid

to be a man

because he doesn't have

the kind of knowledge

that they claim to have.

He certainly doesn't share

their presumption and pride.

The words understanding

and wisdom

in verses 2 to 3

are parallel to

the knowledge

of the Holy One

which reminds us once again

of the thesis

of the book of Proverbs

that the fear of the Lord

is the beginning of knowledge.

True wisdom begins

with the personal relationship

with God.

Without knowing Him,

we cannot attain wisdom.

You might be a very skilled

violinist in the orchestra,

but if you are not

synced to the conductor,

you are not going to play music

that fits with the rest

of the orchestra.

Similarly, human beings

who have not submitted

themselves to

and aligned themselves

with God's vision

and God's order

are not going to attain wisdom,

which is the skill

for living in proper relationship

with God and with man.

Sinful human beings

who are impaired,

who have impaired discernment

cannot arrive

at God's cohesive vision

for all of creation.

And when they try to,

they despair,

they fail,

and they resign themselves

to relativism.

That's why we must begin

with the fear of the Lord

for the knowledge

of the Holy One

is wisdom

and understanding.

And knowing this,

Agar asks a series

of rhetorical questions

in verse 4,

who has ascended

to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered

the wind in his fists?

Who has wrapped up

the waters in the garment?

Who has established

all the ends of the earth?

The interrogative pronoun

who,

which is repeated here,

once again emphasizes

the personal dimension

of wisdom?

It's not an abstract principle

of what,

but a who.

The outer two questions

mention the heaven and earth,

and then the inner two questions,

the rhetorical question,

mention the wind

and the waters,

two elements that make up

the stormy sea,

which for the people

in the ancient world

represented the most

uncontrollable part

of creation,

of nature.

And yet God holds

the wind in his fists,

and he wraps up

the waters as in a garment.

And these pairs together,

the two pairs,

of heaven and earth

and water and wind,

together allude

to God's complete knowledge

and control

over creation,

the sky,

earth,

and sea.

And so then,

the answer that

these rhetorical questions

anticipate is this,

the Lord,

who has done this?

The Lord alone

ascended to heaven.

The Lord alone

established the earth.

The Lord alone

gathered the winds

and wrapped up the waters.

This is reminiscent

of Job 28,

12 to 20,

which also speaks

of God alone

being the source of wisdom

because he alone

was there

at the beginning

of creation.

So people then

who presumptuously

claim to have

knowledge and wisdom

apart from God,

Agar is contending,

are deluded

because there is

only one fount

of wisdom,

that is God himself.

And at the end

of this forceful line

of questioning,

the pretenders of wisdom

can't help but

be reduced to silence

because we were not there

when God established

the earth.

We have not ascended

to the heavens.

We were not there

when God rolled back

the seas

and tamed the wind.

The pretenders of wisdom

are humiliated

and reduced to silence.

And then verse 4

ends with the final

two rhetorical questions.

What is his name?

And what is his son's name?

There's a pivotal section

in the Old Testament

where this exact question

is asked.

What is his name?

And that's Exodus chapter 3

Exodus 3:13–15

verses 13 to 15

where God reveals himself

to Moses.

And when Moses asks God,

what should I tell

your people

when I go to Egypt

to deliver them

in your name?

And they ask me,

what is his name?

And God says,

I am who I am.

Say this to the people

of Israel,

I am has sent me to you.

The Lord,

Yehovah,

the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob

has sent me to you.

And then in the following chapter,

Exodus chapter 4,

Exodus 4 · chapter mention

God instructs Moses

to tell Pharaoh this,

Thus says the Lord,

Israel is my firstborn son.

And I say to you,

let my son go

that he may serve me.

If you refuse to let him go,

behold,

I will kill your firstborn son.

The answer to the final

rhetorical question,

what is his name,

is the Lord.

And the answer to the question,

what is his son's name,

is Israel.

God's chosen people.

In other words,

God is the only fount of wisdom,

and only those who are chosen by God

and taught by him

receive his wisdom.

Divine wisdom is not something

we attain through our own striving,

through our own intelligence

and diligence.

Rather, it's something

that we receive from God freely,

something that God reveals to us,

something that God has sole

proprietary rights to,

that he shares with

whomever he pleases.

And this reality demands

humility before the word of God.

That's what verses 5 to 6 are about.

It's only through what God

reveals to us

that we come to know

his wisdom.

Every word of God

proves true,

it says.

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.

This is a quotation

of a line from the victory song

that David used to celebrate

after God delivers him

from his enemies

in 2 Samuel 22,

2 Samuel 22:31

verse 31,

and Psalm 1830.

It means that those

who take refuge in God,

those who stake their lives

on the word of God,

will be delivered.

They will not be disappointed.

But those who add to his words

will be rebuked

and found a liar.

Because we are not the authors,

because we are not the editors

of God's word,

we're only readers,

only hearers,

only recipients.

We have no right to add

or subtract from his words.

So then,

we have to ask ourselves

the question,

do you live

with the God-given boundaries

of Scripture?

Or are you always trespassing?

Pushing the envelope,

fudging the lines.

To those who trust in his word,

God is refuge,

that shields him,

but those who forsake his word

will be left exposed

and vulnerable.

The expression,

proves true,

is a metaphor from metallurgy,

referring to some precious metal

being refined in the furnace.

If what's inside the furnace

is truly a precious metal,

it will withstand the heat

and remain till the end.

It will prove true.

Similarly,

every word of God

proves true.

Brothers and sisters,

do you believe that?

That there is not

a drop

of dross

in this word.

That every word

of God

proves true.

As Jesus said

in Matthew 5.18,

until heaven and earth

pass away,

not an iota,

not a dot

will pass from the law

until all is accomplished.

It's all gold in here.

It will all stand

the test of time.

Do you believe that?

If you bank

your life

on the word of God,

your check

will never bounce.

If you believe

God's word,

every word he says,

not a single word

of it

will fall to the ground.

If we only believe this

with our whole heart,

we would experience

so much more joy.

so much more

of fulfillment

of his promises

as we believe

and take hold

of what he has

in store for us.

If you have

an unwavering trust

in God's word,

you have solid ground

to stand upon,

but if you don't,

you'll be tossed

to and fro

by the waves

and carried about

by every wind

of doctrine,

by human cunning,

by craftiness

in deceitful schemes.

And so it is

we need to live

humbly within

our God-given boundaries.

In light of this reality,

Agur brings

this first subsection

to a close

by making two requests

of God.

These are the only prayers

in the book of Proverbs.

Verses 7 and 9,

Two things I ask of you.

Deny them not to me

before I die.

Remove far from me

falsehood and lying

and give me

neither poverty

nor riches.

Feed me with the food

that is needful for me,

lest I be full

and deny you

and say,

Who is the Lord?

Or lest I be poor

and steal

and profane

the name of my God.

First,

because he knows

that God

is the sole proprietor

of wisdom

and that every word

of God proves true,

he asks God

to remove far from him

falsehood and lying.

He wants to tell

the whole truth

of God's word

and nothing

but the truth.

He wants to be

a pure conduit

of God's word

without adding

or subtracting

from it

because he doesn't

want to be rebuked

and be found a liar.

And then second,

he prays for moderation.

Give me neither poverty

nor riches.

Feed me with the food

that is needful for me.

And he gives the reason

for that prayer

in verse 9,

Lest I be full

and deny you

or lest I be poor

and steal

and profane

the name of my God.

it's possible

for us

to romanticize poverty

out of a false humility

and spiritual bravado.

God, make me poor.

Send me to the hardest

parts of the world

so I can be more

sold out for you.

And it's possible

to idolize wealth

out of a hidden worldliness

saying,

God, make me rich

so I can do more for you.

So I can donate millions

of dollars

toward kingdom causes.

So that I can do

bigger things for you.

Both of these extremes

reveal a level

of self-centered pride.

If poverty

and suffering

are the lot

that God intends

for us,

then they will come

and God will sustain

us through them.

But there's no need

for us to seek

them out

because it will

tempt us

to steal

and profane

the name of God.

Similarly,

if prosperity

is the lot

that God has

for us,

then wealth

will come.

without us

desiring

to be rich.

In fact,

we shouldn't

desire to be rich

lest we be full

and deny God.

It's similar

to the Lord's prayer,

isn't it?

Jesus doesn't teach us

to pray

lead us

into the severest

temptations

so that we might

triumph over them.

Jesus teaches us

to pray

lead us

not

into temptation.

Agar's prayer

is a humble

prayer that

doesn't

overestimate

his own

willpower,

his own

ability to be

faithful to God.

He would

rather not be

tempted

lest he fail

and bring

dishonor to God.

He doesn't

seek the glory

of being a man

who is faithful

to God

under the most

difficult circumstances.

He doesn't

seek the glory

of riches

and the respect

and admiration

that that brings.

He simply

seeks the glory

of God.

God,

I just want

to be faithful

to you.

I don't need

to do anything

big.

I just want

to make sure

I don't

dishonor you

in any aspect

of my life.

I just want

to be faithful

to you,

Lord.

That's

Agar's

humble prayer.

A life

of moderation,

a life

of contentment,

a life

lived within

God-given

boundaries.

He's not

interested in

being

extraordinary,

just a

faithful,

ordinary

follower of

God.

Christian author

Michael Horton

puts it this

way in his

book that's

entitled

Ordinary,

Sustainable

Faith in a

Radical,

Restless

World.

Quote,

Facing

another day

with ordinary

callings to

ordinary people

all around us

is much

more difficult

than chasing

my own dreams

that I have

envisioned for

the grand

story of my

life.

Sometimes,

chasing your

dreams can be

easier than

just being

who we are,

where God

has placed

you with

the gifts

he has

given to

you.

Though

agar uses

food as

the main

category,

it stands

in general

for all

the circumstances

in our

lives.

We can

apply this

across the

board.

God,

give me

not too

much power

lest I

abuse it

and dishonor

you,

nor give me

so little

lest I be

abused by

others and

despise you.

God,

make me

not so

successful

that I

forget you,

nor make

me such

a failure

that I

blame you.

We are

to seek

contentment

and moderation

in our

lives for

the sake

of God's

glory,

and not

to satisfy

our ego.

love.

After

exhorting

us to

live within

the God-given

boundaries,

scripture

agar teaches

us to

live humbly

within the

God-given

boundaries in

society as

well in

verses 10

to 33.

Using

various

examples from

nature,

he warns

us not to

transgress

God-instituted

boundaries in

society.

First,

he addresses

insolent

people of

verses 10

to 14.

So,

verse 10

has in

view someone

who seeks

to subvert

the employer-employee

relation.

Do not

slander a

servant to

his master,

lest he

curse you

and you

be held

guilty.

The servant's

livelihood depends

on the

pleasure of

his master.

So,

to spread

malicious

lies about

the servant,

particularly to

his master,

is a grave

violation of

societal order.

And if the

aggrieved servant

then curses

you because

he has no

other resort,

then God

will uphold

his well-based

curse and

hold you

accountable.

This verse

that introduces

11 to 14,

which are

united by the

initial phrase,

there are

those.

Verse 11

has in

view the

family order.

There are

those who

curse their

fathers and

do not

bless their

mothers.

Children

ought to

bless their

fathers and

mothers who

gave birth to

them.

And to

rear them

and to

curse them

instead is a

grave transgression

of societal

order.

And then

verses 12 to

13 get

underneath these

transgressors'

behavior to

their hard

attitude.

It says,

there are

those who

are clean

in their

own eyes but

are not

washed of

their filth.

There are

those,

how lofty

are their

eyes,

how high

their eyelids

lift.

They are

insolent.

Their eyes

are full of

filth,

literally

excrements.

And yet

instead of

lowering their

eyes in

shame,

in humiliation,

in repentance,

their eyes

are haughty.

They lift

high their

eyelids.

They have

too high a

view of

themselves.

They exalt

themselves over

and above the

commands of

God.

And precisely

because they

think that they

are better than

others, they

use other

people for

selfish gain.

Verse 14

tells us that

there are

those whose

teeth are

swords, whose

fangs are

knives to

devour the

poor from

off the

earth, the

needy from

among mankind.

They exploit

the needy and

rob them of

what little

they had so

that they are

wiped off the

earth.

Instead of

being compassionate

toward the

poor, generous

toward the

most needy

members of

society, these

insolent people

impoverish the

poor further to

enrich themselves.

And these

are all

examples of

the insolent

who transgress

God-given

boundaries in

society.

Instead, we

are to live

humbly within

those boundaries.

Dan Agar

warns us about

the insatiable

things, the

insatiable people

in verses 15

to 17.

Verse 15

begins with

an example

from nature.

The leech

has two

daughters, give

and give.

The leech, as

you know, is a

parasitic worm

that has two

sucking organs.

It uses one

to attach

itself securely

to its host.

It uses the

other to suck

blood.

It's like the

definition of a

parasite.

And the

leech has two

daughters and

an identical

twin, give

and give.

It's an apt

illustration of

greedy, insatiable

people.

They are never

satisfied.

They keep

saying give

and give.

They keep

sucking other

people's resources

stealing from

others, taking

advantage of

others.

They live in a

parasitic lifestyle.

Instead of adding

value to society,

they suck life and

value out of it

and drain others'

resources.

These two are

examples of people

who are transgressing

God-given boundaries

in society.

this class of people

are further

illustrated in

verses 15 to

16.

Three things are

never satisfied,

four never say

enough.

The use of

ascending numbers

going from the

leech who has two

daughters to the

three things that

are never satisfied

and to the four

that never say

enough is a

poetic device.

It's a rhetorical

device that seeks to

escalate, kind of

raise the stakes in

order to emphasize a

point that these

things really are

never satisfied.

And what are those

four things?

Sheol, the barren

womb, the land

that never satisfied,

there's never

satisfied with water,

and the fire that

never says enough.

The Sheol, the

realm of the dead,

is never satisfied

even though

approximately 150,000

people die in the

world every single

day.

The barren womb

is never satisfied.

It never produces

offspring no matter

how much seed it

takes in.

The land that must

continually drink more

water is never

satisfied.

Unless it's

continually given

water, it will not

produce crops.

And finally, fire that

spreads and consumes

everything in its

path never says

enough.

These vivid

illustrations all serve

to warn us against

greedy, insatiable

people.

Greedy people

transgress God-given

boundaries in society

because their appetites

are never satisfied.

If you are driven

by lust, don't

delude yourself into

thinking that looking

at one more picture,

watching one more

video clip,

visiting the brothel

one more time,

or having an

affair one more

time will satisfy.

It will never

satisfy.

If you are driven

by a gluttonous

appetite, don't

delude yourself into

thinking that eating

one more cookie,

or drinking one

more pint of beer,

taking one more

puff of marijuana,

or eating one more

piece of meat will

satisfy you because it

will never satisfy

your appetite.

if you are driven

by a desire for

fame and esteem,

don't delude yourself

into thinking that

one more like,

or one more retweet,

or one more viral

video will satisfy

you.

It will never

satisfy you.

If you are driven

by a worldly pursuit

of outward beauty,

don't think getting

a little more

jewelry, a little

more clothes,

losing a few more

pounds will satisfy

you because it will

never satisfy you.

If you are driven

by greed, don't

think that a little

more money will

satisfy you.

It will never

satisfy you.

This is the very

nature of lust,

very nature of greed.

These things are

never satisfied.

Instead, we should

be content and live

humbly within our

God-given boundaries.

But there's something

else that these verses

are saying also.

Notice that the

illustrations complement

each other.

Shield, the realm

of the dead,

contrasted with the

womb, incubator of

life.

Land that needs

water, contrasted

with fire.

This adds another

layer of poetic

meaning.

Agar seems to be

suggesting that the

cycle of life, the

push and pull of

life, life and death,

rains and fires,

will continue as long

as we live.

It is no use trying

to escape this

reality.

Instead, we should

humbly learn to live

with whatever lot

God gives us.

after these illustrations,

verse 17, which

matches verse 11,

caps off the

subsection and

brings together the

insulin and the

insatiable in one

proverb.

The eye that mocks a

father and scorns to

obey a mother will be

picked out by the

ravens of the valley and

eaten by the vultures.

The haughty eye,

right, mentioned earlier

in verses 12 and 13,

occur again here in

verse 17.

Those who are

insolent and transgressed

societal order will be

picked off by the

insatiable people,

represented by the

ravens and vultures,

which are both

scavenging birds and

therefore apt pictures

of the greedy,

parasitic people.

And then in verses

18 to 20, Agar turns

his attention to the

incomprehensible things.

He says in verses 18

to 19, three things are

too wonderful for me.

For I do not

understand the way of

an eagle in the sky,

the way of a serpent

on a rock, the way of

a ship on the high

seas, and the way of a

man with a virgin.

The way an eagle, the

heaviest bird found in

Israel, the way it

defies gravity and

flies with its majestic

seven-feet wingspan,

soaring effortlessly in

the sky.

The way a serpent,

the way it has no hands

or feet to grab hold

of anything, glides

smoothly and climbs

steep rocks.

The way a ship,

floating on the high

seas, undulates with

the rising tide, rising

and falling with the

waves, without capsizing.

The way a man moves

in concert with the

virgin during intercourse.

These four things,

Agar says, are beyond

his comprehension.

There's something so

graceful and breathtaking

about these things found

in nature.

The way they move in

accordance with God's

order in creation.

But all of these

wonderful examples serve

to highlight this jarring

contrast in verse 20.

This is the way of an

adulteress.

She eats and wipes her

mouth and says, I have

done no wrong.

The word way, which

was repeated four times

in verse 19, is

repeated here again

in verse 20.

But this way is not

the beautiful, graceful

way that's in

accordance with God's

created order.

Rather, it's the

forbidden, twisted

way.

The virgin symbol of

sexual purity is

contrasted with the

adulteress.

Instead of following

the God-ordained

ways of nature,

instead of keeping

within the God-given

boundaries, the

adulteress transgresses

these boundaries and

subverts the God-ordained

way.

She, along with the

man who is foolish

enough to sleep with

her, do violence to

the social order,

destroying marriages,

families, societies.

And yet, afterward,

the adulteress eats and

wipes her mouth.

It's no big deal to her,

just like eating food.

Eats and wipes her

mouth and says, I've

done no wrong.

It was consensual.

What's wrong with that?

It's not my fault that

his wife doesn't

satisfy him.

The adulteress has a

seared conscience and

does not take ownership

of the grave harm that

she has done.

Instead of straying it

from the ways of the

ordained ways of God,

like this adulteress,

Agar calls us to live

humbly within our God-given

boundaries.

And then in verses 21 to

23, Agar turns to the

intolerable things.

Three topsy-turvy social

situations that are

intolerable.

Under three things the

earth trembles.

Under four it cannot bear

up.

A slave when he becomes

king and a fool when he

is filled with food.

An unloved woman when she

gets a husband and a

maidservant when she

displaces her mistress.

So when a person who

does not have the

character nor the

competence to rule

takes the throne, he

becomes intoxicated by

newfound privilege and

power and becomes

overbearing.

He abuses his power,

perverts justice.

His rule becomes erratic

and uncontrollable.

That's what is in view

here.

A servant that doesn't

deserve to rule becoming

king.

Similarly, when a fool who

should go hungry is

instead satisfied, bloated

with food.

When an unloved or

better, a hated, unlovable

woman gets a husband.

When a maidservant

displaces her mistress.

From their places of

undeserved privilege, they

broadcast their folly further

and magnify their harmful

effect on society.

When those who transgress

God-given boundaries in

society are rewarded with

a platform, with

privilege, with power, it

erodes the very foundation

of society.

And then next, in verses

24 to 28, Agar commends

the example of ingenious

creatures.

Four things on earth are

small, but they are

exceedingly wise.

The ants are a people not

strong, yet they provide

their food in the summer.

The rock badgers are a

people not mighty, yet they

make their homes in the

cliffs.

The locusts have no king,

yet all of them march in

rank.

The lizard you can take in

your hands, yet it is in

king's palaces.

Each of these animals have a

significant liability, and

yet they make up for it with

other admirable qualities.

First, the ants make up for their

weakness by their industry, by

their diligence.

They have foresight enough to

store up food during the

summer so that when there's

scarcity in the winter, they

have something they can eat.

Second, the rock badgers, this

is a reference to the rock

hyraxes, rodent-like mammals

that live in the Middle East.

They make their homes in the

cliffs, literally, and therefore

they're noted for their

attention to security.

Though they are weak and

incapable of protecting

themselves from predators, they

provide for their security by

essentially creating a fortress

for themselves.

Third, locusts model order and

unity.

Though they have no king to lead

them, they march in rank like a

well-disciplined army, and

because of that, they can wreak

havoc on farmlands, consume a

staggering amount of props at

once.

Fourth, the lizard, though it's not

particularly elusive, you can

take it in your hands, it's easy

to catch, yet it is in king's

palaces.

This is the only one that's not

really explained.

The lizard in view is what's

commonly known as the house

gecko or the moon lizard, because

it has the habit of coming out

under the moonlight.

And these geckos have no

particular strength except that

they are unobtrusive and

inconspicuous.

We might call this their

modesty.

They're only three to six

inches long, often live unseen

in small crevices of the house,

and they are benign to humans.

In fact, they could be very

beneficial because they prey on

insects that are often

destructive, like moths, spiders,

roaches, termites, and wasps,

which can at times be

destructive.

And because these animals, the

geckos, are unobtrusive and

inconspicuous, they're benign and

even beneficial, even kings are

content to let them inhabit their

palaces.

Though if they wanted to, they could

easily catch them.

This last example of the lizard seems

to be tied to the rest of the

chapter, which speaks of kings.

Verses 29 to 31 speak of proud

creatures who have indomitable

spirits.

They stand for stately kings.

Three things are stately in their

tread.

Four are stately in their stride.

The lion, which is mightiest among

beasts and does not turn back before

any.

The strutting rooster, the he-goat,

and a king whose army is with him.

These four invulnerable creatures are

contrasted with the four vulnerable

creatures of the preceding verses.

The lion, the strutting rooster, and

the he-goat cower before nobody.

And they represent the king who is

bold because he has his army with

him.

There's no use trying to overthrow or

scare that king because he will not

cower before you.

He will not back down.

These proverbs seem to caution us

against causing social upheaval, trying

to cause rebellion, treason.

The four weak creatures of verses 24

to 28 are contrasted with these four

mighty creatures.

And I think the weak creatures are

intended to represent the citizens of

the kingdom, unlike these strong

creatures who represent the kings.

I think this is confirmed by the

repetition of the word people in

verse 24 and 25.

The ants, the rock badgers, are each

personified as a people, which is the

same word that's translated sometimes as

nation.

The ants are a nation not strong.

The rock badgers are a nation not

mighty.

The regular old citizens of the kingdom

who are weak by the very virtue of

their station need to adapt for

survival in the kingdom by emulating

these weak creatures.

They need to learn the ants' industry

because they can't tax subjects like

the king.

They need to provide for their own

future.

They need to imitate the rock badgers'

attention to security because they lack

the king's military prowess.

They need to find other ways to secure

their families and properties.

If they want to thrive in this kingdom,

instead of provoking the king by

inciting anarchy, they should imitate

the unity of the locusts that march in

rank despite not having a king.

And lastly, they should emulate the

modesty of the lizard who gains access

to the palace not by being brash and

self-exalting but by being civil and

unobtrusive.

This interpretation is confirmed by

Agar's conclusion in verses 32 to 33

where he warns against being a

political opportunist.

It says,

If you have been foolish exalting

yourself or if you have been devising

evil, put your hand on your mouth for

pressing milk produces curds,

pressing the nose produces blood,

and pressing anger produces strife.

Continuing to incur people's wrath by

foolishly exalting yourself will

surely produce strife.

If you find yourself doing that, if you

find yourself devising evil, plotting

against others, using others as stepping

stones in order to get ahead, then you

need to put your hand on your mouth, stop

yourself in your tracks, lest you bring

disaster upon yourself.

Once again, this is Agar's recurring

theme.

We should live humbly within God-given

boundaries instead of exalting

ourselves beyond them.

But the bad news is we have all

foolishly exalted ourselves beyond our

God-given boundaries.

That's been the history of humanity from

the very beginning.

God created the heavens and the earth

and at the climax of his creative work, he

created Adam.

He then created Eve and gave her to Adam

as his special helper so that together they

might exercise dominion over the earth,

including over all the creatures.

However, at the fall, the serpent transgresses

its boundary by tempting Adam and Eve to

eat from the tree of knowledge of good and

evil, which God had forbidden them to eat

from.

And Eve, instead of exercising proper

dominion over the creature, listens to it

and eats it.

Then she offers it to her husband Adam, and

Adam, instead of exercising his headship over

his wife, listens to her and eats it.

And so humanity together, which was supposed to

rule as God's representatives, instead seeks to

usurp God's throne.

Instead of relying on God's revelation of good

and evil, Adam and Eve seek moral autonomy,

seeking to determine for themselves what is good

and evil, without reference to God.

And that's what we all have done at one point.

Living for ourselves without reference to God,

we have foolishly sought to exalt ourselves

over and against God, our King, instead of living

humbly within the boundaries He's given us.

We have had insolence toward His societal order.

We have shown indulgence of insatiable greed and

lust.

We have tolerated intolerable social upheaval by

giving folly and wickedness free reign in our lives and

in our world.

We have transgressed the boundaries God's given us.

But God, because He loves us, does not leave us to our own

devices.

As Agur asserted in verse 4, only the Lord who has ascended

to heaven and come down, and only His Son can save us from

our folly and impart to us the wisdom from God.

And it is for this reason that God the Father sent His only Son,

Jesus Christ.

John 1.18 says,

No one has ever seen God, the only God who is at the Father's

side.

He has made Him known.

John 3.13 says,

No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from

heaven, the Son of Man.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Agur's prophecy.

He is the only person who can reveal God the Father and His

wisdom to us because He is the only Son of God.

God, Jesus is the Son that Israel failed to be.

We had trespassed into where only God should be, but instead of

despising us and punishing us and kicking us back to the place

where we belong, God sent His Son Jesus to cross over into our

filth, into our sinful places.

Jesus did this so that He might rescue us.

In our hubris, we exalted ourselves against God, but in humility,

Christ emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the

likeness of man, and being found in human form, and He humbled Himself by

becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

And it's because Jesus paid the price of our treason on the cross.

The King, think about it, the King, the heir to the throne, dying on the cross like an

exile among His own people so that we might be reconciled to God and restored to His kingdom.

And it's only by believing in Jesus, in His life, death, and resurrection for our sake,

that we can be forgiven of our transgressions, that we can be filled with His Spirit.

We can receive the wisdom of God and live humbly, following the humble King,

within the boundaries that God has given us.

Please take a moment to reflect on this.

How is God calling you to greater humility in your life?

How is God asking you not to occupy yourself with things that are too great and wonderful for you,

but instead to humble yourself and to walk trustingly beside Him like a weaned child with its mother?

After you've done some reflection, let's, we'll respond together by praying out loud as a church.

Amen.