INTRO/WELCOME
Good morning! I am so excited to begin a new series this week. Between now and Thanksgiving, we are going to look at a prayer in the book of Proverbs. It just so happens to be the only prayer in the book of Proverbs. And it comes from a guy that shows up in this one chapter and then we never hear from him again. The guy’s name is Agur. And he is the author of Proverbs 30. You can go ahead and turn there now if you haven’t already. Also, for the first time in awhile, you can find the outline for this on the YouVersion Bible app. Just open the app, tap on “More” in the bottom left corner, then tap on events, and Glynwood should pop up. If you are watching online from somewhere else, you can type in the church’s zip code— 36066, and you’ll find it.
Now, Full disclosure—most of the heavy lifting for this sermon was done by a guy named Jay Payleitner, who wrote a little book called The Prayer of Agur. I picked up the book, read it in about a day, and got really excited about what God has to teach us.
And the subtitle of the series is “Discovering God’s Sweet Spot for your life.
What’s a sweet spot? If you’re a tennis or racquetball player, it’s the spot on the racket where the ball jumps off with maximum velocity and precision, and no vibration.
If you’re a baseball player, it’s the area of the strike zone where you are gonna connect with the ball and put it over the fence.
If you’re a singer, when you find a song that just suits your range perfectly, then you’d say its in your sweet spot.
Career counselors describe your sweet spot as the job where you do what you love, do it well, and get paid for it.
And Jay Payleitner says that In the same way, there is a place God wants you to live. Where you’re living with purpose, not futility. Clarity, not chaos. Not running too fast or too slow. Not buying bigger and bigger houses, but not living in a cardboard box. In balance. In contentment. In God’s Sweet Spot.
So in Proverbs 30:7-9, this random guy, Agur, prays the most profound prayer about living a balanced life—living in Gods sweet spot— that you will ever hear. Next week, we are going to get into the prayer itself. But to set the stage, we’re going to look just at the first six verses of Proverbs 30. If you are physically able, please stand to honor the reading of God’s Word:
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 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!
5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Let’s pray…
There’s a good chance – even if you are a regular Bible reader—that you’ve never paid much attention to Agur. Don’t be embarrassed, you're not alone. In fact, I haven’t talked to a single person this week, including my brother, who was a seminary professor for almost twenty years, who knew who Agur was.
So, what do we know about Agur? Not much. The opening words of the chapter tell us he was the son of Jakeh. Neither one of those are Hebrew names, so some Bible scholars say he may have been from northern Arabia.
There are a couple of Hebrew words that are close to this. “Agur” sounds like a Hebrew word that means “collector,” and later in chapter 30 we see Agur making several lists of different observations he has “collected” in nature, so that kind of fits. And “Jakeh” sounds like a Hebrew word that means “carefully religious.” So if you are drawing conclusions from the names themselves, Agur is a collector of observations and wisdom and insight who has been raised to be carefully religious.
And really, this is all we have. There are some fast facts about Proverbs 30 that are worth pointing out. The first one is one we’ve already pointed out: This is the only mention of Agur in the entire Bible. What I just shared with you about the possible meaning of his name is all the history we have. And that’s okay. His words made it into God’s Book! Which is a pretty good reminder that you don’t have to be famous to make a difference.
The second thing I want to point out is that verse 4 is one of the very few references to God’s Son in the Old Testament. We will talk about this in more detail in a few minutes, but just realize that up to this point, there were only three other references to God having a son, and two out of three of those seem to be talking about a human king. But in verse 4, after asking some rhetorical questions about God, Agur asks What is his name, and what is his son's name? Whoa. If you were listening to Proverbs 30 being read in the Temple, all of the sudden you’re sitting up and paying attention, because this is rare.
So Agur isn’t just a collector of wise sayings and riddles. He’s a prophet of the coming Messiah!
Number 3: Proverbs 30:7-9 is the only prayer in all of Proverbs. We spent several weeks last year studying the book of Proverbs, but I hadn’t realized that there weren’t any prayers. That alone makes Agur’s prayer pretty special.
So here is that short prayer—a formula for living in God’s sweet spot. A plan for living a life that’s . . . “just right.” Again, we’ll unpack this in depth next week, but this morning, I would like us to read this together, in unison, out loud. I’ll put it up on the screen so we can all read from the same translation:
Two things I ask of you, 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.
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 NIV
Can you see the potential for living in God’s sweet spot? Agur prays, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” He’s saying, “Lord, help me find balance. Help me avoid extremes. Help me trust You.”
So that’s a preview of where we’re going next week. But today, we’re going to uncover just four takeaways from the first six verses. Takeaways you can apply to your life so that we can really dig into Agur’s prayer next week.
And here’s the first takeaway: the first thing we can learn from our new friend Agur: There is reward when we explore God’s Word!
There are all kinds of characters, stories, and rabbit trails in Scripture that will surprise you! We know the main characters—Moses, David, Paul, etc. And I’ll be honest—I don’t always relate to a lot of those larger than life figures in Scripture. But Agur... I can relate to him. He seems like a regular guy.
You gotta love that idea. Actually, there are quite a few historical characters who show up for a single scene or have only a brief mention in the Bible, but still leave a memorable impression.
Think of them as “one hit wonders” in Scripture—people that are mentioned once and then never again. I’m gonna bet that you probably have never heard of at least three out of four of these guys. Let’s see if I’m right.
Ehud. Anyone? OK. His story is in Judges 3. Ehud lived in Israel during a time when they were under oppression by the King of Moab. Ehud was left-handed. So one day, Ehud straps a sword to his right thigh and goes to see the king of Moab. He tells the guys at the gate that he has a message for the king. They pat him down, but they assume that if he’s packing, he’s gonna have his sword on his left thigh, because that’s how a right hander would draw his sword. Ehud makes it through security, gets alone with the king, draws his sword with his left hand, and kills the king. See? There’s more to being left handed than just writing funny!
Here’s another one hit wonder: Eutychus. Anyone know who Eutychus was? Eutychus was a teenager who was sitting in a windowsill one night while Paul was preaching. The believers were all gathered in an upstairs room. Acts 20 says that Paul kept going on and on in the sermon. Eutychus fell asleep and fell out the window. And died. That’s where the phrase “Snooze, you lose” comes from. All the folks listening to Paul ran outside, found Eutychus dead on the sidewalk, and then Paul took him in his arms, raised him from the dead, then looked at the congregation and said, “All right. Point number six…” (Just kidding about that part.)
Did you know that story? See, there’s reward when we explore God’s Word. You learn not to fall asleep in church. Or you learn not to have worship services in a tall building. Or you learn not to preach too long.
How about Simeon? The old prophet barely shows up in Luke, chapter two. He meets Mary and Joseph at the Temple, holds the infant Jesus in his arms, and predicts Jesus will be a light to the world causing the fall and rise of many people.
Do you know the name Jochebed? You could make the case that her actions launched biblical history. The mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. She sent her three-month-old son floating down the Nile in a reed basket to rescue him from Egyptian death squads. Her name appears only twice in the entire Bible.
Do you see the reward of taking a deep dive into God’s Word? God can use a quirky lefthander. God’s glory can be manifested through a kid who falls asleep in church. Simeon is an old man who gets excited about holding a baby. Every grandfather in the room can relate to that. Jochebed did what she needed to do to protect her child. What mother can’t relate to that. We can identify with all these one hit wonders. We can identify with Agur. They made a difference. They found their purpose. And so can I. So can you.
Let’s look at the second takeaway: There is relief when we acknowledge our weaknesses. After brief introductions, Agur begins his chapter with something I love and respect so much. He admits his human limitations.
We get this when we look at verses 1-3:
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
Now, I want to deal really quickly with some translation differences. The translation up on the screen is the English Standard Version. Your Bible may have some variation of verse 1 saying: This man’s utterance to Ithiel, or even to Ithiel and Ucal. The ESV is a bit of an outlier. Let me explain what’s going on. The Hebrew words for “weary” and “worn out” have the same consonants as the proper names “Ithiel and Ucal.” And since ancient Hebrew doesn’t have vowels, it’s a toss up as to whether you translate these as proper names, which most translations do, or like the ESV does. Personally I like the ESV because its consistent with verses 2-3. And honestly, verse 1 is consistent with how a lot of us feel in 2020. Or even this past week!
That's the attitude we all need when we come to prayer or study of the Bible. Agur’s humility is so refreshing. He admits he is brutish and beastly. He says, “I’m too stupid to be a man.” Which, let’s be honest—a lot of wives in here are going, “that’s setting the bar pretty low.” Loo at verse 3: Agur is well aware he does not know everything there is to know about God.
Can I suggest to you that Agur’s humility here is what a lot of lost people are looking for in conversations with Christians? Sometimes we are afraid to build relationships with lost people because we are afraid they are going to see our flaws and realize we don’t have everything together. But I think we are far more likely to develop friendships with lost people when we admit we don’t have all the answers. When we admit we are still trying to figure it all out.
Because it will give us an opportunity to point them to the one who does. That’s the next point.
TAKEAWAY #3: There is revelation when we recognize God’s son.
We’ve already talked a little bit about the six questions Agur asks. I’ll put them up on the screen so they’ll be in front of us. But realize that Agur has just said in verse 3 that he doesn’t have knowledge of the Holy One. But actually, he does! Look again at verse 4:
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? (Answer: God.)
Whose hands have gathered up the wind? (Again, the answer is God.)
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? (God.)
Who has established all the ends of the earth? (God, for 400, Alex).
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
Six questions we should all be asking! And then, Agur answers his own question:
Surely you know!
“Surely you know,” he says. Don’t you love his confidence? Creation proves there is a Creator. Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Agur is confirming that anyone who considers the wonder of nature—the wind, the seas, earth itself—must acknowledge the Creator.
The first four questions describe the Creator and the next question asks. “What is his name?”
That answer is easy. God had several names: Yahweh—the great I am. El Shaddai—the God who sees me. El Elyon—God Most High, Adonai— the Lord. and Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who provides. Jehovah Nissi— the Lord is my banner. Jehovah Rapha— the God who heals. You have your pick of the names of God, and this was familiar territory for the people of Israel.
But the question, “What is the name of his son?” probably sent shock waves through the halls of Solomon’s temple. Hey everyone! Agur is proclaiming to the world that God will have a son!
Keep in mind Agur was writing close to a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Prophecy about the Messiah was a major topic of discussion among God’s chosen people. Anticipating the Savior was the focus of the Hebrew people – and still is! But before Agur, there was barely a hint in any of the ancient writings that the Messiah would be the Son of God. Agur asked, “What is the name of God’s son?” Asking this kind of question at this point in history shows Agur was a true prophet.
By the way, we should point out that Jesus himself references Agur when he has his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Agur asks the question “Who has ascended to heaven and come down. Check out John 3:13:
“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
So even though there’s a lot of things Agur doesn’t understand or have knowledge of, he knows the most important thing. He knows God, and he knows God’s son. Do you?
Jesus descended from heaven for regular people like Agur. Men and women that are weary and worn out. Men who feel too stupid to be men. Women who feel like they lack wisdom and understanding. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Do you know what a yoke is? A yoke is what connected a team of oxen to a plow so the farmer could direct the oxen. So Jesus is inviting us to submit to his authority in our lives.
Which brings us to our fourth takeaway: There is refuge when we affirm God’s authority.
We’ve met Agur. He establishes his humility. He stuns his audience with insight about God and God’s son. Then he takes a breath – before his short prayer – to endorse Scripture.
Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6
God’s inspired word can, does, and should stand on its own. We can trust it. “Every word of God is flawless.” And when we affirm its authority in our lives, by aligning ourselves under it the way an ox is aligned under the yoke, then it will be a shield for us. We can take refuge in God’s Word.
So, that’s our introduction to Agur. He’s going to be a good friend to us over the next couple of weeks. He makes you laugh and makes you think. And he tells it like it is. He gave us four solid takeaways today and we haven’t even scratched the surface on his prayer.
There are a couple of helps I want to direct your attention to— First is the book itself. We have a few copies of Jay Payleitner’s book available for purchase. There is also a free five day devotional available on YouVersion.
Before next week, go ahead and read all of Proverbs 30. Appreciate Agur’s prophecy. And consider especially the Prayer of Agur. Here’s the centerpoint of that prayer:
Remove fast from me falsehood and lying.
Give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Proverbs 30:8
Let's close in prayer.
