THINGS (PART 1)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the next to the last chapter of Proverbs, we are introduced to voice other than Samuel. That voice comes from a man Agur who shares words with another man named Ithiel. In the midst of this discourse which occupies the entire chapter, we find Agur speaking about a series of “things”, which consist of either things he is asking God for or things he has examined during his life. Beginning today, I would like to look at the first of these “things” statements.

“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

If you were given two things to ask of God, what would you ask? What do you think most people would ask for?

When God posed the question of want to Solomon, the author of most of this book of wisdom, he simply asked for the wisdom in order to be able to rule the people God had placed under his authority. That was it. No riches. No fame or success. No special favor from the Lord. None of these things.

Solomon simply asked for wisdom and in return, God granted it to him along with a lot more.

In the spirit of Solomon’s simple request unto a God who can grant anything, we find Agur following suit, not asking for wisdom but rather truth and provision to live. That’s it.

Agur, in asking for the Lord God Almighty to keep falsehood and lies from him, showed his fear of sin and violating the righteous expectation the Lord had for him in life. He knew the Lord required for him to live in truth, obediently following the direction of the Lord who would always lead him there, the same Lord who leads us there today. Our daily prayer to God, as we come before Him with the things that are on our mind, should model Agur’s desire to be taken away from the temptations of sin and its destructive nature.

The second thing Agur asked for was simply daily bread. He wasn’t asking for an abundance, rather only what he really needed to get by. He didn’t wish to be impoverished to where he may be driven to desperate measures and sinfully steal from others (remember that God in His ten commandments had ordered His people not to steal – Exodus 20: ). Conversely, having too much would not work well either as Agur feared he would become more dependent on the things he had instead of the One who provided them. Maybe we would be best served to follow the words that Jesus taught us to pray, words that include the following, “Give us this day our daily bread” and then praise God for giving us just what we ask for. For after all, He is our Great Provider, the One who maintains and sustains us no matter what life brings our way.

I’m looking forward to sharing the other things Agur speaks about in this chapter. But for now, I’m giving thanks for him and his humble requests to a God who could provide anything while ensuring that each and every day, I pray for God to impart His truth in me while granting me the daily bread needed to faithfully worship and serve Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com