Micah 1-4 / Revelation 6 / Psalm 134 / Proverbs 30:1-4
Sometimes we are led to believe that unless we’re the best at something among those in our circle of family and friends we ought to stay quiet on a topic. I’m not sure why we look for and tend to value only the one who is at the top of their skilled field. We idolize musicians, doctors, philosophers, or any other intelligent person who has received higher education.
It is not wrong to honor those who have worked hard and achieved great things. However, we must also value each person for the gift of God placed within them. And who is it that determines when someone is the best and the only one to whom we should listen or go to for advice? I believe we can learn valuable information from any person, from the smallest child to the most educated and seemingly wise among us.
When reading Proverbs 30:1-4 I had to do some research to find out who the author was. I had not heard of Agur son of Jakeh. After my research, I don’t know much more than before I began. But what little I was able to discover led me to speak the way I am. Agur is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture, although it is believed he was alive during the time of Solomon.
One commentary said that he was probably considered to be one of the other wise men of the time when Solomon reigned. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but as we read stories, we sometimes forget that the hero of the story is not the only one who… fill in the blank. Solomon was not the only wise man and not the only leader of his day. He was the most respected and well-known, but there were others.
So, it’s interesting that Agur’s sayings were included in scripture in the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs. He made it to the big leagues! There must have been something of importance in Agur’s teachings that he would be included in the canon of the Bible. We see from his writings that he was a humble man, not filled with arrogance.
Proverbs 30:3 in the New Living Translation, (NLT)says: “I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.”
After this humble introduction of his skills, Agur goes on for thirty-three verses to share his wisdom which begins in verse four with a description of God’s power over the universe. He asks the reader these questions: “Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is His name – and His Son’s name? Tell me if you know!”
It sounds to me as if God has been revealing himself to this lesser-known wise man named Agur. And that Agur used his skills as a writer to record his revelations. That said, if you have skills, use them. Write if you’re a writer. Sing if you’re a singer. Speak if you are a speaker. Care for people if you’re a physician. Use your hands if you’re a craftsman. Use your mind if you’re a philosopher. This list could go on endlessly. Whatever your gifts, be faithful to use them even if you do not consider yourself to be at the top of your field. What you have to share has value to someone!
