The Sayings of Agur

4:37, Everything he does is right and all his ways are just! 

GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: Close your eyes as I read Ephesians 1: 20 -23 from the Message, ‘All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him for death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being but forever. He is in charge of it all, and has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church!’ WOW, WOW, WOW… Can I read that last sentence again… The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church! Now let us go and chew on that for a while!

As mentioned, our family lived in Zambia, where we adopted several children. One of the many things I have always appreciated about the culture is their love for riddles. Thus, I decided to end the year with a brain teaser, for one of the motivations behind this book, as written in Proverbs 1:6, is for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise! 

What is greater than God — and more evil than the devil? The poor have it. The rich need it. And if you eat it, you will die.  

While you chew on this, let’s go to Chapter 30 and the Sayings of Agur. In verse four, he asks: Who has gone 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? Surely you know! 

The answers to these questions posed by Agur are wonderfully evident to each of us today and form part of the unique opening to this chapter. In it, Agur acknowledges that his insights, observations, and human reasoning pale compared to God, the source and fountainhead of true wisdom. Although exaggerated, his genuine humility must be commended. Humility comes from recognizing who God is and who we are in relationship to God. 

As I look back on this year’s challenge, I need to tell you that there was a time when I felt like I failed every single challenge every week. Clearly, knowing or reading scripture and applying scripture are two different things. Another interesting observation is that my go-to scriptures remain the same!  

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 

Another scripture that stayed with me comes from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THIS WEEK: In the light of this last scripture, we must understand that to comprehend better who God is, we need to grow in our understanding of who Christ is. Dane Ortlund, in his book DEEPER, says we fail to leave sin behind because we have a domesticated view of Jesus, one that has downsized the glory of Christ in our hearts! A sin Paul was never guilty of. In his letter to the Ephesians, he marvels that he, the least of all the apostles, was given this grace – to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. The original Greek Word, translated as unsearchable by some or boundless by others, is paraphrased by Eugene Peterson in the Message as the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ, and the Amplified as the incomprehensible riches of Christ (that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand). 

Friends, very soon, we will celebrate this same Christ’s birth. Therefore, I sincerely pray that we will again be inspired to follow the example of the wise travelers from the East, who fell down after seeing the Child with Mary and worshiped Him. Let us do likewise this coming holiday season – always making Christ the reason for the season! 

Oh, and the answer to the riddle I posed at the beginning – NOTHING! 

What is greater than God — and more evil than the devil? The poor have it. The rich need it. And if you eat it, you will die.