THE WISE ALTERNATIVE

 JULY  28, 2022

Proverbs 30:1-9

30 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
but I can prevail.
2 Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
I do not have human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up 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!

5 “Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7 “Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 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.


We live in a society racked with anxiety and depression. People feel overwhelmed and unfulfilled. Our whole world is crying out that the paths they have chosen are dead ends. We need to learn to be like Jesus and help people look beyond themselves and see how to get back on a path that leads to life. Proverbs 30:1-9 tells the tale of one man’s journey out of the dead end he found himself in. It shows us how we can learn to look beyond ourselves and find true fulfillment in life by looking to God.

Out the 9 verses above we are instructed that if we will find satisfaction in life, “abundant life”, the sense of fulfillment there are some truths to guide us.

Note that these words come from someone named Agur. Not much is known about him except what is written here. He was the son of a man named Jakeh, whom we also know nothing about. Some scholars believe from internal word usage in Proverbs refer to the author as Agur, “the Massaite.” Massaites where a tribe of non-Israelites who lived on the Arabian Peninsula. They are mentioned in Genesis 25:14 and 1 Chronicles 1:30 as children of Ishmael.

The opening verses are a confession that says, “I have wearied myself, O God, I have wearied myself, O God, and come to an end.” Agur, expresses that he is exhausted, worn out by life, at the end of his rope. I believe most of us know that place. Agur, acknowledges that he doesn’t have any more answers, doesn’t have what it takes, doesn’t know what to do next, or where to go.

I have found, maybe you have as well, that when we come to the end of ourselves, the world gives us a lot of bad advice. Many times we are told not to be discouraged but to believe in ourselves. We are encouraged to motivate ourselves and keep going by the sweat of our brow. We use terms like “step up” and “grind it out” to refer to how we try to keep going when we are worn out. Yet, and I think Agur would agree with this, trying harder and looking to ourselves leads to more exhaustion and further guilt, anxiety, and discouragement.

So, what is the alternative?

Proverbs 30 tells us that the alternative is to look beyond ourselves and cast our gaze upon God. That is what Agur does, and he notes some good reasons why this is the wise decision. Why God is the one to look to.

First, God Connects – “who has ascended…descended.” – God is not disconnected from his creation. He is involved and invested. He calls us into relationship. You don’t have to ascend to heaven to find God. He connects with us. PRESENCE.

Second, God Controls – “who has gathered…wrapped…” – God is not just connected to the world, He is in control of it. When you feel overwhelmed by life, realize that God isn’t overwhelmed!

Third, God Creates – The reason God is in control is because He created the world. It is His. He made it. He loves it. He is at work in it.

Often when we look beyond ourselves, we are tempted to rely on others who are more powerful than us. Having good friends and examples are essential but looking to them for fulfillment will end up producing the same emptiness and defeat as when we looked to ourselves. The best examples, friends, family, and role models are people who point us not to themselves but to God and his word. Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, even as I imitate Christ.”

Do you relate to Agur’s worn out life? Where are you looking?

Psalm 121

I look up at the vast size of the mountains—
from where will my help come in times of trouble?
2 The Eternal Creator of heaven and earth and these mountains
will send the help I need.

3 He holds you firmly in place;
He will not let you fall.
He who keeps you will never take His eyes off you and never drift off to sleep.
4 What a relief! The One who watches over Israel
never leaves for rest or sleep.

5 The Eternal keeps you safe,
so close to Him that His shadow is a cooling shade to you.
6 Neither bright light of sun
nor dim light of moon will harm you.

7 The Eternal will keep you safe
from all of life’s evils,
8 From your first breath to the last breath you breathe,
from this day and forever.