Dave’s Monday Blast – April 24, 2017
I discovered a little something the other day…did you know that there is only one recorded prayer in the book of Proverbs? A man named “Agur son of Jakeh” who defines himself in verse 2 as being “more stupid” (I know great grammar) than any other man. I love this guy! I think I am pretty stupid…so I really appreciate anyone who confidently claims that position. (A bit like Paul claiming to be the “chief of sinners”!).
In verse 5 he testified that “every word of God proves true.” In response to this fact, he offered his prayer two verses later: “Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?'” (v. 7- 9).
Agur recognized that both poverty and riches can tempt us into materialism and away from dependence on God, an insight that is obviously relevant in our consumer culture. But the part of his prayer that most impresses me today is his plea for God to “remove far from me falsehood and lying.” “Falsehood” translates an extremely negative Hebrew term that describes deceit, fraudulence, wickedness, and destruction. “Lying” refers to the verbal means by which “falsehood” is conveyed.
What can we glean from this passage? Here is what Pastor Jim Denison says…
- We cannot determine falsehood without God’s help. Agur was wise enough to be a contributor to one of the wisest books in all of literature, but even he needed to pray for God to remove falsehood and lying from him. Otherwise, he might not detect their presence and could believe what he should reject.
It is the same for us. Satan is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) who “disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is far better at deceiving us than we are at recognizing his deception. We need God’s wisdom in refusing his lies.
- We cannot speak the truth without God’s help. Agur wanted to avoid deception, but he also wanted to avoid deceiving others. He prayed for divine assistance because that was the only way he could consistently speak the truth.
It is the same for us. Scripture says of humans, “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive” (Romans 3:13). We can consistently speak the truth only with the help of the One who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
“Remove from me falsehood and lying.” Will you make Agur’s prayer yours today?
