“The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.
Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”
Proverbs 30:1-2, 5-6 NKJV
Who is Agur? I admit to knowing nothing about him, except what is written here. Yet, in knowing little, there is a desire to know more, and as one can learn much about an unknown artist in his paintings, and an unknown musician in his songs, we can say a few things about the man in his proverbs.
He admitted to knowing less than he wanted to know—to the point of calling himself “more stupid than any man,” and yet, it was this humble admission that seemed to motivate him to search for knowledge, and in so doing, he came to know more than most! Blaise Pascal was a brilliant Christian thinker, who knew enough to admit the same. He said, “The last proceeding of reason is to recognise that there is an infinity of things which are beyond it.”
Those who humbly admit how little they know of a limitless God will soon discover this as the path to knowing more than they could ever dream. Then, the more they do know, the more they will know there is more to know. The truly ignorant man is the one who thinks he knows much. The unteachable man is the one who believes he knows it all.
In my early days as a Christian, I dove into Scripture, God grew me, and called me into ministry. I went to Bible college and passed all my courses with flying colors—and became an arrogant student who knew much less than he thought he knew. I would make statements and ask questions of my lovely wife, who worked hard each day to put me through school, and had little time to contemplate the theological propositions I was soaking in. She put me in my place one evening! Humbled, I became a real student of Scripture, that after nearly a half-century now knows how little he knows—and thirsts for more! I thought I was drinking from a fountain, and now I see I am floating in the middle of a boundless ocean!
I know this—“every word of God is pure”—and the mystery of God and the majesty of His Word convinces me of that the longer I linger over the text. It is deadly to subtract from Scripture—that is what liberals do. Yet, the “stupid” Agur, smartly warns us, it us just as wrong to add to the Bible—as the legalists do.
Contemplate this chapter alone, and you will find how smart this stupid man was!
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