Proverbs 30a

 I have been trying to get at least two devotionals out of every chapter, three out of some. That means, though, that I have left many verses, many decent proverbs behind. As God has led me, so I have seen lessons. Another reading of Proverbs at a later date will bring up different verses and different points. Since good biblical interpretation must engage the Holy Spirit in the process, and since we are on a trajectory of learning and growing as followers of Jesus Christ, that is as it should be. That is, the next time we come to a familiar passage there should be a new understanding, because we have changed, grown I hope, and because the Holy Spirit has more to say.

 Nevertheless, these last chapters of Proverbs are certainly difficult to interpret, in part because they do not claim to be the “Proverbs of Solomon” that we have been used to. Whose proverbs are these in this chapter? We don’t have much of a clue. 

30: 1 (NRSV) The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.

Thus says the man: I am weary, O God, 

I am weary, O God, and wasting away?

 We will just spend a moment with the interpretation problems that this verse gives us. Perhaps comparing this with the King James version will make the point.

30: 1 (KJV) The words of Agur, the son of Jaken, even the prophecy: 

the man spake unto Ithiel, 

even unto Ithiel and Ucal. 

Now let's try the New International Version.

30: 1 (NIV) The sayings of Agur, son of Jakeh–an inspired utterance. 

This man’s utterance to Ithiel: 

‘I am weary, God, but I can prevail’.

 Let me just say this: Bible translation is not easy, not as easy as 1,2,3; take a word in Hebrew and find the proper word in English. First, we have no idea who Agur or Jakeh are since they do not show up anywhere else in the Bible. Second, the phrase translated as ‘an oracle’, ‘a prophecy’, or ‘an utterance’ has sometimes been transliterated (the letters are just brought over into English) as Massa, which might be the name of a district or tribe in the Arab quarter between Israel and Mesopotamia, or might not. Finally, scholars are not certain whether the words at the end are people’s names, that is, Ithiel and Ucal, or should be translated as just words, here ‘weary’ and 'wasting'. 

There is not much to go on, so let’s leave the uncertainty. Both the Jews and later the Christians included the Book of Proverbs in their sacred literature, and that itself is also a God-inspired tradition. That is, this book is in the canon, so let’s deal with it. 

30: 2- 3. Surely I am too stupid to be human;    I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom,    nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.

 Well, given what I just said about our limitations in translation and interpretation, this couplet makes sense. If it sounds like hyperbole (over-statement), it is. This is a poetic way of approaching God with humility. Humility. Haven’t seen much of that lately. Plenty of hubris (when someone thinks that they know more than they do) and pride (when someone thinks more of themselves than they rightly deserve). 

 This humility, however, is directed toward God. The gap between us and the smartest people is about an inch, while the gap between what we know and what God knows is a mile.

30: 4. Who has ascended to heaven and come down?    Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?    Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person’s name?    And what is the name of the person’s child?    Surely you know!

 Very interesting proverbial challenge. Actually, it sounds like some sayings of Job. God asks Job a series of questions that Job has no possibility of answering (see Job 38-39). Likewise, the Psalms often pose a question of which only God knows the answer (see Psalm 139 especially). 

 Further, this verse may be read through a prophetic lens. From our perspective, we believe that God has come down from heaven, and that God has all of creation in his hand. Further, in a different appearance, Jesus came down from heaven and Jesus was able to calm the winds and waves. The most telling questions are near the end. What is this person’s name? From the Old Testament, we learn that it is YHWH or Yahweh.

But what is this final question about: ‘this person’s child’? What in the Old Testament would lead us to think that God had a child and that that child has a name? 

From a Christian perspective, these are hints about Christ, the Messiah, the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. His name is Jesus.