Proverbs 30:7-9

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?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

In a book of wisdom, which offers the reader the key to the good life, we find this one and only prayer. The prayer itself might take us by surprise by its remarkable humility but, after all, that’s exactly the whole point of Proverbs in the first place.

The key to Christian living is the love of the Lord, not self. This prayer encapsulates that spirit perfectly and for that reason we should look at it. We seek the good life. In the next book, Ecclesiastes, the author, Solomon, makes it clear that hedonism is a dead end. The search for happiness and meaning through riches, vocation, sex, food, drink, art, and anything else in all of creation is a fool’s errand. Unless God is the both the center and destination of all endeavors life is but vanity. The message of Proverbs, the Preacher tells us, is that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. That’s why, one imagines, that Proverbs precedes Ecclesiastes in the wisdom literature. The reverent awe and love of God is the fountain through which the good life flows. But in case we aren’t convinced of this simple truth, Ecclesiastes hammers the point home. Nothing on earth will satisfy the deepest cravings of the soul. Only Jesus Christ will do that.

So, it’s like this that we understand the heart of this prayer. Agur makes two simple, yet profound requests and each rests upon the foundation that’s already been built throughout the rest of the book.

First, he asks the Lord to be free of the sin of deceit. He asks, in other words, to love the truth so much that lying is antithetical to him. What a request! When was the last time you literally got on your knees and prayed to be honest in all things? Chances are this isn’t that big of a priority to us. It’s our bills or our job and things like that. We ask for practical things but forget that there’s nothing more practical than knowing and obeying the sovereign Creator of all the things we seek to be practical about.

Agur has grown to love the Lord so much that he doesn’t think that “stuff” is more important than defeating sin; he sees lying for what it is and that’s contrary to the nature of God. More than anything else he wants to please God. Oh, what a resplendent place to be in one’s walk that the first thought of our day is righteousness. In the flesh, we reverse the order of things. We regard material blessings as the key to good life when, in fact, it’s righteousness through faith. The goal of Christian living is the victory over sin that comes through Christ and to know this victory is to love the Lord who delivers it. This is, then, the articulation of the principle of “seek first the Kingdom of God…” If you are struggling with any sin, if it lingers, if it clings, it’s the earnest prayer to God to truly be free that brings deliverance because it’s love that drives out sin. The soul that loves Jesus so much that it dreads the thought of sinning against Him is the soul that prays this prayer and wins that victory. Many don’t experience this triumph for the simple reason that they still, in the corner of their heart, in a hidden crevice perhaps, still love that sin.

Second, the prayer shifts to physical needs as we assume it would. What a petition, though! He doesn’t want riches. He doesn’t want leisure. Vacations. Easy street. Possessions. Guarantees of success or health. Instead and above it all, Agur prays for circumstances that are balanced so as to avoid extremes. You see, the true lover of God knows that God is the redeemer of sinners and that it’s sin which is life’s greatest enemy. Sin cost God the life of Jesus Christ. To love God is to understand this great and high cost of iniquity, which is to hate it. The whole prayer is in this light. It’s a petition to avoid the heart of a sinner (lying) and circumstances that could provide fertile soil for either pride (wealth) or bitterness (poverty).

Christian life is stunted when we focus too much on material matters rather than the spiritual truths that give them context. We ought to pray like this, indeed, with our hearts set on faithfulness rather than worldly successes. Proverbs tells us that this is the key and that the good life actually flows from this principle: seek God in genuine faith, hating sin, and these other things will be added to you. Fear losing your closeness to God and that unspeakable privilege of fellowship with the most high Lord more than anything else in the world, and He will make straight your paths. In all, wisdom is knowing that righteousness is eminently practical.