Commentary - Proverbs 30:7-9

Bird's-eye view

This brief prayer, nestled within the words of Agur, is one of the most potent and insightful prayers in all of Scripture. It is a master class in self-awareness and God-centered wisdom. The petitioner makes two profound requests of God, asking that they be granted for the duration of his life. First, he asks for a life of integrity, free from vanity and deceit. Second, he asks for a life of material contentment, free from the twin temptations of wealth and poverty. The genius of the prayer lies in its reasoning. The ultimate concern is not personal comfort but the honor of God's name. The supplicant knows his own heart's frailty. He knows that riches tempt a man to arrogant self-sufficiency, leading him to deny God, while poverty tempts a man to desperation and theft, leading him to profane God's name. This is a prayer for the grace to live in that sweet spot of dependence where a man is least likely to bring dishonor to the God he serves.

In a world that idolizes both the acquisition of massive wealth and the romanticization of having nothing, this prayer cuts right through the nonsense. It teaches us to see our material circumstances not as ends in themselves, but as spiritual battlegrounds. It is a prayer that acknowledges our weakness, trusts God's sovereign provision, and makes the glory of God its highest aim. This is the prayer of a man who knows himself, knows his God, and wants, above all things, to walk in a way that is worthy of Him.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 30 contains "the words of Agur the son of Jakeh." We know nothing about Agur apart from this chapter, but what he gives us is a concentrated dose of inspired wisdom, marked by a deep humility and a keen observational eye. His words stand alongside those of Solomon, contributing to the rich tapestry of the book. This particular prayer (vv. 7-9) is intensely personal and serves as a practical application of the wisdom that Proverbs as a whole commends. While much of Proverbs gives general principles for wise living, Agur here models for us how a wise man talks to his God. He takes the theological truths about God's sovereignty and man's frailty and turns them into heartfelt supplication. It is a hinge point in the chapter, showing that true wisdom is not just knowing things, but knowing God and depending on Him for the grace to live rightly before Him.

Key Issues

The Prayer of a Man Who Knew Himself

There is a profound realism in this prayer. This is not the prayer of a stoic who pretends that circumstances do not affect him. This is the prayer of a man who knows his frame, that he is dust. He understands that his spiritual integrity is not an abstraction, but is deeply intertwined with the pressures and realities of his daily life. He knows that if God were to place him in certain situations, the sinful bent of his heart would be sorely tempted to take over. This is not a lack of faith; it is the very essence of it. He is not trusting in his own strength to "handle" either riches or poverty. He is trusting in God to provide him with the circumstances that God, in His wisdom, knows are best for him. This is a prayer against temptation, much like the one our Lord taught us to pray. "Lead us not into temptation" is a plea for God to govern our circumstances in such a way that we are not brought to a place where our faith would fail.

Verse by Verse Commentary

7 Two things I asked of You, Do not withhold from me before I die:

The prayer begins with a solemn introduction. This is not a casual, flippant request. The phrase "before I die" frames this as a lifelong petition. These are the two foundational requests upon which he wants his entire life to be built. He is asking God to establish the essential conditions for a life of faithful service. He is coming to God, the giver of all good things, and laying out the desires of a heart that has been shaped by wisdom. He knows what he needs, and he knows the only place to get it.

8 Keep worthlessness and every false word far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

Here are the two requests. The first is for moral and spiritual integrity. "Worthlessness" is the Hebrew word for vanity or emptiness, the kind of life that is disconnected from God's reality. "Every false word" refers to both the lies he might be tempted to tell and the lies he might be tempted to believe. He is asking for a life grounded in truth. The second request is for material contentment. He asks for the golden mean, the middle way. This is not a prayer for mediocrity, but a prayer against the unique temptations that accompany both extremes. The phrase "the food that is my portion" is a beautiful expression of trust in God's sovereign allocation. It is a request for God to give him exactly what He has ordained for him, what is suitable and sufficient for him. It is the Old Testament equivalent of "Give us this day our daily bread."

9 Lest I be full and deny You and say, “Who is Yahweh?” Or lest I be impoverished and steal, And profane the name of my God.

This is the heart of the matter. The prayer is not motivated by a desire for a comfortable life, but by a zealous concern for the glory of God. He gives two reasons for his request, and both are God-centered. First, the danger of riches. If he were to become "full," fat and satisfied, the temptation would be to grow arrogant and self-sufficient. The full stomach leads to the proud heart, which asks the quintessential atheistic question: "Who is Yahweh?" Prosperity has a way of making men forget their need for God. Second, the danger of poverty. If he were to become impoverished, the temptation would be to grow desperate, to steal in order to survive. And in doing so, as a member of the covenant community, he would "profane the name of my God." His sin would bring reproach upon the God whose name he bears. He knows that his actions reflect on his God. Therefore, he prays for the circumstances that will best enable him to honor that name. He is not asking for an easy life, but for a holy one.

Application

We live in a culture that is absolutely besotted with the lust for more. At the same time, we have a counter-culture that makes a virtue out of a feigned and often hypocritical poverty. Agur's prayer is a necessary corrective to both follies. It teaches us to view our bank accounts, our possessions, and our daily bread through a theological lens. The central question is not "How can I get more?" or "How can I get by with less?" but rather "What material condition will best enable me to glorify God and not bring shame to His name?"

This prayer forces us to be honest about our own weaknesses. Which temptation is greater for you? Is it the pride that comes with success, the subtle feeling that you have accomplished things on your own and don't really need to depend on God for your next breath? Or is it the anxiety and desperation that come with financial pressure, the temptation to cut corners, to compromise your integrity, to sin out of fear? We must learn to pray like Agur, asking God to keep us in that place of humble dependence. For some, that might mean God entrusts them with great wealth; for others, it might mean a life of simple means. The point is not the amount, but the attitude of the heart.

Ultimately, our only true portion is Christ. He is the bread of life. He is the one who faced the temptation of riches in the wilderness when Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the world, and He did not deny the Father. He is the one who became utterly impoverished on the cross, possessing nothing, yet He did not steal, but instead gave His life to save thieves. He is the only one who lived this prayer perfectly. Because He did, we can now pray it not as a condition for our acceptance, but as a fruit of it, asking our Father to conform us to the image of His contented and faithful Son.