As we near
the end of our Challenge, the first few verses of Proverbs 30 provide a very
important reality check.
This chapter
contains “the sayings of Agur.” We don’t know much about Agur. He is either an
unknown sage, perhaps during the time of Solomon, or he is writing under a
pseudonym. There is no record of a well-known historical figure by that name.
Admittedly
this chapter is a bit more difficult to interpret than some of the other parts
of the Proverbs collection. But it’s a fascinating nugget of ancient
literature. I particularly love the attitude of humility expressed by the
writer in the first several verses.
“I am the
most ignorant of men: I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned
wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One.” – Proverbs 30:2-3
Basically,
he’s saying that when it comes to wisdom, the more you know, the more you
realize you don’t know.
One of the
fallacies of youth is the idea that we know everything. This attitude kicks in
at puberty and usually reaches its peak around the age of 23 (no offense to my
23 year old daughter).
The
imminently quotable Mark Twain once said, "When I was
a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man
around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had
learned in seven years."
Agur is
speaking here in the spirit of Socrates who said, “The only true wisdom is
knowing you know nothing.” But he goes further in reminding us that the one
true God is the source of all knowledge.
We learned
early on in this journey that:
“The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
The “fear of
the Lord” always leads to humility. Humility leads to a willingness to listen,
or having a “teachable spirit.” This simply means admitting I don’t have
everything figured out and that I need a source of wisdom way bigger and way
smarter than I’ll ever be.
It seems to
me this is a pretty important thing to keep in mind as this Proverbs journey
comes to a close.
But then
again, what do I know.
We have one
more day remaining of our 31 Day Challenge. Congratulations for making it this
far! Tune in tomorrow as my wife, Kathy, gets the last word.
Some things
never change.
John Tanner
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