“The words of
Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. The man declares to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely
I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man.
Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.” Proverbs 30:1-3.
I love these
names! Do you know anyone by the name of Agur, or Jakeh, or Ithiel, or Ucal? In
case you’re wondering, while Ithiel appears one other time in Nehemiah, the
other three names only appear here in the Bible. Who were these guys?
We know that
Agur had a daddy named Jakeh, and we can suppose that Ithiel and Ucal were Agur’s
friends, but other than that we don’t know if these boys were plumbers or masons
or accountants or cattlemen or architects. Maybe they really did run a diner;
maybe it was on the road to Jericho from Jerusalem, or maybe it was just east
of Bethlehem, or it could have been about 10 miles north of Damascus.
I’ve known some
Jake’s, but I’ve never known a Jakeh – what about you? I checked one of my
commentaries about these names and it made the point of saying that one of the
suggestions made by a scholar was “absurd.” After glancing over the material in
the commentary I’d say that there was more than one absurd suggestion by more
than one scholar, which makes me wonder what exactly a scholar is supposed to
be – is it someone who comes to conclusions that make no real sense to anyone?
(Well, of course not, but sometimes scholars are naked in their new clothes but
because they have initials after their names people seldom say anything.)
I’ve been in
groups where speculation reigns supreme in Bible study and people can’t seem to
tear themselves away from it to actually ponder the Biblical text, they are
more concerned about satisfying curiosity that the Bible has no intention of
satisfying. As my old friend Fenelon observed, “I know many people who are
perfect…in their speculations.” When we approach the Holy Word we are to submit
ourselves to the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to set the agenda and direct
our thoughts and hearts; convicting us, challenging us, and drawing us to see
Jesus Christ. Why waste time on speculations when we can see Jesus?
What is frightening
is that often, if the Bible won’t satisfy our curiosity, we will simply make
things up, overlay our fanciful ideas on the text, and act like proud little
boys who are able to recite their ABC’s, all the while thinking that “LMNOP” is
one letter. It is not a pretty sight to see grown men imitating puppies chasing
their tails. We seem to be especially good at this when it comes to eschatology
(sorry, couldn’t resist).
When I am in a
checkout line in a store I try to read the nametag of the cashier, because I
want to use that name when I speak to her or him. I want to acknowledge the
cashier as a person, as someone who is serving me, as someone who matters to
God and matters to me. Names matter, people matter. How much do people matter?
You will never meet a person whom Jesus Christ did not die for; you will never
meet a person whom God does not love. That ought to challenge our own attitudes
and actions toward others – this does not mean that we approve of everything
that people do, that is just plan dumb; but it does mean we ask God, by His
grace, to help us be His Presence is a world gone crazy.
I’m not as good at
remembering names as I used to be, and I’ve come to accept that. I tell myself I’ll
try harder to remember, but usually I still forget names – my goodness,
sometimes I can’t even remember the names of people who I’ve worked with in the
past.
What do you
think is more important? Remembering names or remembering people? If I can
connect with the person, I am more likely to recall the name of the person.
Agur, Jakeh,
Ithiel, Ucal; I do like those names.
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