The Chapter 30 Diner (3)

  

“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 the knowledge of the Holy One.” Proverbs 30:2 – 3.

 

What do you think about these “words of Agur the son of Jakeh?”

 

Note than in verse 1 they are styled “the oracle” or “burden.” What do these words convey to you?

 

As you review what Agur says in Proverbs Chapter 30, is he really all that stupid, does he really lack wisdom, does it appear as if he has no knowledge of “the Holy One”?

 

What then, is behind Agur’s words in verses 2 and 3?

 

An oracle - burden, in a Biblical context is a message, a thought, a vision (whether one of our understanding, that is an “inner vision,” or one which our eyes also see; perhaps we can term it “an inner and outer vision,” though these words are inadequate), that is conveyed by God to men and women so that they, in turn, by God’s grace and inspiration can convey the oracle – burden to others as they are led by God the Holy Spirit.

 

This is one coin with two sides that cannot be separated, a Word from God is an oracle and a burden, a burden and an oracle. The element of burden is complex; for it is a burden in the sense of a heavy load that must be carried in the service of God and for the welfare of others, or to convey God’s judgement. But it can also be a burden in the sense of carrying God’s glory, for God’s glory is weighty, it is heavy, it requires us to bow before Him with our faces to the ground.

 

An oracle-burden from God always exalts God and not the messenger, not the one who carries and speaks the oracle-burden. A Word from God is a Word in which God is the focus, He is the Alpha and Omega of the message, and not the messenger. Granted, those who hear the Word of God may focus on the messenger as they respond, such as throwing Jeremiah into a well, or thinking more of the messenger than they ought to think, but the messenger knows full well that he or she is but a vessel of earth, and frail at that, so that God may receive the glory (2 Cor. 4:7 – 12).

 

A mark of suspect preachers and teachers is their desire to make something of themselves at the expense of the Flock of God (2 Cor. Chapter 11). Sadly, we are such dumb sheep that we would often rather follow the glitz and glitter and promise of advanced  supposed spiritual knowledge and special experience than we would the Christ of the Cross, the lowly Lamb and His servants who point to Him rather than to themselves.

 

Perhaps one reason we see so little illumination and revelation is our propensity to merchandise it and turn it into a movement or distinctive? Can you see the Apostle John on a book and speaking tour after returning from the island of Patmos and receiving the Revelation?

 

“General admission tickets are available to his appearance in Antioch, however, with the purchase of a special ticket you and a limited number of guests will not only have a pre-event social time with John, but he will give you some special insight on his experience in Patmos that he will not be sharing with the general audience. Also, this special ticket will entitle you to purchase up to five of John’s books at a discounted price and he promises to write a personalized inscription in one of them – just for you!!! ACT NOW BEFORE THESE SPECIAL TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT!”

 

Yes, I’m not sure we can be trusted with much insight, illumination, or revelation – we seem to have gone the way of Balaam. Some of us are more blatant about this than others, but it does seem to be in the water that a good many of us drink.

 

Peter writes that, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances (oracles) of God” (1 Peter 4:11). This ought to be our norm, and if we have times when we want to give our opinion about a matter when teaching or preaching, then we need to make it clear that that is what we’re doing – but our opinions should be the exception and speaking the oracles of God ought to be the rule. Have we lost our prophetic voice?

 

Do people in the pew really think they are hearing the oracles of God? Do those in the pulpit speak with the Divine imperative to preach the Word in the anointing of the Holy Spirit? If Jesus Christ sends us as the Father sent Him, then consider this:

 

“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28 – 29).

 

Are we preaching and teaching with authority?

 

On the other hand, there are those who claim to have a prophetic voice but who do not submit to the Bible as the Word of God, nor do they submit to the Church of Jesus Christ; they make merchandise of people, the Bible, and the Gospel – we see this in the Bible and throughout history.

 

What are we to do? We must keep looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we must do this in relationship with brothers and sisters who have taken up their cross, denied themselves, and are following Jesus Christ (Mark 8:34ff). The pilgrimage is hard and we must be ever vigilant – and we must do this together.

 

Also, let’s keep in mind that no matter what we’ve seen, and no matter what we think we know, that “we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Cor. 13:9). All too often when we have a burst of insight, we think we see all there is to see, when we ought to remind ourselves that whatever we have been given, we have been given for the benefit of others – and we ought to look to others through whom to filter what we have been given and to complement what we’ve been given. We are members of Christ’s Body and we are not the Head, we need the Head and we need the members of the Body or we cannot function as we have been called – we are to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord (Eph. 5:21).

 

Whatever we have been given should be in line with the Bible, the Church Fathers, faithful to the Nicene Creed, and in the historical stream of the Church throughout the ages. Let us never preach something that has not been preached before – for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Agur had a filter in his friends, Ithiel and Ucal; he had two men with whom he could share his pilgrimage, his learning, his growing; Agur could talk with them, and he could listen to them. Do we have such friends? Do we have friends that we can share our oracle-burdens with? Do we have friends whose oracle-burdens we can help carry?

 

What is behind Agur’s words in verses 2 and 3? When God gives us an oracle-burden, when He reveals His glory and His Word to us, when He pulls back the veil and we see heavenly things, His glory and majesty humble us, and we realize that no matter how glorious and terrible those things are which He has shown us, that on our best days we are “more stupid than any man,” and that the Living God is so awesome and great, that there is a sense in which we really don’t “have the knowledge of the Holy One.” We are like Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8).

 

“There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.” Proverbs 13:7.