stephen R Harrison

I am the most ignorant of men. I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. – Proverbs 30:2-3

Potholes are from the devil. Well, I may have exaggerated for emphasis. Eventually, I learn where they are and dodge them as they seem to take forever to be repaired. They have become part of my driving routine, almost like the stop sign and dangerous curve. I hit a huge one a few years ago that instantly deflated my tire and caused my front end (and maybe my spine) to be unaligned. The coins in my change tray flew everywhere, and my drink flooded my cupholders.  If I only could have avoided it!

The key to avoiding evil is learning and living in God’s wisdom. In Proverbs 30, Agur confesses he is ignorant of God’s wisdom. He regrets his lack of understanding to the point of lament. Many men have looked back on lessons not learned with sorrow. There have been times in my life I wished I had listened to my parents’ advice or followed God’s Word. I could see it retrospectively. Those times increased my desire to prevent those times of rebellion and disobedience from happening again. I wanted to avoid evil more when I clearly saw the beauty of God’s wisdom and the blessings it granted. 

In Job-like fashion (38-41), Agur asked five questions that displayed man’s inability to compare to God and His wisdom (4). We are limited, while God is limitless. We pretend to know everything while God is omniscient. As Agur reflects, he admits only God’s Word is pure and trustworthy (5-6). He prayed God would keep him from being deceived and self-reliant (7-9). Agur admitted he had ignored God’s wisdom, was dependent solely on God’s Word, and was desperate for God to keep him from the temptation to do evil. Now that he has established that, how does Agur say we must avoid evil?

In Proverbs 30:11-14, Agur advises on four areas of evil that tempt us all. Rebellion (11), self-righteousness (12), pride (13), and greed (14) will ruin and keep us from being godly. Rebellion towards parents represents total disrespect for authority. Even though there were clear boundaries and the Law (Proverbs 20:20; Exodus 21:17), the insubordinate son wants nothing to do with respecting them. While we may not rebel against authority outright, doing so through murmuring and “tiptoeing over the line” are equally bad. They reveal our heart’s disdain for wisdom. When we read God’s Word and ignore or believe it is only for someone else, we invite evil to rule us. Instead of cursing God’s Word and those in authority, we should bless them by heeding their instruction. It will ultimately bless us.

The self-righteous man believes he is fine without God’s wisdom. He thinks he is pure in his own eyes but needs the cleansing of God’s Word to wash him (Ephesians 5:26). We may look clean on the outside and be filthy inside. Jesus addressed this with the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites. He said they should allow their inner man to be cleansed by God’s Word (inside of the cup) instead of appearing clean through outer rituals (outside of the cup) (Matthew 23:25-26). What good is a cup that is only clean on the outside?

Pride causes us to be arrogant or have “haughty eyes”. We look down on others and place ourselves as the standard of holiness. We have a lofty view of ourselves and contempt for others. Paul told the Romans they should “not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (Romans 12:3). How foolish is it (and destructive) to be drunk with pride!

Last, Agur warned against greed or taking advantage of the poor. If we have positions of power and prosperity, we should use them for the good of the most vulnerable. If we take advantage of others and see them as beneath us, we are not wise but fools. We must not exploit and seek to destroy others. If we do, we have become ravenous beasts whose “jaws are set with knives”.  Instead, we should be humble as the Lamb of Christ who gave his life, becoming obedient to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8).

Questions to Ponder

1. Which of these four areas causes you the greatest trouble?
2. In what ways does God’s Word combat these temptations? 
3. What verse stands out the most to you?
4. What other questions came to mind?

Actions to Take

1. Describe your Bible Study methods.
2. Agur mentions “daily bread” (30:8) and invokes the need for God’s Word daily. List some of the benefits of taking in God’s Word daily. 

Scriptures to Read

Proverbs 2:16, 4:14-15, 6:28, 13:14, 14:27

Prayers to Pray

Lord, help me avoid evil by staying in your Word. Keep me from rebellion, self-righteousness, pride, greed, and anything else contrary to Scripture. In Jesus’ name, Amen.