Christ in Prov 30
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Sermon: The Proverbs Code – What Do All These Numbers Mean?
Text: Proverbs 30:1-33
Opener: There is some speculation as to who is writing this particular chapter of Proverbs.
Claim #1 - Agur bin Jakeh was a writer and wrote this particular passage some call the Book of Agur or letters of Agur. Problem is there is no historical proof that such a man ever existed.
Claim #2 - Agur (Collector) is actually denoting that this passage is collected from some ancient writings. These could be writings of random leaders or Solomon himself. They speculate that these writings are a collection or Agur of one’s writings. However, this would lead us to have to symbolize the entire list of names.
Claim #3 - The likeliest of all estimations, and my personal take is that like in chapter 31 as well as in the entire book of Ecclesiastes the author is Solomon with a sir name. In the next chapter it is Lemuel, and in Ecclesiastes it is “the Preacher”. I hold to this because I consider the stance that King Solomon is taking in this text. He is using a sir name so that he can approach this text with freshness and force the reader to consider himself instead of the author.
It is similar to a movie that is both acted and directed by the same man. There are many in Hollywood today that hold the distinction of both actor and director. Sometimes they have the ability to do both. Really it is normal for us to understand that the actor is displaying a character while at the same time controlling the influence of the character from the place of director.
On screen or in the text Solomon is assuming the character, while behind the scenes he is directing the impact that character will have on us the viewing audience. Agur can present himself as a fool where none of us would believe Solomon when he claimed to be “unlearned”. Agur says I don’t have wisdom then we believe him. Until he proves otherwise. Solomon can use Agur to take us where we can’t go with Solomon. We want Solomon to deliver us where Agur will guide us.
Where the writer is taking us is that we might know and be convinced of vs. 5 - “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them unto them that put their trust in him.”
I. The Perspective of True Wisdom (Proverbs 30:1-6)
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
Surely I am more brutish than any man,
And have not the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom,
Nor have the knowledge of the holy.
A. True wisdom begins with good persepective.
Agur makes a declaration of that which is evident if you had no knowledge of God’s great wisdom. He starts with the declaration of how he is viewing creation. He is taking a page out of Solomon’s playbook in Ecclesiastes. Solomon says through out the book “under the Sun” which was his way of keeping the reader down in the natural with no commitment to the view point of God. He says…
I am a brute
I have no understanding
I have no wisdom
I have no knowledge of the holy.
Agur is not claiming that his is true of his person, he is trying to start his argument from the position of what would be true if this was true about you. If Agur were and atheist and denied the existence of God he could still look at creation and see the truth of the devine.
What is it that I can know if I was dropped out of nowhere.
• This contrasts the arrogance of those who trust in their own knowledge.
What we will arrive at if we just give nature an unbiased look…
• Verse 5 declares, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”
• We are warned not to add to God’s words (v.6), a truth echoed in Revelation 22:18-19
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Romans 1 Paul explains the gospel of the canon and the gospel of creation the gospel of the conscience leaves us all guilty before Him.
II. The Prayer for Balance (Proverbs 30:7-9)
Remove far from me vanity and lies:
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with food convenient for me:
A. A rare two-part prayer in Proverbs
• Agur asks for honesty and contentment—two essential heart attitudes for godly living.
• He recognizes the danger of both abundance (which leads to self-sufficiency) and lack (which can lead to stealing).
B. Christ is our true sufficiency
• Jesus taught us to pray,
Give us this day our daily bread.
• He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the only provision that fully satisfies our soul.
III. The Wisdom of Nature (Proverbs 30:15-31)
Agur uses a poetic pattern of “three things… yea, four” to illustrate divine order and human folly. These lists are not random but structured reflections on life, ultimately pointing to Christ.
A. The Four Insatiable Things (vv. 15-16)
“The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.”
• These illustrate the never-ending desires of fallen nature. Since the introduction of the fall . The curse has kept us unsatiable.
• Only Christ satisfies the deepest needs of the soul (John 4:13-14).
B. The Four Things That Are Small but Wise (vv. 24-28)
“The ants… the conies… the locusts… the spider…”
• These creatures display wisdom in preparation, security, unity, and persistence.
• They teach us to be diligent in faith, anchored in Christ, united as His body, and persistent in the gospel mission.
C. The Four Things That Walk Majestically (vv. 29-31)
“A lion… a greyhound… a he-goat… a king against whom there is no rising up.”
• Each represents authority, confidence, and strength.
• Jesus is the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), the King of kings who rules with unmatched authority.
IV. The Call to Humility and Repentance (Proverbs 30:32-33)
If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,
Or if thou hast thought evil,
Lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood:
So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.
“If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.”
James says, He that offend not in word is perfect.
A. The danger of pride and strife
• Agur warns against arrogance and stirring up conflict.
• Pride is the root of sin, and Jesus modeled the opposite—humility, service, and obedience (Mark 10:45).
B. Christ, the answer to our folly
• All of us have spoken foolishly, acted arrogantly, and failed in wisdom.
• Christ bore our foolishness on the cross so we could receive His righteousness and wisdom (2 Cor. 5:21).
Conclusion: Jesus—The Fulfillment of Proverbs 30
Proverbs 30 is more than an interesting collection of numbered sayings—
it is a call to humility,
dependence on God,
wisdom that ultimately points us to Christ.
It brings us back to those original questions that started it all.
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?
Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
Who hath bound the waters in a garment?
Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
Among the humiliations of the author he abandons his collected knowledge to this point. You see he knows the writing of his Father David and knows that Yahweh
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me,
And thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
Even the night shall be light about me.
He knows the writing of Moses as he pens the very first verses of the Law.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
No good law can stand without stating who has ownership and jurisdiction and so the Law states it from the outset.
Verse 4 gives us this question…
What is his name? and even more beautiful what is his son’s name?
Maybe more important these questions weren’t pointing backward they were pointing forward.
1. Ascending and Descending
• This echoes John 3:13, where Jesus says,
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
• Jesus is the only one who has come from heaven and returned, confirming His divine nature.
2. Power Over Creation
• The imagery of controlling wind and water reminds us of Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:39) and walking on water (Matthew 14:25).
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• Only God has power over nature, and Jesus demonstrated this authority.
3. “What is His Son’s Name?”
• This is a striking statement because the Old Testament rarely speaks of God having a Son.
• In the New Testament, we learn the answer: His Son is Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:17, John 1:14).
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
• Agur saw his need for wisdom—Jesus is our wisdom.
• Agur warned against self-reliance—Jesus calls us to trust in Him.
• Agur recognized the dangers of pride—Jesus humbled Himself to the cross.
