HOW COULD WE BE SO DECEIVED AND WE DO NOT KNOW IT?
THE PRAYER OF AGUR, THE POET (Pro30:1-14)
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AGUR, the writer of Proverbs 30, in verse 7 prayed to God and said, “Two things I asked of you; do not refuse me before I die.” He went on to list the two things as, those things that devastate the world, deception and lies, poverty and richness.
1. Keep deception and lies far from me, he prayed,
2. Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion. I do not want to be full and deny you and say, who is God. I do not want to be in want of what to eat then steal and profane your name. (Proverbs 30:8-9) paraphrased.
Keep deception and lies far from me
When he said, keep deception away from me, he was not only praying to God to take away deceptive people from him. He was equally praying to God to help him not to deceive himself by assuming who he is not. Lying is deception, and the Bible tells us that lying carries the same weight as witchcraft. Agur does not want to lie; he does not want to face the punishment that befits a liar. So do you and I too.
This man, Agur, has seen bad things that were happening in his society or community and he could not hold it any longer. He decided to speak up, to warn the people. These same things are happening in our communities, societies and states, today. Many of us want to speak up, many enjoy and join the bandwagon while many oppose and persecute those who question their intents. Agur, from the beginning of his poem declined from being reckoned with as wise or holy or knowledgeable (Pro 30:2-3) yet he was excellent in declaring whom the Lord is (proverbs 30:4) and the importance of those who take refuge in God (Proverbs30: 5). He went on to warn them:
a. Every word of God is tested (Pro 30:5), - this is an indication that one of the deceits has to do with the word of God. People have started perverting the word of God to suit their ears (2Timothy4: 3). Apostasy and gnosis have started and it will have deadly outcome if not controlled.
b. ‘Do not add to His word lest He reproves you and you will be proved a liar’ (Prov.30: 6) Voila! When you say that God said something He did not say, be careful. When you quote His word to suit your evil intention or immoral state of your life, be careful. When you use his word to deceive people because they do not have the understanding yet, be careful. Agur spoke up, how about you? Will you speak up when something bad is happening before your nose or will you protect your position in the church, work and home and let many suffer or profane the name of the Lord? This is tough and Agur prayed, keep deception and lies from me before I die. What about you, would you say amen to Agur’s prayer? I say amen to it!
c. ‘Do not slander slave to his master, lest he curses you and you be found guilty’ (Pro30: 10). Slander is another form of deceit and lie. There is nothing in it that is true. It is calculated assassination of character. The intent is destruction. You intended to hurt, wound, punish or destroy the person’s livelihood. If you are wondering whether you have ever slandered anyone, start checking from how you react to someone else’s story, your input in the things that you are not sure about. How do you respond to your superior in matters that questions the integrity of a co-worker? Do you cook up story against someone because that person hurt you or because you do not like that person for your prioritized reasons? You are a slander and you are guilty before God. One good thing is, if you listen and make a decision from today and pray the prayer of Agur, turn to God in repentance and ask the Lord Jesus to help you, you will be fine. This is what you have to do because you do not have much time to linger in sin. You do not know when the end will meet you. Do the wise thing, stop slandering, gossiping, assuming and rejoicing in the fall of your enemy.
Agur went ahead and pointed out the kind of people he thought are deceptive and not showing their true colors
d. (I) A kind of man who curses his father
(II) A kind of man who will not bless his mother (Pro30: 11)
The two kinds of men Agur addressed here are really very foolish men. The Bible tells us in Exodus 20:12, ‘Honor your father and your mother THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE PROLONGED IN THE LAND WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES YOU’ Any Christian man, youth, boy, woman, girl, wife, and daughter who do not honor his/her parents for any justified or unjustified reason is a fool. You must us wisdom not to curse or withhold blessing from your parents. Even when or if that parents exhibits hatred, torment or torture, you must use wisdom to deal with them while reaming innocent before God. I am saying this because there are parents who do not know their limits in meddling in the affairs of their married children. You must treat them with wisdom and let them to be wise in the Lord. Some of us do not want to help our fathers because they were not there for us when we needed their help, this is the time to let them know what they have missed as fathers by being good children to them. We cannot all be wrong, I think being evenly good is better than payback to our blood!
(III) A kind of man who is pure in his eyes, yet is not washed from his filthiness (Pro30: 12) Have you ever seen a man who is drunk but will not admit that he is drunk even though he is falling and gapping? You ask him, “Are you alright?” and he would reply, “Yes, I am okay, in fact I am seeing visions.” He is this kind of person Agur is talking about. He tells you that he is a born again Christian but what comes out of his/her mouth are devourer and hades. You can’t participate in his conversations and he will not take it lightly when you try to correct him. He sees nothing wrong with the way he is living his life. Agur says that he is deceptive and a liar and pray that such be keep far away from him. I say amen, God guide and guard my heart and mind that I may not deceive myself and plunge into hell in Jesus name. Amen. Did you say Amen with me, so shall it be. Be who you are and admit it when you are in the wrong path so that you can exit the next exit and go the right way, the way of purity in the blood of Jesus. Let Him wash you, I am continually in his washing machine until I am completely clean. It is a process through a journey.
(IV) A kind of man, oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. This is the kind of man whose teeth are like swords and his jaws like knives to devour the afflicted from the earth, and the needy from among men (Pro30: 13-14). Well, this overwhelms me. To see those who are poor and need and desire to take from them what they have so that they could starve and die. To pretend that they are not in existence so that no one remembers them. The employers deny them employment because they are not already well dressed without a job. What can we say? My prayer is that God will bless as many as are reading this commentary so that they will have enough for those who need their help. May you not be lofty in heart and arrogant as to neglect the needy and curse your maker.
Please, after reading this take your Bible and read Proverbs30: 1-14 and if possible read all so that in the follow up article you will be able to contribute more.
#2 Prayer, “Give me neither poverty nor riches” (We will continue with this tomorrow). Meanwhile trust yourself in God and observe all that promote righteousness and do not deceive yourself or anyone, it is very important.
“
AGUR, the writer of Proverbs 30, in verse 7 prayed to God and said, “Two things I asked of you; do not refuse me before I die.” He went on to list the two things as, those things that devastate the world, deception and lies, poverty and richness.
1. Keep deception and lies far from me, he prayed,
2. Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion. I do not want to be full and deny you and say, who is God. I do not want to be in want of what to eat then steal and profane your name. (Proverbs 30:8-9) paraphrased.Keep deception and lies far from me
When he said, keep deception away from me, he was not only praying to God to take away deceptive people from him. He was equally praying to God to help him not to deceive himself by assuming who he is not. Lying is deception, and the Bible tells us that lying carries the same weight as witchcraft. Agur does not want to lie; he does not want to face the punishment that befits a liar. So do you and I too.
This man, Agur, has seen bad things that were happening in his society or community and he could not hold it any longer. He decided to speak up, to warn the people. These same things are happening in our communities, societies and states, today. Many of us want to speak up, many enjoy and join the bandwagon while many oppose and persecute those who question their intents. Agur, from the beginning of his poem declined from being reckoned with as wise or holy or knowledgeable (Pro 30:2-3) yet he was excellent in declaring whom the Lord is (proverbs 30:4) and the importance of those who take refuge in God (Proverbs30: 5). He went on to warn them:
a. Every word of God is tested (Pro 30:5), - this is an indication that one of the deceits has to do with the word of God. People have started perverting the word of God to suit their ears (2Timothy4: 3). Apostasy and gnosis have started and it will have deadly outcome if not controlled.
b. ‘Do not add to His word lest He reproves you and you will be proved a liar’ (Prov.30: 6) Voila! When you say that God said something He did not say, be careful. When you quote His word to suit your evil intention or immoral state of your life, be careful. When you use his word to deceive people because they do not have the understanding yet, be careful. Agur spoke up, how about you? Will you speak up when something bad is happening before your nose or will you protect your position in the church, work and home and let many suffer or profane the name of the Lord? This is tough and Agur prayed, keep deception and lies from me before I die. What about you, would you say amen to Agur’s prayer? I say amen to it!
c. ‘Do not slander slave to his master, lest he curses you and you be found guilty’ (Pro30: 10). Slander is another form of deceit and lie. There is nothing in it that is true. It is calculated assassination of character. The intent is destruction. You intended to hurt, wound, punish or destroy the person’s livelihood. If you are wondering whether you have ever slandered anyone, start checking from how you react to someone else’s story, your input in the things that you are not sure about. How do you respond to your superior in matters that questions the integrity of a co-worker? Do you cook up story against someone because that person hurt you or because you do not like that person for your prioritized reasons? You are a slander and you are guilty before God. One good thing is, if you listen and make a decision from today and pray the prayer of Agur, turn to God in repentance and ask the Lord Jesus to help you, you will be fine. This is what you have to do because you do not have much time to linger in sin. You do not know when the end will meet you. Do the wise thing, stop slandering, gossiping, assuming and rejoicing in the fall of your enemy.
Agur went ahead and pointed out the kind of people he thought are deceptive and not showing their true colors
d. (I) A kind of man who curses his father
(II) A kind of man who will not bless his mother (Pro30: 11)
The two kinds of men Agur addressed here are really very foolish men. The Bible tells us in Exodus 20:12, ‘Honor your father and your mother THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE PROLONGED IN THE LAND WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES YOU’ Any Christian man, youth, boy, woman, girl, wife, and daughter who do not honor his/her parents for any justified or unjustified reason is a fool. You must us wisdom not to curse or withhold blessing from your parents. Even when or if that parents exhibits hatred, torment or torture, you must use wisdom to deal with them while reaming innocent before God. I am saying this because there are parents who do not know their limits in meddling in the affairs of their married children. You must treat them with wisdom and let them to be wise in the Lord. Some of us do not want to help our fathers because they were not there for us when we needed their help, this is the time to let them know what they have missed as fathers by being good children to them. We cannot all be wrong, I think being evenly good is better than payback to our blood!
(III) A kind of man who is pure in his eyes, yet is not washed from his filthiness (Pro30: 12) Have you ever seen a man who is drunk but will not admit that he is drunk even though he is falling and gapping? You ask him, “Are you alright?” and he would reply, “Yes, I am okay, in fact I am seeing visions.” He is this kind of person Agur is talking about. He tells you that he is a born again Christian but what comes out of his/her mouth are devourer and hades. You can’t participate in his conversations and he will not take it lightly when you try to correct him. He sees nothing wrong with the way he is living his life. Agur says that he is deceptive and a liar and pray that such be keep far away from him. I say amen, God guide and guard my heart and mind that I may not deceive myself and plunge into hell in Jesus name. Amen. Did you say Amen with me, so shall it be. Be who you are and admit it when you are in the wrong path so that you can exit the next exit and go the right way, the way of purity in the blood of Jesus. Let Him wash you, I am continually in his washing machine until I am completely clean. It is a process through a journey.(IV) A kind of man, oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. This is the kind of man whose teeth are like swords and his jaws like knives to devour the afflicted from the earth, and the needy from among men (Pro30: 13-14). Well, this overwhelms me. To see those who are poor and need and desire to take from them what they have so that they could starve and die. To pretend that they are not in existence so that no one remembers them. The employers deny them employment because they are not already well dressed without a job. What can we say? My prayer is that God will bless as many as are reading this commentary so that they will have enough for those who need their help. May you not be lofty in heart and arrogant as to neglect the needy and curse your maker.
Please, after reading this take your Bible and read Proverbs30: 1-14 and if possible read all so that in the follow up article you will be able to contribute more.
#2 Prayer, “Give me neither poverty nor riches” (We will continue with this tomorrow). Meanwhile trust yourself in God and observe all that promote righteousness and do not deceive yourself or anyone, it is very important.
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