Agur – living contentedly and frugally
Series: Like you and me | Bible text: Proverbs 30:7–9
Agur is a wise man with high self-knowledge and self-awareness. He knows his weaknesses and temptations: Falsehood and lying, and having too much or too little. He prays to God to keep this away from him. Basically, he prays for authenticity, for truth and for a lifestyle of contentment and frugality. These are the conditions he needs so that he can live out of a healthy relationship with God. Like you and me.
Our whole economic system is geared towards growth. If this is not 1 to 3%, we talk about economic stagnation or depression. Only growth is positive. Since the Second World War, this has more or less always been the case. But now some things are happening in this world that are weakening our economy and causing a slump. Last week we read in the newspaper that the airline Swiss was going to cut 1000 jobs. Many other companies – even renowned ones – are doing the same. The business community is not very optimistic about the future. Today’s youth is the first generation since the Second World War that cannot assume that things will always go up. Before, it was always clear that whoever learns a good profession and is healthy will have a good income that increases until retirement.
Wisdom is needed to deal with the challenges of today. A few years ago, there was an interesting column in the free newspaper distributed at railway stations. A woman of barely 20 years and a pensioner commented on events of the zeitgeist. After a year, they took stock of their collaboration. The young woman said: «Compared to my colleague, I definitely understand more about today’s times and technologies, but he understands more about life.» Wise Agur also understands more about life. He is the author of the penultimate chapter of Proverbs, a book from the wisdom literature. Agur, despite his wisdom, was a very modest contemporary who considered himself average – not particularly gifted or particularly smart: «I am too stupid to be a human being; indeed, I have no understanding. I have no wisdom, and I do not know God, the Holy One.»(Proverbs 30:2–3 NL). That is perhaps a bit thick. In any case, he knows that he is no genius, no high-flyer who has rushed from success to success in his life. He does not spread an aura of specialness. Just like you and me.
The prayer he now says sums up his wisdom of life. For he prays it in the face of his dying: «Two things I ask of you, that you will not deny me before I die»(Proverbs 30:7 Lut). Agur asks for the two most important things in life.
Neither falsehood nor lies
«Let falsehood and lies be far from me»(Proverbs 30:8a Lut). Agur wants to be a sincere and straightforward person – in dealing with other people and himself. He does not want formalised relationships where much is a façade. But he also asks for honesty towards himself. There are so many life lies that believe: If I had had a better childhood, I would be successful today. It’s your fault that I’m not happy. I have to be perfect. You have to fulfil all my needs. God will save me from all difficulties. I have to get something done for me to count for something. The worst lie anyone could believe is that you can do without God.
Yes, you can fool yourself and lie to yourself for years – often until a crisis exposes the lie as unsustainable. Not infrequently, we experience liberation from life’s lies in times when we can only trust God. Perhaps Agur was experiencing just such a crisis in the form of burnout. Agur confesses: «I am tired, God; I am weary and exhausted»(Proverbs 30:1 NL). Many men live according to the lie that they have to be the best. Then they look for an area where they can be successful, e.g. making money. Often they get stranded with x‑hundred hours of overtime, a divorce or a burnout.
In a TED talk, which are inspirational short talks, it was explained that when a woman looks at a magazine, she knows that all these pictures of women have been edited and are not real at all. With her mind she knows that these women don’t look like the pictures. And then she puts the magazine down and wants to look exactly like the women in that magazine. These lying photos poison our thinking. Although we know that these are not real, they influence our image of what a beautiful woman should look like. No wonder, according to the survey, 90% of all women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Agur’s request is wisdom that grows out of self-knowledge. He prays that wrong thinking should no longer come to him.
Neither poverty nor wealth
«And let me neither become poor nor rich, but give me just as much as I need. For if I become rich, I might deny you and say, «Who is the Lord?» And if I am too poor, I might steal and so bring the holy name of God into disrepute»(Proverbs 30:8b‑9 NL). Have you ever prayed not to get rich? Probably no one would object to a spontaneous wage increase. We would much rather say the prayer of Jabez, which promotes our prosperity and wealth: «Expand my territory»(1 Chronicles 4:10 NL). Agur sees great dangers in poverty and wealth:
The danger of wealthWealth can be a stumbling block, that I put my trust in my possessions instead of in God. This leads to overestimation of oneself and one makes oneself believe that one is an invulnerable hero. Not only the lips, but the whole lifestyle asks: «Who is the Lord?» Pharaoh responds with this very phrase when Moses told him: «Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Let my people go»(Exodus 5:1 Lut). In good German: What do I care about the Lord. Look at me, I have achieved everything, I don’t have to follow anyone. This is probably also the reason why Jesus states: «It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God»(Mark 10:25 NL). Once upon a time there was a farmer who owned a large farm with fields. The harvest was so great that his barns could not hold the crops. Then he had a good idea. He tore down all his barns and built bigger ones. This expansion gave him a great deal of security for the next few years. He thought he had everything under control. «But God said to him: «How stupid of you! You will die this very night. And then who will get all this?» «(Luke 12:20 NL). This entrepreneur did not know the good measure and expanded more and more. How much is enough?
Danger of povertyRecently I heard from a single mother. She is one of the Working poor, i.e. she works, but her money is not enough. Every time she stands in front of a cash register, she has to add up whether she has enough money to pay. Her gaze is so focused on the lack of money that she too is in danger of no longer trusting God for her provision. Poor and wealthy people often have the same problem: it’s all about money. Both are in danger of Mammon overthrowing God from his throne. A few days ago, the Rundschau reported about North Africans who are on a thieving spree in Lausanne. These people are so poor that they have nothing to lose. Last week, money was stolen several times from our bistro cash register. Maybe the perpetrator is a poor person. As Christians we are obliged to help such people. We would like to do this.
Agur prays for healthy financial circumstances so that he can have a healthy relationship with his Creator. He knows that if he has too much or too little, he takes it into his own hands and no longer trusts God. He prays for framework conditions that will enable him to live a good life in dependence on his God.
Contentment and frugality
What then is the good solution in material terms: «And let me neither become poor nor rich, but give me just as much as I need»(Proverbs 30:8b NL). Agur prays neither for wealth nor for poverty, but for frugality. Basically, he asks: Give me exactly enough for today. That’s a problem for us Swiss. We not only have enough for today, but at least for the next two weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jesus in the Our Father Prayer refers precisely to this passage. Give us today our daily bread. Let’s not keep hoarding purchases, huge stocks neither in the bank account nor in the fridge. Fresh bread every day smells and tastes good. Give me just as much as I need, that I have enough – no more, no less.
Jesus also says: «Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for each day brings its own burdens. Today’s worries are enough for today»(Matthew 6:34 NL). Today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow. How many worries and stresses revolve around things that are not today. Worrying is wasted energy anyway. At least 98% of what I worry about never comes to pass. And the other 2% I can’t prevent with my worries.
Shalom does not mean that the weapons are silent and all is well. Shalom does not mean politicians sitting together and developing peace plans. Shalom means having enough. Shalom is the feeling that I’m not missing out. Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5). About him Paul says: «For he is our peace»(Ephesians 2:14 NL). This means nothing other than: He is enough, He gives enough. Jesus puts an end to the feeling that I always come up short, have too little, am too little or can’t please anyone. Throughout the Arab world, people know what shalom means. Some people greet each other with Shalom, others with Shalam. And everyone understands the greeting: I wish you to have enough. Every quarrel and every war begins with envy and the feeling of being short-changed. Those who have found this peace can not only live frugally, but also at PEACE. «That is why we want to be content as long as we have enough food and clothing. People who want to become rich only fall into temptation and become entangled in so many foolish and harmful desires that they ultimately fall into ruin and their own downfall. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil; thus some people have departed from the faith out of greed for money and have caused themselves much pain» (1Timothy 6:8–10 NL). It is true: the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. How many families drifted apart because of inheritance disputes? How much envy is there because of money? How many crimes and dishonesties were committed because of money? The solution to all this evil lies in the wisdom of Agur.
«He makes peace within your borders and satiates you with the best wheat»(Psalm 147:14 Lut). The signs of the times indicate that we must learn to live with much narrower boundaries. Whoever wants the Shalom, the Enough-Have, personally, gets a huge joy, freedom and generosity in dealing with his possessions. Possession is a blessing with which we can bless others.
Agur is a person with very high self-knowledge and self-awareness. He knows about his weak points and temptations that he cannot cope with: falsehood and lies, having too much or too little. He prays that God will keep this away from him, for a lifestyle of contentment and frugality. These are the conditions he needs to live out of a healthy relationship with God. Like you and me. When we pray this earnestly, we begin to understand more about life.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: Proverbs 30:7–9
- The sermon is based on the idea that we will probably have to tighten our belts in the future. What do you think of this assessment?
- What do you think about the prayer of Agur? Would you use it as a template for yourself?
- What life lies do you suspect in your life? Have you already unmasked any? How did you get rid of them?
- Agur pleaded the principle in the material Enough-Have. How much is enough? What can we learn from the entrepreneur who did not have enough but enlarged his barn?
- What are the dangers of wealth?
