There are three [things] too wonderful for me, and four that I know not
Agur, who wrote this chapter, stops to admit that some things are beyond him. Why would a wise man list what he cannot explain, and what do these four things have in common?
Chapter 30 is built out of groups of four. This verse opens one of them:
The heading of Proverbs 30 names Agur son of Jakeh, and also Ithiel and Ucal. Since these names are not known, some have suggested that they are symbolic, and that Agur refers to Solomon. Whether that is so or not does not affect the value of the proverbs. There are six sets of four things: Four generations that are evil (Prov. 30:11-14) Four things that are never satisfied (Prov. 30:15-16) Four things that cannot be figured out (Prov. 30:18-19) Four things that are unbearable (Prov. 30:21-23) Four things that are weak, yet wise (Prov. 30:24-28) Four things that are very stately (Prov. 30:29-31)
The four have one thing in common, and it reaches past the natural world:
All of these have this in common: they follow no set pattern, and their movements are unpredictable. Is not all of this a reflection of the way of mankind during his little time of testing here? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
The first wonder is a bird moving through air that holds nothing up. What the watcher admires, the victim never sees coming:
The realms of the air, the land, and the sea come into view here again, before the verse speaks of "the way of a man." The first sphere is mysterious and wonderful. It gives the eagle no visible support. Yet the bird soars high into the heavens, dives and climbs, spirals and floats. Every interested watcher wonders at it. Yet all the while the eagle may be watching for a victim, on which he falls with sudden swiftness from the sky. What a picture of the judgment of God, ready to fall upon the world, by whatever means it may please Him. Let man consider!
Another writer asks what the eagle itself stands for:
The "way of an eagle in the sky" is one of the four things the wise man speaks of as "too wonderful" for him (Prov. 30:18-19). Join to this what the eagle itself conveys to us as a "bird of heaven" — a picture of what is heavenly, with its bold, soaring flight.
The second picture sets a twisting creature on stone it cannot mark:
The rock, on the other hand, is solid, a picture of Christ as the eternal God, the stable Rock of Ages. The serpent of course makes no mark on the rock. Yet there it shows its winding, twisting, aimless, unreasoning character... How tragic too that multitudes follow the same twisted course, as though lost in a hopeless maze. And all this at the very time when salvation in Christ is near them, if they would only receive Him.
The third wonder is a small boat that makes no clear progress, yet stays afloat:
But the sea is the very picture of instability, a picture of the nations in a state of constant unrest and turmoil. A ship may ride over the waves, though greatly affected by them. Of course he is thinking of a small sailing ship, tossed in every direction. You can hardly see it making progress toward a definite end... Do we not marvel today at Israel's dangerous position? Angry nations toss and threaten her, yet she still rides over the waves, upheld as though by an invisible hand. Yet only the coming of the Lord Jesus will quiet the waves, and bring Israel's ship to shore.
The list ends inside the human heart. Here wisdom must admit it cannot read motive — in others or in ourselves:
Psychologists may try to explain the motives and reasoning behind what people do. At best these are only guesses. True wisdom admits that here is something beyond its power to explain. Indeed, man does not know his own heart well enough to honestly explain the reasons for his actions. Only God knows exactly what thoughts, motives and reasonings give rise to man's strange ways... Trying to analyse motives will never lead to a proper conclusion. How much better to leave these things as matters of wonder, which human wisdom cannot explain. If we cannot trust ourselves to read our own motives rightly, how much less can we trust ourselves with the motives of others!
- Six sets. These verses are one of six groups of four in the chapter — the group no one can figure out.
- No pattern. Air, rock and sea leave no trail. What ties the four together is that none of them follows a set path.
- Air. The eagle flies with no visible support, yet it climbs, watches, and drops — a picture of judgment ready to fall on the world.
- Rock. The serpent winds over stone it cannot mark, and many take the same twisting course while salvation stands near them.
- Sea and heart. A tossed ship still rides the waves, upheld as though by an unseen hand; and only God reads the heart. Wonder, not analysis, is the wise answer.
The way of an eagle in the heavens, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.
Agur, the writer of this chapter, ends his list of wonders with what he cannot explain. He names four movements he can watch but never trace. Each one leaves no track behind it. The fourth — the way of a man with a virgin — moves the mystery from the natural world into the human heart.
The verse sits inside a pattern that runs through the whole chapter.
Proverbs 30 has a heading, "The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh." There are six sets of four things... four things that are impossible to understand (30:18-19)...
Agur's own account of himself shows where his wisdom comes from.
Human education had not given him wisdom in divine things. Nor did he have the knowledge of the holy: this was not a matter of human intuition either. Yet, in what follows, the wisdom of Agur's words is most remarkable. But it is higher than human. It is a revelation from God, who uses this instrument to declare things of the greatest value for the blessing of souls.
Air, rock and sea are three different worlds, yet the same thing baffles the observer in each.
All of these have one thing in common: there is no set pattern, and their movements are unpredictable. Is not all of this a reflection of the way of mankind during his short time of testing here? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Nothing under the eagle holds it up, and nothing in its flight tells you where it is going next.
The first sphere is mysterious and wonderful. It gives the eagle no visible support, yet the eagle soars high into the heavens. It dives and climbs, spirals and floats, in a way that awakens the wonder of every interested observer. Yet all the while the eagle may be watching for a victim, on which he falls with sudden swiftness from the sky. What a picture of the judgment of God, ready to fall on the world, by whatever means it may please Him.
The same flight has been read in another direction — as a picture of truth that comes from above rather than judgment falling from above.
It is just "the way of the eagle in the air" of which the writer of Proverbs speaks once more, as one of the "things too wonderful for him" (Prov. 30:19). It is the soaring character of truth in John that is pointed out to us here: truth that penetrates regions quite outside human knowledge.
The serpent leaves nothing behind on the rock, yet the way it moves still tells you what it is.
The rock is solid, a type of Christ as the eternal God, the stable Rock of Ages. The serpent of course makes no impression on the rock, yet the rock displays its twisting, aimless, unreasoning character. What is all Satan's activity compared to the blessed Rock of Ages? How tragic too that crowds of people follow the same crooked course, as though lost in a hopeless maze. All the while, salvation in Christ is near them, if only they would receive Him.
A ship in open water seems to be pushed everywhere and to arrive nowhere.
The sea is the very picture of instability, a type of the nations in constant unrest and turmoil. He is thinking of a small sailing ship. The waves toss it in every direction, and you can hardly see it making progress toward a definite end. Do we not also marvel today at Israel? The angry nations toss and threaten her, yet she still rises above the waves, upheld as though by an invisible hand. Yet only the coming of the Lord Jesus will quiet the waves and bring Israel's ship to shore.
The fourth wonder is the one every generation still tries to solve.
Even "the way of a man with a virgin" is beyond Agur's knowledge. Psychologists may try to explain the motives and reasoning behind men's actions, but at best these are only guesses. Man does not know his own heart well enough to give an honest explanation of his actions. Only God knows exactly the thoughts, motives and reasonings of man that lie behind his strange ways. When a man's heart is involved, it is useless to expect cool, calculating wisdom to dictate his actions... How much better to leave these things as matters of wonder, which human wisdom cannot explain.
Beneath the human picture lies a greater love that also refuses analysis.
Can human reason understand His marvellous ways of love and grace? He gave Himself for so unworthy an object. He nourishes and cherishes her with tenderest concern. He sanctifies and cleanses her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He may present her to Himself (Eph. 5:25-29). We shall never fathom all that this involves, but it will hold our wondering adoration for eternity.
- Confession. Agur admits he never learned wisdom; what follows is a revelation from God, not the fruit of education.
- Pattern. The chapter groups its sayings in six sets of four; this verse holds the four that no one can understand.
- No track. Air, rock and sea keep no mark. There is no set pattern, and the movements are unpredictable.
- Mirror. Man's own way is the same: the eagle's sudden drop, the serpent's aimless twisting, the ship's tossing, and a heart no one can understand.
- Wonder. What wisdom cannot explain calls for adoration, not analysis — above all the love of Christ for His bride, which will hold us for eternity.