Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread of my daily need
Agur's prayer is short, and it asks for very little: no falsehood, no poverty, no riches — just the food he needs. He asks to be kept from both extremes rather than tested by either.
The first half of the prayer is not about money at all. Older translations read "vanity" — emptiness — where the ESV has "falsehood", and the comment below follows that older wording.
The dependent spirit of a creature of God is seen here in its simplicity. Conscience is truly at work, along with a discerning distrust of the flesh. First, vanity is the very realm in which the whole world moves. Living only for the present, man has no substance he can grasp as his own. The objects of his work and desire are only beautifully decorated bubbles, empty and ready to burst. It is simply "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," with no substantial, eternal reality in it. "Lies" are added alongside this, because these too have far too strong an influence throughout society. Only real dependence on God in prayer will keep the child of God from either vanity or lies.
Agur asks to be spared two opposite dangers.
Many pray Agur's first prayer, "Give me not poverty," but few pray his last prayer, "Give me not riches."
Commentators differ over who prays this — some read it as Agur's own prayer, others hear Solomon in it. Read the second way, the warning came from a man who later ignored it.
At one point in Solomon's life he saw the danger of riches… As we follow the history of his reign, we find the love of riches growing on Solomon. God was too kind to His frail servant, and it cost him his soul.
Wealth is dangerous because of where it sends a person's trust.
He knows the serious dangers of wealth, which men so often trust in, showing little regard for the God who has blessed them.
Jesus taught His followers to pray for bread day by day. The word He used sets a limit.
Then comes a petition expressing dependence on God for our ordinary need. "Give us our needed bread for each day." It takes up the pure and simple need of the body. The word "daily" is a very imperfect rendering of the original term. The Greek word means our "enough" bread. It seems to have been formed on purpose for this idea, in contrast with having more than we need. To ask for more than enough would slight the wisdom of the Lord. He tells me to ask for bread enough for each day's wants.
The other half of the prayer looks at what hunger can push a person to do.
On the other hand, poverty is not good either… The answer here again is a true, real faith that trusts the living God. That faith is expressed in this beautiful and honest prayer. He recognises the danger of stealing and of taking God's name in vain, and he will not trust himself; his trust is in God. If men steal to satisfy their hunger, they often use God's name to justify it, but this is false, an outrage against that name. We can understand a man's feelings when he steals in such a case. But honest prayer to God would bring a righteous answer, however hopeless the situation seemed. Can we not be sure that God will answer a prayer like this? It is clearly a prayer of faith.
One writer compares Agur here with Paul.
He was a man of God, and he walked in a good spirit. But he was not a devoted man. He did not know how to have plenty and how to be in need. He dreaded poverty in case he should steal, and riches in case he should deny God. He was not prepared for changes. But Paul was. He had surrendered himself to Christ, as Agur had not. He was taught both to be full and to be hungry. He could do all things through Christ strengthening him.
- Cause. The prayer starts with self-distrust. Conscience is awake, and the world's prizes look like decorated bubbles ready to burst.
- Ask. He asks two things, not one. Most people pray against poverty and skip the prayer against riches.
- Evidence. Solomon is the proof. He once saw the danger of riches, then the love of riches grew on him and cost him his soul.
- Measure. Enough is the whole ask. Jesus taught His followers to pray for the day's bread and nothing more.
- Result. Kept from the wealth that denies God and the hunger that steals, the one who prays this rests on God, not on circumstances. Paul went further: he learned to be full or hungry through Christ's strength.
lest I be full and deny [thee], and say, Who is Jehovah? or lest I be poor and steal, and outrage the name of my God.
Agur, the man praying here, names two things he fears. Both end at the same place: a heart that no longer treats God as God. He asks God to spare him not only from want but from plenty. He does not trust himself with either.
The verse gives the reason for the request in verse 8. He asks God to remove both extremes, because both lead a man to push aside what God has said.
The prayer of Agur in verses 7-9 is closely linked with the verses before it. He prays to be delivered from vanity and lies, so that he may have a true and honest heart. Such a heart is needed to receive the truth of God. Then he prays to have neither poverty nor riches. Poverty might tempt him to steal and take the name of God in vain, and then he would reject His Word. Riches would mean the same, since they might lead him to say, Who is the Lord?
Most people only ever pray one half of it.
Many pray Agur's first prayer, "Give me not poverty," but few pray his last prayer, "Give me not riches" (Prov. 30:8).
The first fear is that being full will make him deaf to God.
Prosperity often deafens the ear against God. "I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, I will not hear" (Jer. 22:21). Soft pleasures harden the heart. Prosperity has its honey, and also its sting… The spreading of a full table may be the spreading of a snare. Many have been sunk to hell with golden weights.
One king saw this danger clearly and was still overtaken by it.
At one period of Solomon's life he saw the danger of riches… As we follow the history of his reign, we find the love of riches growing on him. God was too kind to His frail servant, and it cost him his soul. He had fleets at sea which brought him gold and silver in abundance.
Pharaoh asked this same question — "Who is the LORD?" — when he refused to let Israel go.
"Who is Jehovah," said Pharaoh, in the pride and dense ignorance of his heart, "that I should obey His voice, to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." (Ex. 5:2.) Such were the words of a mortal creature. But the Lord is known by the judgment which He executes. (Ps. 9:16.) This Pharaoh found to his cost; so men will find by and by.
The second fear is that need will drive him to steal, and then to use God's name to cover it. He does not trust himself here; he trusts God and prays.
The danger of stealing and taking God's Name in vain he recognizes, and will not trust himself, but his trust is in God. If men steal to satisfy their hunger, they often use God's Name to justify it. But this is false. It is an outrage against that Name. We can understand how a man feels when he steals in such a case. But honest prayer to God would bring a righteous answer, however hopeless the condition seemed. Can we not be quite sure that God will answer a prayer like this? It is clearly a prayer of faith.
There is a matching duty on those who watch a person suffer. Sympathy withheld can push someone toward the very edge Agur dreads.
It is a fundamental principle that pity should be shown to a sufferer by his friends, in case, under the stress of trial — as some have rendered it — "he should forsake the fear of the Almighty." Agur therefore prayed that he might be preserved from extreme poverty, "Lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Prov. 30:9).
Between the two fears sits the request for exactly enough. Another prayer asks in the same way, and one word carries the whole idea.
Then comes a petition expressive of dependence on God for our ordinary need. "Give us our needed bread for each day." It takes up the pure and simple need of the body. The word "daily" is a very imperfect expression in English of the original term. It really means our "sufficient" bread. The word seems to have been formed just for this idea, in contrast with having more than enough. One cannot without slighting the wisdom of the Lord ask for more than sufficiency.
Commentators do not treat this prayer as the last word. One notes that asking to be spared both extremes is not the same as being able to face either.
He was godly, and of a lowly, self-judging spirit… But he was not a devoted man. He did not know how to abound and how to suffer need. He dreaded poverty in case he should steal, and riches in case he should deny God. He was not prepared for changes. Neither was Job. But Paul was… He was instructed both to be full and to be hungry. He could do all things through Christ strengthening him.
- Self-distrust starts it. Agur will not trust himself with wealth or with want, so he asks God to keep him from both.
- Fullness denies. Plenty deafens the ear; the full table can be a snare, and it overtook Solomon, who had seen the danger coming.
- Want profanes. Need can drive a man to steal and then use God's name to excuse it — honest prayer is the righteous alternative.
- Enough is the request. The middle petition matches the Lord's own: sufficient bread for each day, and no more.
- Beyond enough lies devotion. Agur asked God to spare him the extremes. Paul learned to be full and to be hungry, doing all things through Christ who strengthened him.