Every word of +God is pure he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Agur opens chapter 30 by admitting he has no wisdom of his own. He then asks questions no human can answer: who has gone up to heaven, who holds the wind, what is God's name? Verse 5 answers from outside man altogether. Older translations read "Every word of God is pure," and the writers below comment on that older wording. It raises two questions: what makes God's word pure, and how does a word become a shield?
Revelation as the only answer
Agur's questions leave human learning with nothing to say. One writer takes verse 5 as the answer at that dead end, and traces the shield back to trust.
Revelation is the only answer. The Creator must reveal Himself if we are to know Him. Simple, honest reasoning should lead anyone to this conclusion. His Word is this revelation, and it is of course absolutely pure in every part of it. It is not a mixture, but kept completely free from adulteration. Only those who trust it are shielded from falsehood. So faith, not intellect, is the principle that receives this revelation. And the God who reveals Himself is the Shield of all who put their trust in Him. How simple, and how wonderful.
Pure because it is God's
The verse does not say most of God's words are pure, but every one. One writer traces that back to who is speaking, and to how Scripture pictures refined silver.
The Bible must be perfect. They are God's words, so they could not be otherwise. All His works, in creation and in redemption, bear the stamp of being perfect. We also read, "The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times" (Psalm 12:6)… The Bible must be perfect because, as we hope we have proved, it comes from God.
Purity as a working resource
Purity here is not an abstract quality to admire. It is what makes the word useful in a world where nothing else is clean.
Without question the Word of God is able to meet every problem — physical, moral or spiritual. In Proverbs 30:5 we read that every word is exceedingly pure. What a resource in this world of impurity and evil! … This same word "sanctifies" us — it sets us apart from all that is inconsistent with the truth (John 17:17).
The shield and who stands behind it
A shield matters most when something is coming. One writer ties the promise to the hour when God's judgment falls.
Closely tied to His way is "the word of the Lord," proven through all the ages as stable, solid, and dependable in every way. When His judgment is about to fall, how wonderful is the comfort of His word: "He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." So His judgment is not against believers, but on behalf of believers.
Authority that rests on the speaker, not the hearer
Purity settles where authority comes from. Scripture is the one place that shows a person what salvation requires.
I do not see how we can doubt that Holy Scripture contains the certain revelation of everything necessary to our salvation. We only know that we need these things because Scripture reveals them. None can be the author of truth but God. So there can be no truth except what comes from Him, and all that He says must be true. As it is written: "Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."
The warning that follows
The very next verse forbids adding to what God has said. A pure word is also a complete word.
No one may add to it, for the simplest of all reasons: nothing is lacking. No one may take away from it, because nothing is unnecessary. Everything we need is there, and we cannot do without anything that is there. "Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar." To think anyone can add to God's word is, on the face of it, to deny that it is God's word.
Summary
- Ignorance first. Agur's questions show that man cannot reach God by searching. The pure word comes down as revelation, not up as discovery.
- Pure means unmixed. The word comes from God, so it carries His own perfection. It is not a blend of truth and error, but pure in every part.
- Pure means usable. Purity is not just something to admire. The word meets every problem and sets the believer apart from what is false.
- Trust turns purity into a shield. Faith, not intellect, receives the revelation. The God who gives it shields everyone who trusts Him, so His judgment falls for them, not on them.
- Guard what is pure. Nothing is missing and nothing is spare. To add to His words is to deny they are His, and it invites His rebuke.