“Wisdom Using Common Sense” Part II
I. Intro
1. Agur continues his common sense wisdom on life. He uses lists to grab our attention. We are going to learn about self-control, repentance, foolish behavior, wisdom, confidence, and reaping what we sow.
2. A lot of Agur’s examples involve animals, so it’s something we all can observe and relate to. (story about ‘spirit animal’).
II. Proverbs 30:15-17
1. “leech has two daughters – give and give” (v.15):
A. Leeches are blood-sucking little creatures. They are pretty gross. But they are never satisfied, they drink the blood of its host until it cannot physically hold anymore. Kind of like how we eat on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s two daughters might refer to its two suckers, who are just asking for “more and more.”
2. “three things never satisfied…four never say enough” (v.15):
A. Just like the leech, there are three other things in this world that are never satisfied. The grave is never satisfied because people keep dying. Ben Franklin famously said there are two things every human experiences, death and taxes.
B. The barren woman is never satisfied because she always desires to have a child. In that culture, women didn’t have a lot going for them, and bearing children was their only claim to fame. So it was a big deal if they couldn’t get pregnant
C. Earth is not satisfied because it always needs water. Lakes need water, animals need water, vegetation needs water, humans need water. No one is ever satisfied with enough water.
D. Fire is never satisfied because it will never burn itself out, it will keep going till it gets put out. We live in SoCal, we all know how fire can spread every summer.
E. These examples sum up the evil generation that Agur talked about earlier in the chapter. A generation that lacks self-control and is never satisfied; always looking for new ways to please their flesh.
3. “mocks his father…scorns his mother” (v.17):
A. The Bible doesn’t take disrespecting your parents lightly. I mean here Agur says creatures will attack you if you mock your dad or disobey your mom. So watch out next time you back talk your parents, your dog might attack you. Or your cat might rebuke you.
III. Proverbs 30:18-23
1. “three things too wonderful for me” (v.19):
A. This series of amazing observations (v.18-19) is in contrast to the not so amazing observations found out this (v.20-23). What’s amazing about the eagle is how easy it is for him to fly. We can’t fly, we try flapping our arms and it doesn’t do much. But the eagle just soars through the sky.
B. The serpent is amazing because of how easy it is for him to slither around. We try slithering on our stomachs and we look like a fish out of water. We try just walking through rocks and boulders and we fall all over the place. But the snake just slithers through the clefts in the rocks no problem.
C. The ship is amazing because of how easy it floats. We can try to float, some of us may float better than others, but we cannot lay softly on the water like a boat. It weighs hundreds of times more than us yet it floats so much better
D. What’s amazing about a man and a woman is the interaction between them. Ever seen a guy ask a girl on a date? Ever seen a guy and a girl on their first date? It’s hilarious how awkward they are. Always so careful, not trying to embarrass themselves. I say these things from experience (my story with Brittney).
2. “I have done no wickedness” (v.20):
A. Contrast those wonderful things with this not so wonderful woman. This isn’t a woman who made a mistake and committed adultery against her husband once, this is talking about a repeated offender. This woman has committed adultery so many times that she can go about her daily business and feel no remorse whatsoever. In fact, she has convinced herself that she is doing nothing wrong.
B. That is a very scary place to be. God will judge all sin, and to be in a place where you no longer fear God’s judgment, that is not good at all. Do you guys feel convicted when you sin? Do you feel guilty, are you sad and remorseful, do you quickly ask for God’s forgiveness?
C. Some tips on not becoming desensitized (or numb) to sin. First, don’t practice sin. The more you do it, the more you don’t think it’s wrong. Second, don’t ignore the Spirit. He’s the one convicting your heart. The more you ignore Him, the less you will sense His conviction. Third, don’t neglect the Bible. The Bible also convicts our hearts. The more we neglect our Bibles, the less God can help us change. Fourth, don’t forget to confess. It’s not enough to just stop sinning. God wants us to tell Him about it, He wants us to hear us say we are sorry.
D. If we do these four things, then we will never be in a bad place like this adulterous woman.
3. “earth is perturbed (tremble), four things” (v.21):
A. These four things are meant to contrast the four wonderful observations we saw earlier. These are four things that cause grief, because they are out of order. Servants are not supposed to reign as kings. Fools are not supposed to be rich and happy. Wives should not be treated poorly by their husbands, or vice-versa. And maidservants are not supposed to rule over the household. When these things do happen, it causes heartache and strife.
IV. Proverbs 30:24-31
1. “little on the earth…exceedingly wise” (v.24):
A. These four examples show it’s not all about size and strength, it’s about being mighty in wisdom. The ants are hard workers and team workers. They store up food months in advance and they work in groups. We can learn a lot from the ants, in the areas of planning ahead and working well with others.
B. Rock badgers protect themselves in the rocks, even though they are have little power to defend themselves. We can learn from them by not having chips on our shoulders, not trying to prove ourselves to others, but just being humble and meek.
C. The locusts systematically tear up any vegetation in sight, but they all stay together. They have no leader. We can learn from the locust, the areas of doing our jobs when nobody is looking.
D. The spider, or lizard can seemingly live anywhere. You think there are little critters in the White House or the Pentagon? You bet. Even with all the security in those places, little critters move around as they may. We can learn from them by not trying to make a name for ourselves in the world, instead trusting God for recognition (my example with working).
2. “three things majestic…four stately (tall) in walk” (v.29):
A. These three examples show being wise does not mean you are a wimp. You can still be strong and mighty. The lion is king of all beasts and backs down from no one. We can learn from the lion to be less afraid of confrontation, to stand up for what’s right (my example with confronting sin)
B. The greyhound, or you might have rooster (Hebrew definition has been lost), is not the biggest and baddest animal, but still carries itself with confidence. We can learn from the greyhound/rooster to carry ourselves with confidence, to not be timid or embarrassed of ourselves or our looks (my example with parents).
C. The male goat is the king of the pastured animals. They can be pretty intimidating when provoked. The king with his army is strong because of numbers. We can learn from an army in that they stick together, friends that are closer than brothers, and they look out for one another. You can’t live life alone. You need other people to support you.
V. Proverbs 30:31-32
1. “exalting yourself…devised evil…forcing of wrath” (v.32-33):
A. If you have been puffing yourself up, telling others how great you are, or planning out how you can get away with sin, then Agur says you will reap what you sow. Just like punching somebody in the nose causes that nose to bleed, so pride or pre-meditated sin will reap bad things.
B. That’s why in a court of law a person is judged harsher if their crimes are pre-meditated. They thought about it and planned it out ahead of time. It if was accidental, it happened in the heat of the moment, it means a less strict sentence.
C. God knows our hearts, so if you catch yourself pre-meditating sin, quickly change to another thought, and ask God to help you think about something that is good.
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