Proverbs 30:1-31:31

The Sayings of Agur – The farming philosopher (that’s a joke; if you don’t get it it’s okay, most people don’t)

Proverbs 30:1-9 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:  2 Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man.  3 Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.  4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!  5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.  6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.  7 Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die:  8 Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,  9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Any of us who claim to fully understand God is a liar. We have been given some knowledge of God, and every day that we study the Bible and spend time in prayer and meditate on God we learn more of God.  But the most we could ever learn is only the tiniest fraction of who God is.  We all need to have ontological conviction; that is we need to know what we believe, but we need to also have epistemological humility; that is we need to recognize that our knowledge is not complete.  When we hold on to these two ends of the spectrum we are able to truly believe in God without being swayed by every passing teaching or idea, and we are also able to listen to those around us and accept that they may have some truth of God to reveal to us.  I am not yet at the place where I can always hold onto ontological conviction and epistemological humility concurrently, but that is my goal.

For more thoughts on ontological conviction and epistemological humility you can read Strange Virtues by Bernard Adeney (pp 188-191).

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