Session 30 • Proverbs 30
Humility, God’s Word & Contentment — Theme 6: Identity & Provision
Proverbs 30, the words of Agur, begin with confessed smallness, rest on the purity of God’s word, and pray for “neither poverty nor riches.” It lifts your eyes from self-sufficiency to dependence and enough.
Scripture should always be read first in your own Bible, with prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit for understanding. North & Narrow’s notes are created with the help of technology and reflect a fallible, interpretive layer. Use this program as a supplemental guide, not a replacement for Scripture itself.
What today is about
Proverbs 30 pushes back against pride and self-invented wisdom. Agur admits he is limited, holds fast to God’s tested word, and prays for a heart guarded from both lack and excess. The small creatures he lists show how humble, prepared, and ordered lives can be truly wise.
- True wisdom begins with honest humility and dependence, not self-promotion.
- God’s word is pure and protective; adding to it brings exposure.
- “Neither poverty nor riches” is a radical prayer for contentment and integrity.
- Even small, overlooked creatures model planning, cooperation, and quiet strength.
Section 1 — Humility & the Pure Word (vv. 2–6)
Proverbs 30:2–6 (KJV)
Proverbs 30:2–3
Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
Explanation (vv.2–3): Agur speaks with striking humility. He is not denying all understanding, but confessing that compared to God’s holiness and wisdom, he is small and limited. Wisdom starts with this honest posture.
Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
Explanation (v.4): A series of questions lifts our eyes to God as Creator and sovereign Lord. The implied answer is: none of us do this; God alone does. It humbles human claims to ultimate knowledge or control.
Proverbs 30:5–6
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Explanation (vv.5–6): God’s word is refined, without impurity, and acts as a shield for those who trust Him. Adding to it—claiming more than He has said—invites His correction and exposes our falsehood.
Section 2 — Neither Poverty nor Riches (vv. 7–9)
Proverbs 30:7–9 (KJV)
Proverbs 30:7–9
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain.
Explanation (vv.7–9): Agur prays for protection from deception and from extremes of wealth or lack. Too much can tempt him to forget God; too little could tempt him to dishonour God. He asks for “food convenient” — enough, suited to his need, not excess.
Section 3 — Wisdom in Small Things (vv. 24–28)
Proverbs 30:24–28 (KJV)
Proverbs 30:24–25
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
Explanation (vv.24–25): Ants are small and individually weak, yet they show foresight and preparation. They store up in the time of plenty to be ready for lean seasons.
Proverbs 30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Explanation (v.26): Conies (rock badgers) are vulnerable, but they choose secure locations. Their wisdom is in where they place themselves, not in their strength.
Proverbs 30:27–28
The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
Explanation (vv.27–28): Locusts move in ordered cooperation without a visible leader. The small spider, persistent and unnoticed, can end up dwelling in palaces. Smallness is not the same as insignificance.
Recap — Proverbs 30 (Key threads)
- Real wisdom starts with humble confession of our limits (vv.2–4).
- Every word of God is pure and protective; adding to it brings exposure (vv.5–6).
- “Neither poverty nor riches” is a prayer to guard both faith and integrity (vv.7–9).
- Ants, conies, locusts, and spiders model foresight, secure refuge, cooperation, and persistence (vv.24–28).
Today’s practice — Walk in humility, ask for “enough”
Aim: Move away from self-sufficiency toward humble trust and contentment. This session supports Finance • Silver/Gold (contentment & wise provision) and Identity • Wood (humble dependence before God).
Quick — Today (5–10 minutes)
- Pray Agur’s prayer (vv.7–9) aloud slowly. As you do, notice any resistance in your heart to “neither poverty nor riches.”
- List one area where you have been trying to “add” to God’s word (softening it, expanding it, or ignoring what it actually says).
- Choose one small “ant move”: a simple act of preparation or order you can take today (setting aside a small savings amount, planning a needed conversation, or organizing a neglected area).
Medium — 7 days (“Simplicity & Foresight”)
- For one week, start each day by reading Proverbs 30:5 and 30:8–9. Ask: “What would ‘enough’ look like for me today?”
- Each day, decline one unnecessary purchase or upgrade, and instead note one provision you already have.
- Practice one “ant habit” daily: a short, repeated action that prepares for the future (automatic transfer, small debt payment, or planning tomorrow’s priorities).
- At week’s end, write a brief reflection: how did praying for “enough” affect your anxiety or desires?
Deep — 30 days (“Enough Covenant — Revisited”)
- Write or revise a simple covenant prayer: “I will seek neither poverty nor riches, but enough to honour God and love others well.”
- Over 30 days, track three daily lines: one gratitude, one “ant move”, and one moment where you resisted comparison or excess.
- Once a week, review a key financial or life decision through Proverbs 30: Does this pull me toward forgetting God or toward depending on Him?
- At the end of the month, note specific ways your vision of “wealth” shifted— from quantity to peace, obedience, and sufficiency.
Comparative lenses — Other wisdom echoes
Aristotle — The Mean & Enough
Aristotle’s “golden mean” between excess and deficiency parallels Agur’s prayer. Where Aristotle reasons toward balance in virtue, Proverbs grounds “neither poverty nor riches” in loyalty to God’s name. Both point to a life that avoids harmful extremes, but Scripture anchors this in worship and trust.
Confucius — Modesty & Proper Measure
Confucius values modesty, restraint, and “rightness” in desires. Agur’s humility and request for what is fitting (“food convenient for me”) resonate with this sense of proper measure, ordered by one’s role under Heaven.
Socrates — Knowing That You Do Not Know
Socrates famously claims that his wisdom is in knowing that he does not know. Agur’s confession that he lacks the “knowledge of the holy” echoes this humility, but then drives him to God’s revealed word as a pure, shielding source of truth.
Buddha — Desire, Suffering & Simplicity
Buddhist teaching links suffering to craving and attachment. While the foundations differ, Agur’s rejection of both poverty and riches as spiritual dangers shares a concern that restless desire can pull the heart away from the path of peace and integrity.
Closing prayer (optional)
Lord, You are wise and holy, and I am limited. Thank You that every word of Yours is pure and a shield for those who trust You. Remove far from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but what is fitting for faithfulness. Teach me to be content with enough, and to see wisdom in small, steady acts of obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.