What an unusual request! Is the petitioner afraid of the hardships caused by poverty, or the snares that come with wealth? No. He has a pious reason; he is concerned that whatever his state, he should not sin against God. His is a submissive prayer that reflects the desire of the heart, that God would graciously exempt him from both, and bless him with a middle condition. “He does not say, ‘Lest I be rich, and cumbered with care, and envied by my neighbours, and eaten up with a multitude of servants,’ or ‘lest I be poor and trampled on, and forced to work hard and fare hard’ but, ‘Lest I be rich and sin, or poor and sin’” – Matthew Henry.

It is evident from his prayer that the wise man dreads the temptations of a prosperous condition. Such is the depravity of our nature that divine blessings and mercies induce neglect, and often the casting off, of God. How true it is that prosperity makes people proud, and forgetful of God, as if they have no need of Him.

We are reminded of the ungrateful response of the Israelites to God’s bounties in the wilderness - “…as Jeshurun (Israel), who waxed fat and kicked, and forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation” (Deut. 32: 15). Explaining this verse, one commentator says: “Jeshurun is a poetical name for Israel. The metaphor here used is derived from a pampered animal, which, instead of being tame and gentle, becomes mischievous and vicious, in consequence of good living and kind treatment.” So did the Israelites abuse the mercies of the Lord by their murmurings, rebellion and idolatrous apostasy.

We are a forgetful people. When all is well with us, it is easy to forget the Lord as the Source of all our blessings. We fail to acknowledge our dependence upon Him.

Moses warned the Israelites in the wilderness of the serious consequences of forgetting God’s blessings. “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which He hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; Who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God” (Deut. 8:10-20).

May this divine warning be a wake-up call to all who despise God’s mercies and trust in their own sufficiency.

This is the snare that attends poverty. The poor are tempted to steal from their neighbours ( a sin against the law of God, the eighth commandment); and then to deny the theft with an oath. In this way, they not only swear falsely but take the name of the Lord in vain, thus breaching the third commandment. The wise man prays for preservation from such temptations, lest he violate God’s commandments.

May the prayer of Agur be ours as well. Both riches and poverty are ordained of God. It may please Him to entrust us with riches or to exercise us in the trials of poverty. Whatever our state, let us seek grace to honour Him. Let us cultivate a thankful and contented spirit “so as, while I am rich in estate, I may be poor in spirit; and while I am poor in estate, I may be rich in grace” – Bishop Hall.

- Pastor