“The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: 16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. 17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (Proverbs 30: 15-17).
Agur continues his discussion on the importance of adjusting our expectations of others and employs a poetic device to capture the attention of his readers with the use of ascending numbers: two, three, four (v 15).
His first illustration is that of a horseleach. A leech is relentless in sucking out blood once it has latched onto its victim. Until and unless it gets its fill, it will not detach itself from its host. Hence, Agur personifies the daughters of the horseleach as the kind of people who constantly expect much of others. They cry out, “Give, give” without humility or apology, but with huge demands and great expectations. They expect others to be always giving, while believing that they themselves are worthy recipients. However, this attitude runs contrary to the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20: 35).
The next four descriptions aptly depict the covetousness of man and his never-ending pursuits in life (v 16). He will never be satisfied with his achievements; neither will his expectation of others be curtailed.
“The grave” symbolises death. Although mortality rates have declined since 1900 with modern public health measures and improved nutrition, man’s dream of overcoming death with technology remains a distant goal. Though people are living longer, yet the number of deaths around the world is mind-boggling, being nearly 150,000 people each day. In time to come, countries may not even have sufficient land to bury their dead, but people will still continue to die: “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah” (Ps 89: 48).
“The barren womb” was regarded as a curse in the time of the Old Testament. Rachel and Hannah are cases in point, for both sorrowed and lamented over their childless state. Rachel even exclaimed to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die” (Gen 30: 1). Their prayers for a child were importunate and unrelenting.
It should come as no surprise that Agur describes “the earth” in a similar manner – as that which “is not filled with water”. In times of drought, the parched earth quickly soaks in the water supplied to it, and thirsts for more. Likewise, the unprecedented 2019-20 Australian bushfire season – that led to the deaths of over 3 billion animals and burned up 18.6 million hectares of land (approximately 255 times larger than Singapore) – is representative of “the fire” that Agur had in mind – “that saith not, It is enough”.
The portrayal of an ungrateful generation is again brought into the picture (v 17 cf. 30: 11), this time with a different emphasis – looking at their parents with a scornful “eye”. These children despise their parents’ instructions, and regard them with disdain because of their frailties. Our omniscient God takes notice of the mocking look and the rebellious heart. Such unthankful children will be set up as a testimony of God’s vengeance – “the ravens of the valley shall pick it (the eye) out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (v 17).
Dear brethren, let us not be found in the company of those that expect nothing of themselves and everything from others. Our Lord Jesus Christ, though deserving of praise and honour, humbled himself to be subjected to human parents and suffered under the hands of sinners. May we not be unruly, but walk in His steps, so that our lives may bring glory to His Name.
– Bro Kelvin Li