“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?” (Pr 30:4 AV)
These words are penned by a humble King Agur. This king admits he is not the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think he is being a bit modest. He wouldn’t be a king if he wasn’t wise and smart. In this verse, and those that precede and follow it, he is making a point. He is not comparing himself against others in that others are far smarter. Rather, his question is a question that applies universally to all people. The majesty of God is something we cannot fully understand. The question above could point to Agur’s desire to know a God who is evident by what He does. If God holds all things in His hand and His majesty is beyond his comprehension, then he desperately wants to know Him. Therefore, tell him the name of God and the name of God’s Son. I believe that is what is going on here. It is the king’s deepest desire to know God far more than he does. The thirst for the knowledge of the Holy is admirable here and something to which every human being should aspire. But in particular, those of us who call ourselves the children of the most High!
Many, many years ago, as a young boy, I walked a paper route. For those who don’t know what that is, there was a time many years ago when the news was printed and distributed. The newspaper companies paid children to deliver these papers to the homes in their neighborhoods. We would load up a canvas bag or a basket on our bike and ride around several neighborhoods delivering these newspapers. There were two newspapers in my home town. There was the morning edition and the afternoon edition. There was also the local newspaper and the major newspaper from our nearest major metropolitan city center. We liked the morning routes better because we had to get up for school anyway. So, getting up an hour earlier was no big deal. It was a lot of work, especially on the weekends, but I got a lot of thinking time in. In the quiet of the morning when barely anyone was moving, and particularly snowy mornings when people slept in, it was the best time of day to muse. And muse I did. I remember having a thought that I learned a decade later was a famous one of an ancient philosopher. What if we are nothing more than a figment of someone else’s imagination? What if a bear, hibernating in his den is dreaming, and my reality is nothing more than his dream? Yes, a ten-year-old can have a thought like that! It was during those walks that the LORD mused with me to make Himself more real than He had ever been before. It was because of those walks the LORD was able to build in my heart His reality and a desire to know Him. It would take about eight years and a few problems along the way to drive me to the presence of God, but praise be to Him that He saved me by His grace and faith in His Son and that He finally gave me the desire of my heart. A personal relationship with the Holy!
God has been so good to me, I am ashamed that I have not been better for Him. This begs a question. How much do we still want the knowledge of the Holy? Does the wonder of who He is, what He does, and His love for us drive us to His presence? Or, has the knowledge of the Holy which we do possess suffice us for the curiosity which we once had? How much are we still enamored with the God of the universe? How much of what He does still amazes us? When was the last time we spent any significant time with God in prayer for nothing more than conversing in intimate exchange with no requests, anxieties, or needs? How much do we still want to know the God who saved us? How much do we still want His presence above all others? Agur had a question. That question was founded upon his wonder of what God does. He wanted to know the God who has all things in His hand. Agur is the seeker we all need to be. Every hour of every day!
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