ENOUGH TO BE CONTENT

Proverbs 30.7-9
ENOUGH TO BE CONTENT
"...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."

THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS OF PROVERBS are appendices. The first is by Agur, son of Jakeh, who counsel Ithiel and Ucal, possibly his students (v.l). His proverbs are characterised by numbers. The prayer in (v.7-9) begins a series of six numerical sayings.

In his prayer, Agur asks for two things: firstly, that he may not sin, and secondly, that he may not starve (v.8). We note a remarkable parallel to the prayer Jesus teaches his disciples (though the order is reversed): "Give us today our daily bread.... And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matt 6.11,13).

We cannot but be impressed by the wisdom of Agur's prayer. First of all, his prayer takes into consideration both material and spiritual needs. No one is so spiritual that he needs nothing for his body. Yet no one is so adequately provided for materially that he needs nothing for his soul. Our body needs food, and our soul needs care too. In our prayer we do well to keep both needs in balance.

Secondly, we are impressed by the way Agur expands on his second prayer "give me neither poverty nor riches" (v.8). He desires not wealth lest he becomes proud and forgets the LORD (see Deut 8.12-17). Neither does he want poverty lest he is tempted to steal and so dishonours God. We have seen in Proverbs warnings against both the vanity of riches and the misery of poverty. Neither is desirable. It is not wrong to ask God to meet our physical and material needs, but we must watch against asking too much out of a covetous spirit.

What we need is enough to be content. The tragedy of a nation living on the poverty line is starvation and death. The curse of a society wallowing in affluence is greed and emptiness. Between these two evils, indeed beyond them, lives the person who is content. As Paul testifies, "l know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Phil 4.12).

Once we want more, we can never have enough (30.15-16). We only acquire things to put in a bottomless pit. We will never have our fill. Epicurus, the Greek philosopher, prescribes, "If you want to make a man happy, add not to his possessions, but take away from his desires."

Am I content?