Man, Am I Stupid

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 30:1-3

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

I read through the book of Proverbs every month, and always look forward to the 30^th day when I get to reread these lines. They make me laugh. I can relate. I have mumbled, “You idiot,” and “Quit being so stupid,” to myself more times than I can count. Agur is my kind of people.

These verses take us by surprise. It catches us off guard that in a book that has primarily been about passing down wisdom from one generation to the next, we hear a guy call himself stupid and confess to being without understanding, wisdom, or knowledge.

How does that fit into a book that is supposed to be one of the “Wisdom” books?

The answer may be that one of the signs that a man has become wise is when he knows he isn’t.

I liken it to Paul’s statement that when you think you are standing, be careful because that is when you will fall.

When you are wise in your own eyes, you will likely do something foolish. When you remind yourself how stupid you can be, you will seek and find wisdom in God.