Proverbs 30 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Proverbs 30 Short Summary:
Proverbs 30 is a record of the proverbs of Agur, son of Jakeh. Nothing else is known about Agur from the Bible. In chapter 30, Agur expresses his humility before God, makes a request of the Lord, and then gives his students a series of lists of things he has observed over his lifetime. Each list contains 4 things that fit into the respective category.
Proverbs 30 Summary
BREAKDOWN OF PROVERBS - CHART
DEFINITIONS:
Sheol (30:16) – The place of the dead; the grave.
Stately (30:29) – Impressive or majestic.
OUTLINE:
AGUR’S HUMILITY (30:1-6):
Agur opens this section of Scripture with a statement about God’s greatness and his own inferiority.
He describes himself as stupid and void of wisdom in comparison to God.
God’s words are the perfect expression of wisdom, and nothing can be added to them to improve on them.
AGUR’S HUMILITY (30:1-6):
Agur opens this section of Scripture with a statement about God’s greatness and his own inferiority.
He describes himself as stupid and void of wisdom in comparison to God.
God’s words are the perfect expression of wisdom, and nothing can be added to them to improve on them.
AGUR’S WISDOM (30:10-33):
In the rest of the chapter, Agur shares his thoughts, observations, and statements of wisdom on a variety of topics.
He talks about the wickedness he saw in his community. There were people who cursed their parents, hypocrites, proud people, and those who took advantage of the poor.
He describes 4 things that are never satisfied, (1) Sheol, (2) The barren womb, (3) a thirsty land, and (4) fire.
He describes 4 things that are “too wonderful” for him, (1) the way an eagle flies in the sky, (2) the way a snake warms itself on a rock, (3) the way a ship sails on the high seas, and (4) the way of a man with a virgin.
He describes 4 things that make the earth tremble, (1) a slave who becomes king, (2) a fool who is filled with food, (3) an unloved woman who finds a husband, and (4) a maidservant who displaces her mistress.
He describes 4 things that are small in size but exceedingly wise, (1) ants, (2) rock badgers, (3) locust, and (4) lizards.
He concludes this series of lists describing 4 things that are stately in their walk, (1) the mighty lion, (2) the strutting rooster, (3) the male goat, and (4) the king with his army behind him.
APPLICATION:
It takes a level of humility to view yourself as a rock badger, a little squirrely rodent that munches on plants all day, but the rock badger is a picture of us in many ways.
Rock badgers are lunch items for many predators, including snakes, leopards, wild cats, and hawks.
They have very little defensive ability. So how do they stay alive?
As their name suggests, they live in the crevices of large rocks, and they run to their rock holes when predators show up.
The badgers themselves aren’t very powerful, but their rock shield is impenetrable to most predators.
The Psalms and the Proverbs regularly talk about God as our shield and fortress.
We would be foolish to think we can take on the leopards of the spiritual world. We have enemies that are too powerful for us to overcome. But we do have an impenetrable shield on which we can rely.
Our trust shouldn’t be in our own strength but in the fortress of God.
Our prayer should be, “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:1-3).
We aren’t lions, but we can trust that The Lion (Rev 5:5) is our ally. He fears nothing, just as Agur writes in verse 30.
“The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any” (30:30).
