Proverbs 30:5-6. 5Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Proverbs 30 begins with Agur’s confession that he lacks wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of the Holy One. He is stupid, too stupid to be a man, he says. He knows that wisdom comes from God but laments that no one has ever ascended into Heaven, gained wisdom, and then descended back down to Earth to share that wisdom.
Verse five may feel like Agur is suddenly changing topics (and moods). Why is he talking about the word of God now? Because for Agur, the word of God is the answer to his problem. The Torah’s flawless revelation is the wisdom of God that has descended to us. We would call it the Bible, or scripture.
One thing has always been true; we can never know God without God first making himself known. Agur is right, we cannot ascend into Heaven on our own, Heaven must come down to us. And it did through the giving of the word of God to his prophets, priests, and kings. By the Holy Spirit mere men were used to write the words of scripture. They were carried along by the Spirit so that each word is inspired, breathed out by God.
Agur’s claim is that each and every individual word of God in scripture has been proven true. It has been through the smelting process like precious metal and found to be pure, free from any errors or flaws. This is, of course, reflective of God himself. He is pure. He is perfection. God cannot lie and will not lie to us. People will lie to you. They will even use God’s word to manipulate you. They will add to the word of God so that it will say what they want it to say. Every Christian must know the word well enough to know when it is being altered and adapted to meet someone’s selfish needs. A false gospel is no gospel at all.
More than anything else, God wants us to know him and trust him, that is why he gave us his word. Not that we would gain knowledge alone, but that we might trust him alone. Too many Christians know their Bible without knowing their God. They know the word without knowing the Word. Jesus Christ. Like the Pharisees of old, they know the scriptures but they have missed Jesus.
John 5:39. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.
Are you making this same mistake? Does your Bible study leave you only with rules to obey, principles to follow, or sins to avoid? Or does it leave you with a Savior to trust.
Look at verse 5 again. Agur’s second line – HE is a shield to those who take refuge IN HIM. God himself is our shield, not simply his word. Why is this important? Because to have God’s word without being IN HIM, would leave us with just another religion of good works. But in Christ that is not at all our relationship to the word of God. The word of God is a door into trusting Jesus more and more, living from his indwelling life and love.
Dear Christian, please make sure that your relationship with the word of God (the Bible) is not an end in itself, but a means to an end – knowing Christ! Jesus has been proven true. He passed through the “fires” of separation from God and was found to be pure and flawless. Let his perfection be your shield, your fortress, your ark of safety. Never your own.
You: How would you describe your relationship with your Bible?
You in Christ: How does the life of Christ prove the word of God to be true?
Christ in you: How can you make your times in God’s word more about knowing Christ?
Pray: Jesus, I trust your word because I trust you and your perfect life. Keep yourself before me at all times. Amen.
To Live is Christ 