Proverbs 30:15. 15The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: 16 Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
I think we can all agree that leeches are pretty gross. People in the Old Testament battled against horse leeches. A horse leech is a fat worm-like creature that could enter into the nostril of a horse and suck its blood (see what I mean, gross). Leeches are parasites that live off of the life of a host. Agur is warning us to not be leeches. Don’t be parasitic, draining the life out of others with your constant neediness and demands. That’s what he means when he says that the leech has two daughters, Give and Give. People who just want things handed to them are like leeches. They are parasites that drain the life out of others.
Where’s mine? Why didn’t I get any? When is it gonna be my turn? You owe me.
If verse fifteen starts a bit comedic, verse sixteen makes sure we are taking this warning seriously. The demands of the insatiable greed that lives in us all are nothing to laugh at. They are like death, barrenness, drought, and fire.
Sheol – death and the grave have never turned a soul away.
The barren womb – like Hannah or Rachel before her, the barren woman cannot be comforted.
The land never satisfied with water – in an arid climate, no matter how much it rained it was never quite enough.
The fire that never says enough – a fire never just stops burning because it is tired or full. It will burn for as long as it is fed.
Two of these only know how to take. They never give anything back. The grave and fire. However, the womb and the land receive in order to give back. An open womb and fertile land were the promises of God to his people when they trusted him and kept his commandments. God heard Hannah and Rachel before her. God gave his people rain in abundance when Elijah prayed. God’s desire is never to keep us unsatisfied, but to satisfy us with not only his blessings, but with his very own presence.
What is the cure for the needy, leechy, life? The discontented life? The answer is the satisfaction that we can have in Christ. What can turn your heart from seeing only your own wants and needs to seeing the needs of others? What can turn you from a selfish taker to a selfless giver? Knowing that faith in God will always end in satisfaction. The land won’t be dry forever. The womb won’t stay closed forever. Fire won’t burn forever. Even death won’t reign forever.
1 Corinthians 15:25-26. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
In Christ we don’t have to wait until the end to experience his satisfaction. We can be satisfied in him today and every day. Sheol is not our eternal home. The internal fires of Hell’s greed have been quenched by his grace. We are fruitful and multiplying as we share the gospel of peace and love through Christ with the world. Jesus has given us the power to be givers instead of the takers. How? Because he gives us everything that is his own. We are no longer leeches, sucking the life out of others. We are life givers, sharing the love of Jesus with all we come in contact with by his grace.
You: Are you a leech? Demanding? Draining? Unsatisfied?
You in Christ: How can our union with Christ allow us to live a satisfied life?
Christ in you: Where do you need to shift your focus from getting to giving?
Pray: Father, I only want to leech off you and your everlasting, abundant love. Amen.
To Live is Christ 