Articles
“Three Facts About God (Proverbs 30:5-6)”
One could take virtually any verse or collection of verses in the wisdom filled book of Proverbs and learn many numerous and meaningful truths about God and how we are to go about serving Him. Then again, that's part of God's design so that we can understand Him and fully obey His commands. Proverbs 30:5-6 fits this mold quite well when Agur, the author, provides us with three important and timeless facts about our God. The author writes,
"Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."
First, when we read God's word, we take incredible comfort in the fact that we don't have to pick and choose what's good and what's not. That is, the Bible is not a book filled with, say, 90% pure teaching and 10% false teaching wherein it's up to us as readers to distinguish the two. That's not the way the Bible is because that's not the way God is! He is 100% pure and the perfect and complete truth are things that we can easily and fully depend on. Furthermore, Agur's initial statement should serve as additional encouragement for us to study God's word further because, indeed, every word is pure. Experienced Bible students will be the first to admit that the deeper they look and study, the more they get out of the text. Knowing this makes studying even more exciting!
Second, God has always been a protector to those who serve Him. The image of God as a shield would be especially effective to individuals who were plagued by a vivid theatre of war. This statement in Proverbs reminds us that God will consistently be there to stand in the way of the dangers that come to His followers. God is very gracious. He always has been and always will be. It's up to us to not only not take this fact for granted but also to take confidence where God wants us to. While overconfidence is dangerous, under-confidence is detrimental and it seems that Agur wanted to remind his own readers of the protection that God provides to His children.
Finally, we are not to add to God's words. Given that God's words are pure and that He truly desires to protect us, we are not to be the ones who go about "improving" His commands or ways. In fact, the author of this text tells us that those who choose to do so are liars. That is, to say we trust God but yet go about trying to change His ways are lying and proving that we don't actually trust Him. The unfortunate thing is that most of the religious world seems to believe that altering God's commands is not only "okay" but needful. Often times, denominations and their respective leaders will change the rules governing their particular organizations in order to adapt to changing mores and times but that's not the way the Bible is to be read or followed. Instead, it's a timeless, perfect, and complete book that is only marred when humans choose to change, add to, and take away from its holy precepts. We'd do well to spend more time following God's word than seeking occasions where we can change it!
