Proverbs 30:7–9: Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.
Insight
This prayer for “two things” affirms his humility. Realizing his frailty, the writer asked the Lord for specific help in two areas of weakness before he died: protection from lying, and provision of daily sustenance (bread) without the temptations of wealth or poverty. Wealth might cause him to disown and forget the Lord thinking he could care for himself; and poverty might cause him to steal and dishonor God’s character. 1
Application
Lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; … then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ Deuteronomy 8:12–17
As you evaluate your life today, can you honestly say that these verses do not apply to you? Are you plugged into your fellowship and serving Jesus and His people with the same commitment you had when you were uncertain about your career and future?
Motivation
You gave him his heart’s desire, and not withheld the request of his lips. Psalm 21:2
May my soul be content with the fulness of my life in Christ. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Father, keep me from the sin of discontentment, of trying to find worldly satisfaction.
1. Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary.
