In the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he tells them and us to ask that we not be led or brought into temptation (Matthew 6:13//Luke 11:4). He also told three of his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that they might not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41//Mark 14:37//Luke 22:45; see also Luke 22:40). Therefore, it seems that something that our prayers should feature are requests to avoid being tempted. But we may wonder what that looks like exactly. There is a prayer found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs that I think can stand as an example of such a prayer.
This is the prayer of Agur that is found in Proverbs 30:7-9, which says: “Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die: Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.”
A Prayer Not To Be Tempted by Riches
Something that is likely surprising about this prayer when you first read it is that the author is praying that he would not become rich. Many people dream of being rich and wealth is often something that they want God to give them. How many people pray that God would not make them rich? Yet that is exactly what Agur does, as he sees wealth as being something that might tempt him and thus asks God not to give him too much.
The idea that wealth and possessions tempt us is a theme that we find throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, we see that Israel is warned not to forget God before it goes into the land God had promised, where they will have good homes and plenty of food (Deuteronomy 8:11-20). The Apostle Paul tells us that many have walked away from the faith because of their craving of money (1 Timothy 6:10). But it seems that it is Jesus himself who teaches this idea the most, as he speaks about the temptation of wealth on multiple occasions and in multiple ways. Jesus says it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24). His parable of the sower and the seed notes that the “deceitfulness of riches” can choke out the Word of God so that it does not become fruitful (Matthew 13:22). Ultimately, we are either going to serve God or serve money (Matthew 6:24); examples of this can be seen in the Book of Luke where the Rich Fool builds bigger barns and is no longer rich towards God (Luke 12:12-21) or the Rich Man who ignores Lazarus because he was in love with fine dining and fancy threads to see the needs of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus also explicitly warns about greed (Luke 12:15).
If Agur prayed not to be rich lest he be tempted, how much more should we in light of our Lord’s teachings on the topic and instructions to pray that we would resist temptation?
A Prayer Not To Be Tempted By a Lack of Riches
Another surprising element of Agur’s prayer is what I call the “Goldilocks” nature of it. Just like she didn’t want porridge that was too hot or too cold, so Agur prays for neither riches nor poverty. At first glance, this seems pretty presumptuous, asking God to thread the needle in terms of the amount of prosperity one has and giving Agur just the amount that he wants. But this request is not about God doing things Agur’s way, but rather another way in which Agur is asking not to be tempted in this realm because he speaks about the way “poverty” can lead one to steal and profane the name of the Lord.
Agur’s words remind us that when in poverty, one might be led to do immoral things in hopes of providing for their basic worldly needs. This might come through theft, stealing loaves of bread to feed our families like Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. The Heidelberg Catechism notes in Q & A 110 that stealing may not always be “outright theft” but can also be things like “scheming and swindling.” Explicit fraud and capitalizing on the ignorance or weakness of others are other ways that we might steal, and these are actions that can be done by the rich or the poor. In fact, when we lack, we may be even more tempted to do some of those things to get what we think we need.
Poverty is thus not just a danger to people physically but also spiritually. Therefore, praying that God would prevent us from being impoverished from a material sense may stem from greed or selfishness but actually be a way of asking not to be led into temptation.
In addition, this prayer not to be in poverty reminds us that the solution to the danger of riches is not having nothing. While we often think that the solution to one problem is doing the opposite, often the opposite can be just as problematic because the root problem is deeper and remains even in the midst of different circumstances. Agur’s two requests remind us of this truth; the issue is not stuff (or lack thereof), but our hearts that ultimately need God’s help. Agur’s prayer is a reflection of someone who recognizes the danger that lies within us.
A Prayer to Echo and a Prayer to Emulate – in the Spirit for Ourselves and Others
Similar to the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, I believe that this is a prayer that we can both echo and emulate. When I say echo, I mean that it is a prayer that we ourselves can pray, asking God to help us avoid the temptations that can come from having plenty or being in want.
But there is also a sense in which this is a prayer that we can emulate, using it as a model in regards to other places in our lives and our world in which we may find ourselves tempted. One reason I think we can pray this prayer about other areas of temptation is that Agur’s prayer focuses on this major area of temptation but it’s not only about wealth and possessions, as he says he asks for two things. The first of which is that God would “Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from” him (30:7). He also recognizes the temptation that comes through lies and half-truths and asks God to help him avoid that. In a world that is now filled with “fake news” and “deep fakes” (which are likely to increase rather than decrease in light of the rise of AI technology), we probably should be praying this as well. Are there other areas of temptation that you could ask God to help you avoid?
At the same time that we ask God to help us avoid temptation, we should also recognize that sometimes the means by which we may avoid that temptation is through our actions. For example, if we do find ourselves in wealth, we can give some of it away and as a result no longer face that temptation. If we find our newsfeed and sources being inundated with false information, we can turn off the TV, phone, or computer.
Regardless of what particular area we might be praying about, the act of praying that we are not led into temptation is a reminder of our weakness and God’s strength. We recognize that there is a sinful nature that is warring within us, but there is also a God who is stronger than this temptation and can help us not cave into it. As we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.” Let us not forget that one of the means that God provides us to overcome the temptations common to humans – such as greed and deceit – is through prayer.
And as we may, let us remember that Jesus says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13), a reminder that the Holy Spirit can lead us out of tempting situations and strengthen us not to cave in when tempted. Paul also links prayer and the Spirit, saying in Ephesians 6:18, “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” Agur’s prayer is for himself, but Jesus’s prayer is a plural prayer – “lead us not into temptation” – showing that we are called to pray for each other to avoid temptation. So let us pray the prayer of Agur and prayers like it for ourselves and for one another.
Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also request to receive weekly emails with our blog posts by filling out the information on the right side.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible translations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.
