The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Proverbs Series Chapter 30 (EP 130)

Episode Date: July 30, 2025

Proverbs 30

We're going on tour. This fall, we're bringing the live podcast show to four new cities. We're coming to Nashville, San Diego, Chicago, and Birmingham, Alabama. If you've ever wanted to see the live podcast in person, go to Jesus in the street. dot org slash tour and get your tickets. It's going to be a powerful night of worship. And the word that God is storing in my heart is going to be different and unique to each city we go to. So come out, Jesus in the street. Dot org slash tour.

Get your tickets and we'll see you in Nashville, San Diego, Chicago, and Birmingham. fall. What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce. Today, we are on the second to last episode in the Proverbs series. We're reading Proverbs 30. The Words of Agar. It's going to be a powerful episode. Let's break it down. Guys, this is the only mention of Agar ever in the Bible. Okay, so this is going to be interesting. A collection of Proverbs, Proverbs 1 through 29 from Solomon, and then 30 from Agar. Tomorrow for chapter 31, the finale, we got King Lemuel. It's going to be powerful. Let's read. First one, the words of Agar, son of Jake, the oracle.

The man declares, I am weary, oh, God, I am weary, oh, God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. Verse three through four, I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name and what is his son's name? Surely you know. Agar is calling men and women who read Proverbs 30 to understand their limitations in understanding God in his creation. God is a righteous, unlimited being, and we are finite limited beings in a world that we were created in. We won't fully understand everything magnificent about God, and that's okay.

And then he mentions his son, a prophetic image of Christ. Christ is in the beginning of time. He was at the creation of the world. He exists. It is a prophetic image of Christ in verse 4. verse 5, every word of God proves true. He's a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Versus seven through nine, I love this prayer for integrity. And we speak this prayer over everyone watching and listening. Versus seven through nine. I love this acre's heart. Two things I ask of you. Deny them not to me before I die. Verse eight, remove far from me falsehood and line. Give me neither poverty nor riches.

feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be fool and deny you and say, who is the Lord, or lest I be poor and steal and profane, the name of God. Agar asked for two things here, and I love this prayer. The first thing he asked for is personal integrity. And then the second thing Agar asks for

is satisfaction with God's provision in his life. He says, if I am seeking things outside of God, then I don't need God. If I get everything I want, then I don't need God. So, God, let me be content in what you have for me. but the first thing he asked for it's for personal integrity and i just love that it's so powerful we need to learn from this prayer from agor and proverbs 30 verses seven through nine verse 10 do not slander a servant to his master lest he curse you and you be held guilty there is there are those who curse their fathers and do not

bless their mothers there are those who clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth there are those how lofty are their eyes how high their eyelids lift there are those whose teeth or swords whose fangs or knives to devour the poor from off the earth and needy from among mankind just wild wicked people is describing those verses verses 15 through 16 the leech has two daughters give and give three things are never satisfied four never say enough shield the barren womb the land never satisfied with water and the fire that never says enough now i love this reference verse 15 and 16 to hell okay this is interesting we see a reference some of similar like this in the Gospels in Luke chapter 16 with the rich man Lazarus.

He was rich and then there was a poor man outside his gates and when they died, the poor man was in the kingdom of heaven and Lazarus was in hell. And when you read this story in the gospel in the Gospels in Luke 16, the rich man didn't ask to be taken out of hell. It's crazy. He's in hell. He's suffering, endless suffering. And in Luke 16, he doesn't ask to be taken out of hell.

He asks for temporary satisfaction with water. Like Proverbs 30, 16 tells us there's no water, land never satisfied with. with water, dips his tongue in water for satisfaction, a moment of satisfaction. But he never asked to leave hell. It's a barren womb. There's nothing there. Verse 17, the eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.

Honor your father and mother, friends. Honor your father and mother. Respect them. Three things are too wonderful for me. Four, I do not understand. The way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in high seas, the way of a way. of a man with virgin. So, so, Agar is reminding us in verses 18 and 19 that there are four things

that are too wonderful for our complete understanding as human beings, things that we should be amazed and humbled by it. First thing, the way of an eagle in the sky, how it flies. Humans can't fly. We should be amazed by that. Then he says, the way of a serpent on a rock, how, how a serpent lays on a rock and receives heat from the sun, but it can slither over sharp objects and smooth objects without being hurt. Then the way of a ship how this tiny vessel conquers something as massive as the sea, conquer something as big as that as a way of travel and then the way of a man with aversion, someone who makes a covenant with a woman, one covenant in one lifetime, and uses his youth

and uses his virginity as a form of love in the covenant of marriage is a beautiful, strong, magnificent thing. And then when you read verse 20, Agar is giving a warning of what? And adulterous. There's a common thing in the scriptures of a warning of a warning. of adultery and sexual immorality. Because it's a big deal. Stay away from it.

The adulterous woman in verse 20, this is the way of an adulteress. She eats and wipes her mouth and says, I've done nothing wrong. So the phrase eating here has been used one other time in Proverbs 9. And this word eating, Proverbs 9 and Proverbs 30 here,

has been used as a symbol of sexual activity. Okay. So when you read Proverbs 30, verse 20, eating, she eats sexual activity. Proverbs 9, when it references eating or eating or eats sexual activity. activity. Her eating here is a reference to her sin of adultery. She satisfies her hungry for adultery and then wipes and finishes up, dust the dust off her hands and considers herself

blameless. I did nothing wrong. The adulterous woman represents more than just women. The adulterous woman here represents men and women who sin against God, their marriage, their family, their community, their partner in adultery and in their own bodies, but consider it not to be wicked at all. And I pray, if you are someone dealing with sexual immorality and you feel no conviction at all, that the conviction of the Lord will fall on your life, you will feel convicted of your ways, the sin against your own body, the sin against people in your community, your partner, and sin against God. Verse 21. Under three things, the earth trembles. Under four, it cannot bear. A slave when he becomes king, a fool when he is filled with food, an unloved woman when she gets a husband and a maid servant when she

displaces her mistress. Four things on earth are small, for exceedingly wise. Now we're going to read about four things that we can learn from. The answer are people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer. They work hard in their discipline. The rock badgers are people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs. Locus have no king, yet all of them march and rank. The lizards you can take in your hands, yet it is in king's palaces. There's wisdom in the character of these things. Three things that are stately in their tread. Four are stately in their stride. The line, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn his back before any. The stuttering rooster, the he-goat, a king who is wise with his army what are the three things that are statement that are treading thinks it have

majesty look at them and we marvel at their majesty and go that majesty of god is displayed through these things and verses 32 through 33 to close out proverbs 30 says if you have been foolish exalting yourself or if you've been devising evil put your hand on your mouth for pressing milk produces curds pressing the nose produces blood and pressing anger produces strife don't be foolish in exalting yourself this is a reminder like james four 10 Proverbs 30 verses 32 through 33 as a reminder as James 410 tells us, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. Don't fall to self-exaltation.

Humble yourselves before God. Guys, I'm super excited. If you've been listening and watching the series all the way through, you guys know that tomorrow's episode is the final episode in the Proverbs series. Guys, I pray that this series has encouraged you guys, and I'll see you guys tomorrow for Proverbs 31. Guys, thank you so much for watching and listening to this episode. If you guys like it, subscribe to us on YouTube, follow us on Spotify,

Instagram and TikTok. Bless you guys and see guys next week for the next episode.