A WISE REQUEST
Intro.
A. Prov. 30:7-9 (See chart #1 below)
B. True character is revealed in what people really want from
life. Matt. 6:21
C. Real wants become more intense as one becomes more conscious
of the brevity of life. Prov. 30:7b
1. James said that life is as a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away. James 4.14
2. The Psalmist, in viewing man's life-span, said, "So teach us
to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
D. The writer of Proverbs revealed a wise request, one that we
should give the most serious consideration.
I. HE PRAYS FOR DELIVERANCE FROM MORAL CONTAMINATION. 30:8a
A. Falsehoods. ("Deceptions" NASV)
1. False doctrines entrap, enslave, and condemn. 1 Tim. 4:1-2
a. Men lie in wait to deceive us. Eph. 4:14
b. They go to great extremes to make converts. Matt.
23:15
c. God's Word is the only true standard. John 17:17
2. Riches can be very deceitful. Mark 4:18-19
a. They promise a false security. Luke 12:15-21
3. False friendships can discourage and weaken us. Prov. 19:4;
14:20
a. Many, otherwise good Christians, are ruined by false
friends.
4. Let us set our hearts only on that which is solid, durable,
and eternal.
B. Lies.
1. Isa. 59:4
2. Examples of liars in the Bible and the consequences that
followed.
a. The old prophet lied to the younger one. 1 Kings 13:15-
19 The younger prophet was destroyed for believing a
lie.
b. Gehazi lied because he was greedy. 2 Kings 5:22-25
3. Our prayer, like the writer of Proverbs, is that lies will
be removed far from us.
a. We pray that lying will not be part of our lives, and
that we will not be involved in the lies of others.
b. We, as servants of Christ, are to put away lying. Eph.
4:25; Col. 3:9
II. HE PRAYS FOR A MODERATE LIVELIHOOD. Why neither poverty nor
riches?
A. He said, "Lest I be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the
Lord?"
1. There is a tendency to forget God when we have plenty.
Deut. 6:10-12
a. Israel did that very thing. Deut. 32:15; Jer. 2:32
2. The Word of God teaches us to have the right view of riches.
Prov. 13:7
a. The abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Eccl. 5:10-17; Prov. 23:5
b. Jesus showed that it will be very difficult for rich
people to obtain heaven. Matt. 19:23-24
B. He also added, "Lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name
of my God."
1. Men often blame God for their misfortune.
a. We understand why people steal when they are hungry,
but two wrongs never make a right. Prov. 6:30-31
2. No one wants to be poor, or to be forced to live in poverty.
Thus, our text becomes a very real prayer for all of us.
a. It has been stated that 90% of American families live
only 6 weeks from bankruptcy. In other words, if their
income were cut off, they could survive only six weeks
before being in serious trouble financially. This is true
of most all of us.
C. We should be appreciative of our present blessings. Col. 4:2
1. Our appreciation should come from the heart.
a. Someone mentioned this as a illustration to show how
people often don't really appreciate things. "We
attended the wedding of an acquaintance's son. Because
we did not know the young man or his bride, we
decided to send them a practical household gift, a fire
extinguisher. Apparently, the couple mass-produced
their thank-you notes, because we received a card
saying: 'Thank you very much for the nice wedding gift.
We look forward to using it soon.'"
b. A man had posted himself in front of an office building
with a tray of shoelaces. One executive made it a daily
habit to give the unfortunate man a dime, but he never
took the laces. One day the peddler, upon receiving the
dime, tapped his departing benefactor on the back. "I
don't like to complain, sir--but the laces are now twenty
cents."
c. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of
heaven. We have been preserved, for many years, in
peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers,
wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the
gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and
multiplied, and enriched, and strengthened us; and we
have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts
that all these blessings were produced by some superior
wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with
unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to
feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace,
too proud to pray to God that made us! It behooves us,
then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to
confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and
forgiveness. President Abraham Lincoln, April 30, 1863
D. We must learn to be content with what we presently have. 1 Tim.
6:8; Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11
1. If we want to be saved eternally, we must learn to put God
above all else.
2. We must set our minds on things above. Col. 3:2; 1 Pet. 1:13
(See chart #2)
Concl.
A. If we had two requests only--we could make no improvement on
the appeal made by the writer of Proverbs.
1. He prayed for deliverance from moral impurity.
2. He asked for worldly goods in moderation.
B. This provides a happy life here, and brings eternal life.
Chart #1
7 Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 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.
(Prov. 30:7-9 NKJV)
Chart #2
SET YOUR MIND ON
(Col. 3:2; 1 Pet. 1:13)
Things Above Not on Things on the Earth
Deity Self
(Psalm 123:1-2; Heb. 12:1-2) (2 Tim. 3:2; Phil. 2:21)
Heaven Material Things
(2 Cor. 5:1-2; Rev. 21:1-4) (Mark 10:17-23; 2 Pet. 2:14)
Law of the Lord Pleasure
(Rom. 7:22; Psalm 1:1-3) (2 Tim. 3:4; Luke 8:14)
Spiritual Things Pride of Life
(Matt. 6:33; Rom. 12:1-2) (John 5:44; 3 John 9)
A Spiritual Life A Fleshly life
(Rom. 8:5; Gal. 5:16) (Rom. 8:13; Phil. 3:19)
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