Wednesday 28 September 2016

Psalm: Psalm 16

Background

There are parallels here with the dramatic questions in Job38, when God challenges Job: "… who shut in the sea with doorswhen it burst out from the womb? ... and said, 'Thus far shall youcome, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'?"(vv. 8, 11). But here in Proverbs the speaker is notGod, but Agur, son of Jakeh, whose identity beyond these four wordsis uncertain.

Unusually for a wisdom text, the speaker begins by declaring hisown stupidity. He goes on to ask a series of rhetorical questionsthat highlight human limitations and the awesome power of God.These words, recorded hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus,carry particular resonance for Christian readers: when asked "Whohas ascended to heaven and come down? ... And what is the name ofthe person's child?" (v. 4) we cannot help but think of Jesus, theSon of God, "joy of heaven to earth come down" (Singing theFaith 503).

Verses 7-9 contain the only prayer in Proverbs. There areparallels with the Methodist Covenant Prayer - the prayer acknowledges that God,not the speaker, is wise and knows what he (the speaker) needsmost. He asks God to "feed me with the food that I need" (v. 8),acknowledging the dangers of both poverty and wealth. In oneversion of the Covenant Prayer, Methodists are invited to pray:"Your will, not mine, be done in all things… when I have allthings, and when I have nothing."

To Ponder

• How do you feel about asking God to 'feed you with the foodthat you need'? When asking God (in the Lord's Prayer) to "give ustoday our daily bread" are we talking about our spiritual needs, orour everyday practical needs, or both?

• Do you think it is easier to pray 'your will, not mine, bedone' in situations where you have 'all things' or where you have'nothing'?