A WISE REQUEST

By David J. Riggs

                       
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 view 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. 6:10-11
         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. 19:23-14
   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, out text becomes a very real prayer for
         all of us.
         a. It has been stated that 90% of the American families
            live only 6 weeks from bankruptcy.  In other words,
            if their income was cut off, they could survive only
            six weeks before being is 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, the 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)