‘The Sayings of Agur, son of Jakeh, from Massa. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal‘ – Proverbs 30:1
At the start of The Sayings of Agur, in Proverbs 30, Five Hebrew Names are stated;
AGUR, JAKEH, MASSA, ITHIEL & UCAL
Agur is the author, his fathers name is Jakeh, he’s from Massa and is adressing his sayings to Ithiel and Ucal…and so it would seem at a casual glance…
However, like many passages of Hebrew scripture, the names of both people and places have significant meaning. As the wise King Solomon points out in one of his earlier proverbs, ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.’
In this article I’m going to search out the matter and riff on the meaning of these names as they inspire me. I hope they bring inspiration to you too…
Agur :to gather together
Agur means stranger, gathered together. Agur is ‘to collect’; a collector or gatherer of words, of sayings of wisdom. Agur can also mean ‘the one who is brave in the pursuit of wisdom’
As a child, I had a peculiar penchant for collecting exotic soaps. I kept an old suitcase packed full of them; some in the shape of ducks and a variety of other soaps of all shapes and sizes.
Then there was a time in my 20’s when I collected stories; stories of experiences I had with God. I wrote these down in my journals and shared them with others as I had opportunity
What do you like to collect?
Agur is a gatherer
As a church planter, I’m always on the lookout for ways to gather people together…
Particularly gathering those people who are not yet a people
King Solomon says, ‘There’s a time to gather, and a time to scatter’
A shepherd gathers and protects their sheep. The thought of sheep being scattered is a daunting proposal and yet there are appointed times when God’s sheep are scattered. As Jesus says, ‘I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves’
When The Great Wave hit the Jerusalem Church, all the disciples (except the apostles) were scattered everywhere…but wherever they were scattered, they gathered as new churches (Acts 8). In a time of Covid, many church buildings and services have closed due to Corona Restrictions. As a result disciples have been scattered…
Perhaps now, more than ever is a time for disciples to gather in new ways?
Sometimes we can hold onto things for far too long…hoarding…like a dragon sitting on treasure, yet there remains; a time to gather and a time to scatter
Let the word be multiplied, let the disciples scatter and let gatherings emerge in many unexpected places…
Who are you gathering?
Where are you gathering?
What words are you collecting?
Jakeh :to make pure
Jakeh signifies ‘one who is free from sin’ (from Naki, meaning ‘pure’)
What a wonder. Being called out of darkness and into his wonderful light!
Jakeh is to be blameless. To be obedient or ‘to obey’
We are to make disciples of all people groups, teaching them to obey. God our Father is looking for obedient sons and daughters. Not only those who hear, but those who both hear and obey.
Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
Have you learnt obedience through suffering?
Are you training others to obey?
MASSA: to speak the words of God
Massa signifies ‘the burden‘. A burden, prophecy or oracle. Load bearing, ‘He who bore the yoke of God’
Jesus says, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
More specifically, Massa refers to a prophetic burden or oracle. Something received from the Lord and carried to others. Prophecy was never produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
As the apostle Peter says, ‘If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.’
Speak as though inspired by God
The words of Agur’s proverbs are prophetic in nature. The purpose of both scripture and prophecy is to lead us to Jesus. So we find even within his proverbs, written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, a mystery and riddle that reveals Jesus, for Agur asks;
‘Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? […] What is his name – and the name of his son?’ – Proverbs 30:4
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
ITHIEL & UCAL: to understand the signs and power of God
‘The man declares this to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal’
Ithiel is He who understood the signs and deeds of God, or who understood the alphabet of God. Ithiel means ‘sign’ and can be rendered; ‘The words of God’ or ‘The Word of God,’ ‘Sign’ or ‘Coming of God’. Some translations render it as ‘God is with me’
Jesus said; ‘I AM the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End’. He is, Immanuel; God with us. The Word made flesh dwells among us. At Jesus’ blessing it was spoken over Him; ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against’
He is the Sign of Jonah; he said, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ He spoke of the temple of his body. And this is a profound mystery; We are his temple! We are his body!
Christ within you, the hope of glory!
The apostle Paul exhorts us saying; ‘Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.’
Ucal means ‘Power’ or ‘Prevalency’ from the verb ‘akal’; to eat or consume, ‘yakol’ to be able to prevail or ‘kalah’ to be complete, meaning: I am consumed, I will prevail, I complete.
The disciples remembered that it is written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ Jesus said, ‘I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it…my food is is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’
We received power from on high to be his witnesses…
Agur spoke to Ithiel and Ucal, they were his disciples…
Do you have disciples?
Who are your disciples?
A COMPOSITE
‘The Words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, from Massa (the prophecy). The man spoke unto Ithiel and Ucal…’
In rabbinical literature, the full meaning of these Five Hebrew Words can be stated as follows;
‘The one who is brave in the pursuit of wisdom, who is free from sin, who bore the yoke of God, who understood the signs and deeds of God. The master’
That to me describes Jesus…
But to me these Five Hebrew Words; Agur, Jakeh, Massa, Ithiel, Ucal also describe our calling to be;
A people gathered together, called out of darkness into his marvelous light. A gathering of those who were strangers, but are now obedient disciples, holy sons and daughters; living stones whom Christ is building together into a living temple that the gates of Hell will not prevail against.
This is a sign and a wonder to the principalities and powers.
This is the Church Christ is Building in the midst of hostile forces here on earth…
These are The words of The Gatherer
Agur is the convenor and instructor of assemblies…
