How does Proverbs 30:7 connect with the commandment against bearing false witness?

A Simple Prayer for a Truth-Filled Life

“Two things I ask of You, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:” (Proverbs 30:7)

Agur’s opening request sets the stage for a heart-level pursuit of integrity. Before he ever speaks of money or circumstances, he longs for an absence of deceit. Truth is his first priority.

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The Ninth Commandment Echo

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)

Both texts call us to the same destination—truthfulness—but they travel by slightly different routes:

• The commandment is a legal line: do not fabricate testimony.

• Proverbs 30:7–8 is a personal plea: remove every seed of lying from my heart.

Together they reveal that God’s concern is not only courtroom honesty but everyday integrity.

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Linking Heart and Mouth

Verse 8 continues, “Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me…”. Notice the flow:

1. Heart posture—“falsehood” (inner disposition)

2. Spoken words—“deceitful words” (outer expression)

Agur recognizes what Jesus later highlights in Matthew 12:34: “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” The ninth commandment forbids the fruit; Proverbs 30:7–8 digs at the root.

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Why This Matters Daily

• Truth reflects God’s character (John 14:6); lying reflects the devil’s (John 8:44).

• Integrity sustains community trust (Zechariah 8:16).

• Personal holiness begins with honest speech (Ephesians 4:25).

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Practical Takeaways

• Ask God daily to “keep falsehood…far from me.”

• Check motives before speaking: will these words align with Exodus 20:16?

• Cultivate truth in private thoughts; public words will follow suit.

Proverbs 30:7 points our hearts to the same straight path commanded at Sinai: a life where truth reigns and false witness finds no foothold.