29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
30 The lion which is mighty among beasts
And does not [k]retreat before any,
31 The [l]strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33 For the [m]churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
So the [n]churning of anger produces strife.
At first, we’re left wondering, “So there are these things that strut about… so what?” I think Agur’s choices are telling though. The lion, which we call the “king of beasts”, naturally has every right to strut about. His only fear is a younger lion, but in his prime he is unstoppable. Likewise a king, not just any king, not just any ruler, but a king when his army is with him.
A little side note, as I was reading recently about leadership, and how one must act the part, even when you don’t feel qualified. A leader who lacks confidence not only fails to inspire, but what does that say about his team, his employees, or his army? It says that he doesn’t have confidence in them either, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Now, moving back to the animals…
Besides the lion and the king, Agur selects the rooster. Yes, roosters can be mean and nasty, they protect their territory… until a predator comes around and lops off his head. I’m not sure a goat would fare much better, though they probably pack a little more punch behind their ornery disposition. In any case, it seems the contrast is between thing which strut because they ought to, and those who strut to show off.
In case we weren’t sure, v. 32 makes it clear, “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself… put your hand on your mouth.” Or put another way, “If you’ve been tootin’ your own horn, put a sock in it!” There are things that are inevitable, churning of milk makes butter, getting punched in the nose makes it bleed, and “pride goes before destruction”.
There seems to be a fine line between confidence and getting puffed up, making it perhaps a little difficult to know when you’ve crossed it. Yet Solomon already warned us not to exalt ourselves, which is a far clearer standard. The best standard of all is to give all glory to God. If someone else wants to thank or praise you, accept it graciously, but never attempt to take hold of the glory that belongs to your Maker.