Neither poverty nor riches

We will be reading the book of Proverbs for the last day and tomorrow, we will begin another wisdom book. There are all together 31 chapters in Proverbs. Three days are not enough to appreciate all the gems collected in this volume. Most of the wisdom sayings are attributed to King Solomon. However, for the last two chapters, the sayings go to somebody else, viz. Agur, son of Jakeh of Massa (chapter 30) and Lemuel, king of Massa (chapter 31). The book of Proverbs finishes with a famous ode dedicated to a good wife (Proverbs 31:10-31).
There is a style peculiar to Jewish wisdom saying, probably for poetic reasons. This is illustrated with the verses shown below. They may be found in other Jewish wisdom literature.
Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough" (Proverbs 30:15b)
Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand (Proverbs 30:18)
Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up:(Proverbs 30:21).
Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride (Proverbs 30:29)
There are always exceptions. For example,
Two things I ask of thee; deny them not to me before I die (Proverbs 30:7)
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise (Proverbs 30:24)
Here, the author really meant two things and four things respectively.
Now, I would look at the first one in greater details. It runs like this.
Two things I ask of thee; deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, "Who is the LORD?"
or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God (Proverbs 30:7-9).
The author prayed to God, seeking two favours from God.
First of all, do not allow him to tell lies, to bear false witness etc. The author prayed to God to help him lead a moral truthful life. This is very commendable. To be able to refrain from telling lies is not easy. Telling lies is usually a convenient way to escape from embarrassment, to evade responsibilities, to divert blames etc. This is a well-known defense mechanism to help the ego feel good. However, the day will come when telling lies becomes so natural, so deep-seated that the ego itself is willing to believe in the lies one tells. When this day comes, I don't know how that person can ever face the truth anymore.
Secondly, the author prayed that he would neither be rich nor poor. He did not want to be too rich, lest he would become arrogant and deny God. Neither did he want to live in poverty. Living in poverty or as a beggar was a nightmare for a Jew. As long as there was enough food and a shelter, a Jew would be satisfied. If he was forced to live in poverty, he might become a thief to steal. This would profane the name of God. So, wisdom traditions in different cultures at least agree on one thing: leading a contended life, neither rich nor poor, is happiness.

My dear Advocate, I believe that the truth will make us free. Therefore, I pray that I may, with Your blessing, be able to lead a truthful life. We need courage, moral courage to do so. So, help me God. Amen.