1 My son, if thou wilt
receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou
incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea,
if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If
thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then
shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For
the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk
uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of
his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and
equity; yea, every good path. (Prov
2:1-9)
We resume today our study in the Book of Proverbs which holds forth the
greatest wisdom to man ever written by the Mind of God. We cover the first 9
verses today of the 2nd chapter. But, looking at the
overall plan for this complete chapter, we will observe how Wisdom will save us
from many perils and disappointments and, in the end (if not always) reap high
dividends. We my break this chapter down into four distinct categories of the
benefits of Wisdom; 1) Wisdom sanctifies our soul (vv 1-6) when we first fear
God and heed her counsel. 2) Wisdom provides the most security (vv 7-9) by becoming
our shield and watchman. 3) Wisdom provides us immeasurable joy (vv 10-11) in
our satisfaction of duty performed. 4) The Wisdom that calls us to Christ and
His Righteousness will save us. a) From Godless men (vv 12-15, 20-22); b) From
godless women (vv 16-19).
The Book of Proverbs makes a personification of Wisdom which closely resembles
the efficacious Counsel of the Holy Ghost; and why shouldn't it, for all of the
Counsel of the Holy Ghost is the purest distillation of Wisdom. Wisdom is
not natural character of man, but of God. What wisdom we have comes from the
Mind of God. In a sense, all unbelievers are out of their right mind because
they lack the most critical knowledge and wisdom that points invariably to His
Throne of Grace. A fifteen year old high school dropout on a farm in China may
have more wisdom than the proud Princeton theologian and, therefore, be more
acquainted with God. A mere child, is his father is President, has more
influence than a corporate executive has – and the child will know his father
better than that executive. It is our relationship with God that imputes
righteousness, and it is our early fear of Him that drives us to the threshold
of Wisdom.
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments
with thee. Our first benchmark in knowing god is to receive
His Word. If we are prone to sitting in one church service a week and,
hopefully, absorbing His Counsel through the process of osmosis, we will never
make the mark. We may as well be an oyster on the bottom of the sea that
neither labors nor chooses its own food. It consumes whatever is dropped down
to its open shell. But the valiant soul is like the eagle that flies above the
clouds and seeks diligently for its daily bread. And how does one hide God's
Commandments with himself? He studies and meditates on all of the Scriptures,
even searching between the lines for meaning, as a young lady peruses a love
letter. It is a daily endeavor for one must eat daily to keep a healthy body –
and spirit. We do not take into our hearts two rough-hewn Tables of Stone
written there on Mount Sinai, but we attach them to the vehicle of warm love
which penetrates deep into the lower chambers of our heart. It is love that
gives our obedience legitimacy. It is just as a later Proverb states: "…write
them upon the table of thine heart." (Prov 7:3) We see this same truth
beautifully expressed in the New Testament at many points, most wonderfully in
2nd
Corinthians: 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read
of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of
Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2
Cor 3:2-3) How beautiful that these souls, marred in times past with sin and
wickedness, can actually become the letters of God to those who know us. Are
you a letter of God to others?
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine
heart to understanding There are several thousand books in my
library. My wife is baffled that I need so many. She asked me one day,
"Jerry, have you READ all of these books?" Of course, I have not. I
may have read some particular reading from each of them for they are reference
books and not novels. The point is that we must do more than HAVE possession of
a book if we will know its contents. We must crave the deeper things of God so
much so that we acquire every tool to advance our understanding. Personally, I
will not give two cents for modern theological works for most are tinged with a
very low view of God. I prefer the old masters such as Augustine, Athanasius,
Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, Ryle, etc. I love them because their writings
reflect the same love for Christ as my heart yearns to have. If we incline our
ear to God, we must drown out all of the `racket' of the world and concentrate
on His still, small voice. Once we have an understanding of any truth that God
imparts to us through His Word, we must then apply our hearts to its
understanding. If you hear a particularly touching story from a friend,
if you wish to remember that story for future reference, you must go out and
share it promptly. The same with the Word of God.
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice
for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear
of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Knowledge and
wisdom begin in fear, but they do not end in fear, but in courage and
inspiration. If we have not feared the wrath of God as sinners, then what can
ever bring us to search Him out? That fear will drive us to seek His face and when
we have found Him, our fear turns to a loving reliance and a mild fear of
disappointing Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a
good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth
for ever. (Psalms 111:10) Each Word of God is as precious silver, and
silver must be mined from the rock – the Rock of Christ. Silver must be refined
to remove impurities – so the soul that comes to Christ must be sanctified. 6 For
the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
At last, we all discover that the Lord is the only source of true wisdom
and knowledge – and it is free to those who seek it.
We are secure when we have put on the armor of wisdom. 7 He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk
uprightly The Lord lays up sound wisdom for the righteous? Yes,
there is always more in His store room of wisdom after each bestowal of that
precious commodity. It is laid up for us and it is imparted to us in measures
which we can digest. Every morsel of wisdom is another link in our spiritual
coat of mail. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth
the way of his saints The Lord keeps us in His pardon for we are
righteous in His eyes with the imputed righteousness of His Son. He preserves
the way of the saints because the way of the saints is the Way of Christ – in
Truth and Life!
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and
equity; yea, every good path. If you have sought out wisdom
above all else, as did the author of these Proverbs (Solomon), then shall you
understand how you can be accounted righteous in the eyes of the Lord. You will
not face confusion of thought and action for your conscience, being informed of
Wisdom imparted by the Holy Ghost, shall be your guide and compass.
Knowing judgment, you will also know that you have been justified through the
meritorious works of Christ. And what is every good path? It is that Way, that
Truth, that Life made available in Christ. Being in Him as our Ark of
Salvation, we cannot venture from that Way – for He is that WAY!
