Pearls From Proverbs – Chapter Two
We continue our study on the Book of Proverbs. Let us now look at chapter two.
SEEKING WISDOM
1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5 (NKJV)
As in the first chapter – God address us – as a father would his son.
In this first section we see several “ifs”:
1. If you receive my words
2. If you treasure my commands within you
3. If you treasure then to the point that you want to hear wisdom
4. If you apply your heart to understanding
5. If you cry out for discernment
6. If you lift up your voice for understanding
7. If you seek wisdom as you would silver
8. If you search for wisdom as you would a hidden treasure
Then:
1. You will understand the fear of the Lord
2. You will find the knowledge of God
Matthew Henry gives three steps to finding wisdom:
1. We must closely attend to the Word of God
2. We must be in much prayer
3. We must take pains to find it
If you think that wisdom will automatically come knocking at your door – you are much mistaken. Jesus told us:
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NKJV)
To reap a harvest you must plant the seed, water the ground, fertilize the soil, pull the weeds – in other words – it takes effort. So too is the finding and applying of wisdom.
SEEK SOUND WIDSOM
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; 8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. Proverbs 2:6-9 (NKJV)
Wisdom is a gift of God – but it takes effort to find it.
God is the source of wisdom – He gives it out. It comes from His mouth and with it comes knowledge and understanding. There is no sense to just have knowledge if there is no understanding. The godly application of knowledge is wisdom. A person can have much knowledge but no common sense – what good is that? It is possible for a person to be an educated idiot. There are many educated people who speak foolishness. Therefore, be care who you listen to and follow. It is God who gives “sound wisdom”.
God has promised to be a shield – a guard – and to preserve your way – if you will walk in the paths of justice and righteousness. Follow God and He will preserve you – shield you and guard you. Then you will have understanding of righteousness, equity and justice. You will know the good path. Jesus said:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
WISDOM IN THE HEART
10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, Proverbs 2:10-12 (NKJV)
Verse ten explains how deep wisdom needs to go – it needs to enter the heart. Head knowledge is profitable – but God desires that we have a love for wisdom. Matthew Henry has said:
“When wisdom has dominion over us, then it not only fills the head, but enters into the heart, and will preserve, both against corruptions within and temptations without. The ways of sin are ways of darkness, uncomfortable and unsafe: what fools are those who leave the plain, pleasant, lightsome paths of uprightness, to walk in such ways!”
God shows us in these verses:
When
1. Wisdom enters our heart
2. Knowledge is pleasant to our very being (soul)
Then
1. Common sense (Good judgment) will preserve you
2. Insight will become profitable to you
And
1. You will know when to stay away from evil
2. You will know the character of the company that you keep
Wisdom is to be our guide through this life.
WARNINGS OF FORSAKING WISDOM
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths; 16 To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, 17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God. 18 For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; 19 None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life-- 20 So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. 21 For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. Proverbs 2:13-22 (NKJV)
Barnes says of this passage:
The evil-doers here include not robbers and murderers only, but all who leave the straight path and the open day for crooked ways, perverse counsels, deeds of darkness. “To delight in the perversity of the wicked” is the lowest depth of all.
It would seem that some love to walk in sin, ignorance, and infidelity. It would seem that it would be very uncomfortable as well as dangerous to walk in this way – yet it is as natural to the sinful man as it to breathing air. Dear Christian if you are walking in this way – and you are not uncomfortable – you are in a very dangerous place. The Christian is to have his or her mind set on things above not on things below. When a child of God does something wrong they should feel guilty about it. If the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you – you should feel convicted of your sin. If there is no conviction – you need to question your relationship to the Father. God does not lead us in paths of evil but in paths of righteousness. Examine your life – where are you walking?
Verse sixteen talks of the “immoral woman”. To walk in wickedness is like being with a prostitute – it is not pleasing in God’s sight. God wants us to follow His ways – to do otherwise is to be walking the path of death. The Bible is given to light our path along the way:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)
To walk outside the light of God’s word – is to walk in darkness.
The Life Application Study Bible says:
Two of the most difficult sins to resist are pride and sexual immorality. Both are seductive. Pride says, "I deserve it"; sexual desire says, "I need it." In combination, their appeal is deadly. In fact, says Solomon, only by relying on God’s strength can we overcome them. Pride appeals to the empty head; sexual enticement to the empty heart. By looking to God, we can fill our heads with his wisdom and our hearts with his love. Don’t be fooled—remember what God says about who you are and what you were meant to be. Ask him for strength to resist these temptations.
In verses twenty and twenty-one God tells us that there is a better way to walk – than to walk in the ways of sin. It is the way of “goodness and righteousness.” If we walk on this path we will be “upright and blameless”. But this chapter ends with a great warning: “the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.” Out of God’s love – He gives us this warning. It is never God’s desire to see anyone perish. His desire is that all would be saved and that all would walk in His ways. Each of us has a choice – will we follow God’s way or not. The easy way is not always the best way. Jesus said:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
I will not deceive you – to follow God is not always easy – but in the end it is worth it. Will you choose this day to follow Him?
