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.
Since the fear of the Lord is so important, I want to understand it. Proverbs 2 says I can. To understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God requires receiving words of wisdom, hiding them in our hearts, listening to wisdom, stretching ourselves to understand wisdom, speaking, reciting, claiming and calling out for discernment, seeking these words of wisdom as if they were hidden gems.
But what is wisdom, and where are we to find this wisdom? Where can we seek this treasure?
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Wisdom comes from the Lord’s mouth. His Word contains knowledge and understanding. His Word holds the secrets that we seek to understand, that we stretch to discern, that we speak and proclaim, that we listen to and obey, and that we receive and treasure. This is the source of wisdom which provides understanding of the fear of the Lord and enlightens our knowledge of God.
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.
Within His Word are treasures that God lays up for the righteous. They are guarded by the Lord. Not just anyone can obtain them. They are protected and preserved for those who are willing to cherish them by taking them into their heart with a willingness to be guided by their precepts instead of choosing the words of people who are unholy and have ungodly intent.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
A half-hearted, disinterested person will not treasure God‘s Word, which enables them to be in awe of God and to truly have knowledge of who He is, what His character is like, or where His way lies. But for those of us who do seek to know Him and who humble ourselves to His will, God offers a shield of protection. He keeps our path safe and preserves us, making readily available the riches of His Word. We discover Him and grow in the intimacy of truly knowing Him.
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
Wisdom for life springs from this relationship. God's will and the ability to see things God’s way sinks into our hearts, and we begin to delight in His truth. As a result, we lean on that truth and love it...and have the knowledge to make the wise choices His Word enables us to make. Once we have found His treasure, we are delivered from the sources of influence that turn us away from wisdom – the man whose words are against truth and are corrupt with error; the woman whose words and lifestyle appeal to the lusts of the flesh.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Getting on God’s wavelength, separates us from those who are worldly minded and connects us to good men. It shows us how to follow the path of those who’ve already chosen what is good. Our dwelling becomes the habitation of the upright, the godly, the blameless. We are surrounded with people who have roots in the eternal and are established in the same fear and knowledge of God through which we have been established.
When we dive fully into relationship with God, we find Him in greater measure than we knew was possible, and we find the right people for our lives as well. Our pursuit of God, therefore, results in the blessing of His pursuit of us and the provision of His best for our lives.
Tip/Tidbit: Take the challenge. Dig into God's Word and see where His path will lead.
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.
Since the fear of the Lord is so important, I want to understand it. Proverbs 2 says I can. To understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God requires receiving words of wisdom, hiding them in our hearts, listening to wisdom, stretching ourselves to understand wisdom, speaking, reciting, claiming and calling out for discernment, seeking these words of wisdom as if they were hidden gems.
But what is wisdom, and where are we to find this wisdom? Where can we seek this treasure?
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Wisdom comes from the Lord’s mouth. His Word contains knowledge and understanding. His Word holds the secrets that we seek to understand, that we stretch to discern, that we speak and proclaim, that we listen to and obey, and that we receive and treasure. This is the source of wisdom which provides understanding of the fear of the Lord and enlightens our knowledge of God.
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.
Within His Word are treasures that God lays up for the righteous. They are guarded by the Lord. Not just anyone can obtain them. They are protected and preserved for those who are willing to cherish them by taking them into their heart with a willingness to be guided by their precepts instead of choosing the words of people who are unholy and have ungodly intent.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
A half-hearted, disinterested person will not treasure God‘s Word, which enables them to be in awe of God and to truly have knowledge of who He is, what His character is like, or where His way lies. But for those of us who do seek to know Him and who humble ourselves to His will, God offers a shield of protection. He keeps our path safe and preserves us, making readily available the riches of His Word. We discover Him and grow in the intimacy of truly knowing Him.
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
Wisdom for life springs from this relationship. God's will and the ability to see things God’s way sinks into our hearts, and we begin to delight in His truth. As a result, we lean on that truth and love it...and have the knowledge to make the wise choices His Word enables us to make. Once we have found His treasure, we are delivered from the sources of influence that turn us away from wisdom – the man whose words are against truth and are corrupt with error; the woman whose words and lifestyle appeal to the lusts of the flesh.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Getting on God’s wavelength, separates us from those who are worldly minded and connects us to good men. It shows us how to follow the path of those who’ve already chosen what is good. Our dwelling becomes the habitation of the upright, the godly, the blameless. We are surrounded with people who have roots in the eternal and are established in the same fear and knowledge of God through which we have been established.
When we dive fully into relationship with God, we find Him in greater measure than we knew was possible, and we find the right people for our lives as well. Our pursuit of God, therefore, results in the blessing of His pursuit of us and the provision of His best for our lives.
Tip/Tidbit: Take the challenge. Dig into God's Word and see where His path will lead.
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