yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:3-5

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The book of Proverbs is called the book of Wisdom and rightly so. It is filled with practical wisdom for life.  Pastor John MacArthur in his introduction to Proverbs said this:

Proverbs is Wisdom literature, by nature it is sometimes difficult to understand (1:6). Wisdom literature is part of the whole of OT truth; the Priest gave the Law, the Prophet gave a Word from the Lord, and the Sage (or wise man) gave his wise Counsel (Jer. 18:18; Ezek. 7:26).

In Proverbs, Solomon the Sage gives insight into the “knotty” issues of life (Prov. 1:6) that are not directly addressed in the Law or the Prophets. Though it is practical, Proverbs is not superficial or external because it contains moral and ethical elements stressing upright living that flow out of a right relationship with God.

For many years now, I have read a chapter of Proverbs a day, what I call the “Proverbs for the day”. That is, on the first day of the month, I read Proverbs chapter 1, on the second day, chapter 2, you get the idea.  Today, I would like to share some of my thoughts on the topic of Wisdom, thoughts I gleaned from Proverbs chapter 2.  I will explore the following very briefly: what Wisdom is, how to get it, why we need it and the ultimate purpose of wisdom.  

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While we get the general sense of what constitutes wisdom in Proverbs chapter 2, the chapter itself does not contain a definition, the writer assumes his readers already know what it is.  However, as we read the Bible, we find that there are two definitions of wisdom. I will give the first definite here, the second will appear at the end of this write up.  In both definitions, we will find that wisdom is not a matter of intellect, but a matter of the heart. Here is the first definition in a nutshell; wisdom is the ability to take the knowledge of God’s word and put it into everyday living.  The ability to rightly apply God’s word to every circumstance and situation in life is wisdom.

I identified three ways in Proverbs 2: 1-6 how one can get wisdom. They are:

1. From receiving and treasuring God’s Words
2. By earnestly calling out for it 
3. By revelation from God

Proverbs 2:1-2 says My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.

The first way to receive Wisdom here is from God’s Words. It is not enough to listen to the Word, or read the Word or be taught the Word, we must receive it, this means we must take possession of it and obey it.  One takes possession of God’s Word by faith with a desire to obey. Once we take possession of it, we must treasure it, that means placing a high value on it. Whatever we treasure, we guard, defend, and live for. 

To live wisely is to live with the ability to separate the good from the bad as well as the good from the almost good.

The second way we get wisdom is by earnestly calling out for it. Proverbs 2:3-4 – yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,

The picture that came to mind when I read the text of verse 3 was one of a search party. When search parties go out looking for a missing person, they usually call out the name of the missing person as they are search. This is not a casual playful call, but a serious and earnest call, a call they hope will result in finding the missing person. In the same way, in seeking wisdom, we are to earnestly call out to God in prayer. 

Not only do we pray earnestly for it, but verse also 4 tells us to search for it like silver and hidden treasures, this means we have to expend some effort into the search.  No one gets silver by picking it up from the beach. Silver is mined and like all precious stones, requires hard work. This is not a one-day search, with wisdom, it is a search for a lifetime. A lifetime of digging deep by praying, studying, sitting under godly teaching and spending time in the company of those who are spiritually wise.  Just like searching for treasure, persistence and patience will be our key to success.  We get wisdom by earnest prayer and effort (persistence).

Lastly, wisdom comes only by revelation of God. When we receive and treasure God’s word in our hearts, earnestly calling out to God in prayer and making every effort to dig deep through His word in search of wisdom, then and only then will we begin to understand what it means to fear (reverence) God, for it is in the fear of God that we find wisdom. according to Proverbs 2:5-6, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  We also find this in Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Verses 7-19 of Proverbs chapter 2 lays out two man reasons why we need wisdom. They are:

1. To Know How to Live
2. For our protection

Earlier on, I defined Wisdom as the ability to take the knowledge of God’s word and use it in everyday practical living, another name for that ability is discernment.  Along with wisdom comes discernment. You cannot have one without the other. To live wisely is to live with the ability to separate the good from the bad as well as the good from the almost good. We need discernment to live out the Christian life.

Verses 9-10 tells us that wisdom brings along with it an understanding of righteousness, justice, equity and every good work. Righteousness is to be in right standing before God. It synonymous with justification. Justice is rendering to everyone their proper due. Equity means impartiality.  We can only properly determine what is righteous, just and equitable when we come into a full knowledge of the Word of God.

The result of all of this will be discernment which is translated as discretion in the ESV calls it. Verse 11 says discretion will watch over you and understanding will guard you. Discernment is a sign of spiritual maturity. Godly wisdom gives us the spiritual maturity needed  to discern what is needful and what is not. It guards us again error.   Ephesians 4:13-14 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

 We need discretion or discernment to be able to live a life that pleases God and to be protected (guarded) from error. The ability to discern not only shows maturity, but also keeps us away from evil and ungodly people. These are the ungodly who forsake the paths of uprightness, walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil, delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. Included in the ungodly that wisdom protects us from is the sexually immoral and adulteress.

Knowing what wisdom is, why we need and how we get it leads us to its purpose. What is the purpose of wisdom in a believer’s life?  We only need wisdom to live here on earth, we won’t need it in heaven. Verses 19-21 shows that the purpose of wisdom is to set us up on the path to eternity. To help prepare us for heaven. Matthew Henry sums it up beautifully when he said:

The righteous must leave the earth as well as the wicked; but the earth is a very different thing to them. To the wicked it is all the heaven they ever shall have; to the righteous it is the place of preparation for heaven.

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None of the above will be possible without a relationship with Jesus Christ. Which leads us to the second definition of wisdom – Wisdom is a person; His name is Jesus. 

I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion……..The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. – Proverbs 8:12, 22-23

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. –1 Corinthians 1:24

…to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2b-3

When we connect both definitions of wisdom together, we come to understand that wisdom is eternal and can only come from God and that the heart is the seat of wisdom.

Wisdom is calling out to us today, what will your response be? – My son, give me your heart,and let your eyes observe my ways.- Proverbs 23:26

Soli Deo Gloria!