Proverbs 2:1–9

Here the Holy Spirit turns away from the sad end of godless indifference and contempt, and starts a new part of His plan. He shows how a person gains moral wisdom and right understanding, which consists in the fear of Jehovah and the knowledge of God. It comes, at least, to the heart that submits and is willing to learn.

This chapter warns against two particular dangers, and both come from bad influences. But the chapter begins on a more positive note. It still makes the instruction depend on one thing: whether the hearer is willing to receive the words of wisdom and treasure the commands of the Lord (v. 1). If we grasp the truth as it really is, it gives us a valuable protection against falsehood.

This chapter takes the position of the son, the submissive and obedient soul. He receives the words of counsel. He hides and keeps inside himself the commandments given to him. So he bends his ear to wisdom, and his heart gives itself to understanding. And if he goes further — if he seeks wisdom as something priceless, searches her out like hidden treasure, and looks for her openly and on purpose — then the result is that he grasps the fear of Jehovah and arrives at the knowledge of God. So here we do not have a call to men. We have the heart itself seeking true wisdom as its portion and treasure.

God gave us birth by His own will, through the word of truth. In the same way, receiving His words and storing up His commandments with you is the constant condition of blessing. In Luke 10 we see our Lord deciding in Mary's favour: she had the good part, and no one would take it from her. Martha had complained that her sister did not care. But Martha was the one in the wrong, because she judged Mary for sitting at His feet and hearing His word. That is what it really means to bend the ear to wisdom and to apply the heart to understanding. Yet that is not all. At the start of Luke 11 our Lord also shows the need and the value of earnest prayer.

You must receive and store up the sayings of Wisdom, that is, the Word of the Lord. Your ear must bend to hear them, and your heart must give itself to understanding. Verse 3 mentions prayer. You must cry out for knowledge and for understanding, and then go on to seek and search. Meet these conditions, and the fear of the Lord becomes your portion, and the knowledge of God with it. These are excellent instructions for the study of the Word of God. Follow them, and the Lord will give wisdom (James 1:5).

One of the first duties of a believer is to study the Word of God... You must search the Scriptures in this spirit, and study them in an orderly way, if you want to be "complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17). I do not say, read no other book. But I do say, make the Bible your chief companion.

The chapter begins on a positive note. But it makes the instruction conditional: the hearer must be willing to receive the words of wisdom and treasure the commands of the Lord (v. 1). If we grasp the truth correctly, it gives us a valuable protection against falsehood.

How vital it is to incline our ears to wisdom, instead of declining to give it close attention. And how vital to apply our hearts to understanding, instead of letting the heart run wild with nothing but selfish desires (v. 2).

He asks the Lord for "an understanding heart," for hearing is the door to discernment and intelligence. To be wise, a person must begin by listening to wisdom: "Blessed is the one who listens to me" (Prov. 8:34). All true service starts with hearing. Solomon did not know how to "go out or come in"; he could not learn this except by listening. Anyone who does not begin by enrolling in the school of wisdom will never be a true servant.

Solomon asks the Lord for "an understanding heart." A person does not truly come to know the mind of God by intelligence, but with the heart. Affection for Christ produces true intelligence. The heart listens, and once it has received the lessons it needs, it becomes wise, able to tell good from evil.

God gave us birth by His own will, through the word of truth. In the same way, to receive His words and store up His commandments with us is the constant condition of blessing. In Luke 10 we see our Lord decide in Mary's favour: hers was the good part, and no one would take it from her. Martha complained that her sister did not care. But Martha was wrong to judge Mary for sitting at His feet and hearing His word. That is exactly what it means to incline the ear to wisdom and to apply the heart to understanding. Yet this is not all. At the start of Luke 11 our Lord shows the need and the value of earnest prayer too.

This second chapter of divine instruction begins with a call to pursue wisdom. We must receive and store up the sayings of wisdom, that is, the word of the Lord. The ear must incline to hear them, and the heart must turn to understanding. Verse 3 brings in prayer. We must cry out for knowledge and for understanding, and then go on to seek and search. If we fulfil these conditions, then the fear of the Lord is our portion, and the knowledge of God as well. These are excellent instructions for the study of the word of God.

So here He "gives wisdom," when the heart is in earnest. This turns man's dream of education upside down. Man is proud of his own achievements. But "the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" — from His mouth, not from man's mind or heart. And where do we find what "His mouth" gives out? In His word.

If we had an earthly treasure buried in our gardens, and did not quite know where it was, would there be a bit of the garden we would not turn over with pick and spade to get at it? Yet here is heavenly treasure! And with this difference — that there is no uncertainty about whether our toil will be rewarded.

We have several words connected with this. Wisdom is a common Hebrew word, chokmah, meaning practised, experienced, skilful... We also have beenah, which means discernment; Prov. 2:3.

"If you call out for insight" — you understand your lack of it. "And raise your voice for understanding" — you are in earnest to have it. "If you seek it like silver" — you have a sense of what it is worth. "And search for it as for hidden treasures" — you are willing to dig the whole field over rather than fail in your search. Then "you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

Verse 3 mentions prayer. There must be crying after knowledge and for understanding, and then seeking and searching must follow. If you meet these conditions, the fear of the Lord is yours, and so is the knowledge of God. These are excellent instructions for studying the Word of God.

It really means turning the ear to wisdom and applying the heart to understanding. Yet this is not all. At the start of Luke 11 our Lord shows the need and the value of earnest prayer too. So here, crying out for discernment and raising the voice for understanding comes, in God's order, after receiving His words. God calls us to depend on Him and to be confident as we keep looking up to Him and pleading with Him.

Our age can testify how eagerly men seek silver and gold and other hidden treasures. But now, as then, the labour is huge and the dangers never stop. The suffering is extreme, the experience is full of bitter trial and frequent disappointment, and the moral atmosphere is shameless. Whatever else, the search demands steadiness, endurance and unshaken resolve. From that the Holy Spirit draws the lesson in the one search where no disappointment is possible.

Most truth is not in the plain language of the epistles. The Lord taught much in parables. The book of Revelation uses symbols almost entirely... We even are told that "it is the glory of God to conceal a thing" (Prov. 25:2) — hiding it where a diligent person can find it as a reward.

This turns man's dream of education upside down. Man is proud of what he has gained for himself. "The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth [not from man's mind or heart] come knowledge and understanding." And where do we find what "His mouth" gives out, except in His Word?

They no longer "call out for insight," or "raise the voice for understanding." They do not "seek it like silver," or "search for it as for hidden treasures." Yet they have no doubt that they "understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:3-5). They expect a harvest without sowing any seed. They expect carelessness now to do the work of diligence, and to find the blessing it has never looked for.

"If you seek her as silver [with an estimate of her value], and search for her as for hidden treasure [willing to dig the whole field over rather than fail in your search]…" It is the heart's estimate of the truth that quickens diligence in seeking it. This, and not the mind's dry activity, decides the rate and measure of progress in it. … "Buy the truth, and sell it not": no price is too great to pay for it, and no gain is enough to repay its loss.

Our age can testify to the zeal with which men seek silver and gold and other hidden treasures… But now, as then, the toil is immense and the dangers are constant. The sufferings are extreme, the experience full of bitter trial and frequent disappointment, the moral atmosphere shameless. Yet in any case the search demands constancy, endurance and undaunted resolve. From that the Holy Spirit draws the lesson where no disappointment can be.

The Bible does not give us truth in neat formulas, nor does it treat us to precise definitions. Had it been built on that principle, no doubt we might have saved ourselves much trouble and escaped a good deal of controversy. But such a method would have been harmful rather than helpful. It would have put a premium on laziness. Only diligence and taking pains uncover its deeper meaning.

There are many who seem to think that the teaching of the Spirit of God should set all this aside. They speak dismissively of the "study" even of the Word of God. They do not "seek her as silver," nor "search for her as for hidden treasures." Yet they have no doubt they will "understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." Without sowing seed, they expect harvests, and expect that negligence now will do the work of diligence, and find the blessing it never sought.

You must receive the sayings of Wisdom, that is the Word of the Lord, and store them up. Your ear must listen to them and your heart must apply itself to understanding. Verse 3 mentions prayer. There must be crying after knowledge and for understanding, and then seeking and searching must follow. If you meet these conditions, then the fear of the Lord is your portion, and the knowledge of God with it.

It is not merely that I get wiser by my own understanding, but that Jehovah gives true wisdom. It is what He has said, His Word, that gives true knowledge and understanding, and the one who seeks it will get it.

Given it is: no mere earnestness or toil would gain it otherwise, and yet it is given in a way that needs diligence of heart to receive it.

Some have been too quick to assume from Prov. 2:4 that the treasure is Christ. They take the parable as a picture of how we obtain the blessings of the gospel. Without doubt, in Proverbs the point is to build a spirit of earnestness in seeking wisdom… But in Matt. 13 a similar figure serves a different purpose. There it is not the diligence of the searcher so much as the value of the treasure sought that stands out.

God gave us birth by His own will, through the word of truth. In the same way, receiving His words and storing up His commandments is the constant condition of blessing. We see in Luke 10 our Lord deciding for Mary the good part that would not be taken from her... It is really to incline the ear to wisdom and to apply the heart to understanding. Yet this is not all, for at the beginning of Luke 11 our Lord shows the need and the value of earnest prayer as well.

As to the study of truth, it must be with the intent to obey, and not to speculate... If your secret aim is to feed the imagination, or to satisfy the craving to know, then know this: you will be "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." It is otherwise when you "call out for insight" [understand your lack of it], "raise your voice for understanding" [in earnest to have it], "seek it like silver" [with an estimate of its value], and "search for it as for hidden treasures" [willing to dig the whole field over rather than fail in your search]. Then you will "understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

Suppose we had an earthly treasure in our gardens, and did not quite know where it was. Would there be any part of the garden that we would not turn over with pick and spade to get at it? Yet here is heavenly treasure! And with one difference: here our work is certain to be rewarded.

The word "fear" means a godly fear, reverence... This childlike reverence is the beginning of knowledge, and it is sadly lacking among young people today. There is no true knowledge apart from the fear of the Lord. It means to acknowledge the Lord, to adore and worship Him, to bow in faith to His revelation and to put it above everything else.

Jehovah is full of goodness and mercy. So He "gives wisdom," when the heart is in earnest. It is the reversal of man's dream of education. Man is proud of his own acquisitions. "Jehovah gives wisdom; out of His mouth [not out of man's mind or heart] come knowledge and understanding." And where do we find what "His mouth" gives out? Only in His Word.

It takes the place of the son — the obedient soul who receives the words of counsel and keeps the commandments inside himself... So here we do not have a call to men. Instead the heart itself seeks true wisdom as its portion and treasure, and in that way it gains the understanding of relationship with Jehovah and the knowledge of God.

There are many who seem to think that the teaching of the Spirit of God should set all this aside. They even speak dismissively of "studying" the word of God. They no longer "call out for insight," nor "raise the voice for understanding." They do not "seek it like silver," nor "search for it as for hidden treasures." Yet they have no doubt that they will "understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." They expect harvests without sowing seed. They expect that carelessness will now do the work of diligence, and find the blessing it has never sought.

If you seek wisdom as something priceless, search for her as for hidden treasure, and seek her openly and deliberately, you grasp the fear of Jehovah. You arrive at the knowledge of God. So here it is not a call to men that we have, but the heart itself seeking true wisdom as its portion and treasure... "For Jehovah gives wisdom." It is not merely that I get wiser by man's understanding, but Jehovah gives true wisdom. It is what He has said, His word, which gives true knowledge and understanding, and he who seeks it will get it.

Jehovah is full of goodness and mercy. So here He "gives wisdom," when the heart is in earnest like this. It is the reversal of man's dream of education. Man is proud of what he has gained. "Jehovah gives wisdom; out of His mouth [not out of man's mind or heart] come knowledge and understanding." Where can we find what "His mouth" gives out? Only in His Word.

One of the first obligations of the believer is to study the Word of God... In this spirit you must search and systematically study the Scriptures, if you would be "complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17). I do not say, Read no other book; but I do say, Make the Bible your chief companion.

For it is the Lord Himself who gives wisdom. James 1:5 tells us He "gives generously to all without reproach." From His mouth come knowledge and understanding, and Scripture certainly supplies us with the words of His mouth. He has stored up sound wisdom there, and only the upright can appreciate it. Those who are lost in their rebellion consider God's wisdom to be foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18).

We see in Luke 10 our Lord deciding for Mary that she had chosen the good portion, which would not be taken from her... It is really to incline the ear to wisdom, and to apply the heart to understanding. Yet this is not all, for at the beginning of Luke 11 our Lord shows the need and the value of earnest prayer too. So here, crying out for discernment and lifting up the voice for understanding comes after receiving His words — that is God's order. We are called to dependence and confidence as we keep looking up to Him.

Solomon failed to keep the brightness of his beginning. Old age found him foolish about his wives, and unfaithful to the glory of the One who had given him all that made him what he was at first. Still less could Solomon guarantee wisdom for the son who succeeded him on his throne. No one acted less wisely than Rehoboam, and his humiliation was not small. But "Jehovah gives wisdom" — He alone, and surely. He gives it to those who wait on Him with purpose of heart, and who diligently search into and value the treasures of that Word which He has magnified above all His name.

A scorner is more boldly evil and presumptuous. He "seeks wisdom," but in his own way, which is as far as possible from the Lord. So, as is said here, there is none for him. "For Jehovah gives wisdom" (Prov. 2:6); and blessed is he that finds it (Prov. 3:13).

But such a search always demands steadiness, endurance, and unshaken resolve. From that the Holy Spirit draws His lesson about the one search where no disappointment is possible. The LORD is full of goodness and mercy. So here He "gives wisdom," when the heart is in earnest like this. It is the reversal of man's dream of education. Man is proud of what he has gained on his own. "The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth [not from man's mind or heart] come knowledge and understanding." And where do we find what "His mouth" gives out? Only in His Word.

In His Word He has stored up sound wisdom that only the upright can appreciate. Those who are lost in their rebellion consider God's wisdom to be foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18). And He who stores up this sound wisdom for the upright is Himself a shield to them. They walk uprightly (v. 7). Others twist and turn like a slippery eel, trying every trick to get their own way.

If you follow these conditions, the Lord will give wisdom (James 1:5). He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. He Himself is the Wisdom, and in Him are laid up all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). He is also a shield to those who walk uprightly. "Shield" is a better word here than the older "buckler." And He preserves the way of His saints.

Throughout, the issue is not intellectual activity. It is what is spiritual and practical, aimed at moral ends. So verse 7 says, "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity." God guarantees a supply of what is valued most. He gives guardian care to those whose eye and heart are turned toward His revealed will in their ways.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Uprightness is its fruit. So the person who walks in his uprightness does fear Him — the God from whose mouth come knowledge and understanding, and who lays up sound wisdom for the upright. On the other hand, where a person's ways are crooked, you will find contempt for Him. To lean on our own intelligence is the very opposite of knowing Him in all our ways. He alone can make our paths plain, and He will.

Besides, He is their shield and protects them in their walk. He watches over His own way. God Himself protects that way. When men walk in the fear of God, He keeps and guards "the paths of judgment." And "He preserves the way of His saints," because God's way and their way are the same. Moses said, "Show me now Your way," and the LORD was to go with him. This is a great blessing. It may be a wilderness with no road at all. Yet we have God's way in it, marked by His own presence… Walking uprightly (v. 7) means walking in line with what we know of God, and trusting it.

It is healthy to notice that He guards the path of just judgment — that is, His own chosen way. He also preserves the way of His saints or godly ones. He knows the way which pleases Him, and He shows it to His own, who desire nothing more than to see and follow it.

He watches over His own way. It is a way God Himself protects. When men walk in God's fear, He keeps and guards "the paths of judgment." And "He preserves the way of His saints," for God's way and their way are the same. So Moses said, "Please show me now your ways," and the Lord was to go with him. This is a great blessing. It may be a wilderness, in which there is no way, but we have God's way in it, and marked by His own presence.

The believer walks uprightly without worrying about how things will go for him. He can fully trust God to guard the paths of justice and to preserve the way of His saints (v. 8). In this path he will understand righteousness and justice from God's point of view. Unbelievers talk easily about justice, when what they mean is that they want things decided "just as they feel best for themselves." But "equity" does not favor one person over another: it is the proper balance in every relationship (v. 9).

Nor does wisdom ever get out of these paths. She is found only in "the paths of judgment." Wherever a man has to walk, wisdom can walk only in a way built up in righteousness. She is always found in the middle of these paths... And where God carries on His government in this world and for it — which is wisdom's place — such a path ends in blessing and prosperity. Suffering in a hostile world may belong to us in a special way now, though it was there from Abel onward. Still God has not let go of the reins of that government.

Wisdom from the Lord, then, is what secures discretion to walk in the way of the good and to keep the paths of the righteous. This is how God led the faithful of old. But how much brighter is the light of life in following Him! God has made His ways and words here below known to us as He has made no one else's known... And the day is coming when every eye will see that "the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it."

Now, as then, men seek silver and gold at immense cost. The dangers are constant, the suffering extreme, the experience full of bitter trial and frequent disappointment, and the moral atmosphere shameless. Even so, that quest demands constancy, endurance and undaunted resolution. From this the Holy Spirit draws the lesson, and points to a search where no disappointment can be... It is the reversal of man's dream of education. Man is proud of his own acquisitions. "The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" — not from man's mind or heart. Where are we to find what "His mouth" gives out, except in His Word?

It is plain throughout that the question is not intellectual activity, but what is spiritual and for practical moral ends... He knows the way that pleases Him, and He shows it to His own, who desire nothing more than to see and follow it. Christ is the One who brought this out constantly and in many forms. See John 1:43; John 8:12; John 12:26; John 14:6. It is as real today as when He presented it in following Himself. Indeed the disciples knew its blessedness far better when He went on high and the Spirit came to be in them, who remains for us to know it now. We ought to know it even better and in higher ways than a godly Israelite could.

In this path he will understand righteousness and justice from God's point of view. Unbelievers talk easily about justice, but what they mean is that they want things decided "just as they feel best for themselves." "Equity" shows no favouritism. It is instead the proper balance in every relationship (v. 9), and it leads one "in every good path."

Moses learned that walking in God's way, he would in practice find grace in God's sight. So here: "then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity" — or rather, uprightness — "every good path." To walk uprightly (v. 7) is to walk in line with what we know of God, and in faith of it... Walking in God's path before Him, there is the spiritual and growing discernment of what is good and what is upright. This is the positive side, but besides this there is the way in which it guards from evil.

You cannot separate the true knowledge of divine things from godliness. It is the godly nature — obedient, gracious, dependent on God — that alone desires or understands them. "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God." So more is found in the path of obedience, where we take in the light and submit to God for who He is. The light and the path of the new nature are one.

We need not fear to dig deep into the wonderful depths of God's Word — we are urged to do so (Prov. 2:1-9), and His Spirit is our Teacher (1 John 2:27). To understand the great thoughts of God we do not depend on our own natural ability. The natural man, stupid or clever, cannot lay hold of them (1 Cor. 2:14).