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Proverbs 2 Commentary
by Hank Workman
“Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.”
Proverbs 2:2-5
“Seek and you will find,” Jesus said. And within these verses, the author challenges the reader to seek the wisdom of God; to come to a complete understanding of what He’s doing and to honestly move within that discovery. We need wisdom desperately, good grief, we need it on every level as we manage and navigate our lives, work within the world, raise children in this day and age and on and on it goes.
Wisdom can come in two ways – the first is simply the gift of God. He bestows upon us wisdom at various times when needed. But the second, more hands-on aspect is we must become searchers of it. I remember as a young teenager somehow, someway I heard the story of Solomon and his asking for wisdom and discernment. I thought it was amazing to consider he didn’t want wealth, health or whatever else; he wanted wisdom and discernment to rule.
It was stunning to me that he was asked for whatever he wanted and chose these things over the other. After a conversation with my Mom about it, she encouraged me to pray like Solomon for wisdom and discernment. As I look back on that scene of my life it was a marking point… for from there on out I prayed for wisdom and discernment. For 40+ years I have been making this my prayer almost every day.
“Seek and you will find.”
Wisdom is a gift from God. It comes through our study of the Word but also our times spent with God in openness to what He has to say. As with any gift from God, He expects us to use it. The search for and ultimate finding of wisdom, God wants us to be faithful to Him with the gift and keep His purpose for our lives in mind.
Oh yes, we fail and we fall. What we do next from those moments though is critical. As the seeds of wisdom and discernment are planted within, as God continues to develop these gifts He will help us to get back up, discern things and then empowers us with His Spirit to follow through.
Search out the wisdom of God for today and the days to come. Ask for a holy discernment into situations and obstacles you face. Seek and you will find.
Proverbs 2 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
In Proverbs 1, we learned that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Here in Proverbs 2, Solomon begins to expand on that concept.
Seek
A healthy fear of the Lord cannot be described as passive. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded deep into the being of Christ. Fearing the Lord and seeking Him are one and the same. We cannot say we fear the Lord if we are idle in our relationship with Him. It is not a high intellect or education that will reveal God’s wisdom. That’s not a requirement.
“My child, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do. 2 Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. 3 Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight. 4 Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. 5 If you do, you will know what it means to fear the LORD and you will succeed in learning about God.”
Proverbs 2:1-5 GNB
Is this how you currently view the Word of God? Is it the most valuable possession you own? Do you open it with excitement and anticipation? Do you look as hard as you would for silver or hidden treasure when you crack open the Bible? This is what it means to fear the Lord: to seek Him with everything.
The Promises
What are the promises that unfold for this type of seeking heart?
- Wisdom and understanding (verse 6)
- Help and protection (verse 7)
- Discernment (verse 9)
- Self-control and integrity (verse 16)
These are amazing promises! But they are only available to those who eagerly seek God. It is a conscious choice to follow Christ. It requires us to explore a new path in life.
“Notice also the word walk, Pro 2:7; Pro 2:13; way, Pro 2:8; Pro 2:12-13; Pro 2:15; Pro 2:20; paths, Pro 2:8; Pro 2:13; Pro 2:15; Pro 2:18-20. See how eager the Divine Teacher is (l) to deliver the unwary from the way of the evil man, Pro 2:12, and from the way of the evil woman, Pro 2:16; and (2) to direct the feet of the young into the ways of the good and into the paths of the righteous, Pro 2:20.”
F.B. Meyer