Proverbs 2 (Dora)
When I was in college, I read for the first time, the story of Solomon’s path to wisdom. When Solomon was just a boy his father, King David, died. Solomon was anointed King over Israel and after making an alliance with Egypt, Solomon went to Gibeon to make an offering to the Lord. While he was there, Solomon had a dream in which the Lord appeared to him and said “Ask what I shall give you.” In short, Solomon asked for nothing except wisdom to rule over Israel, and a strong mind to discern right from wrong. The Lord was so pleased with Solomon; he granted him not only wisdom and power, but also riches and honor. (This passage can be found in I Kings 3.) There is nothing like a touch from the Almighty to make you want to shout the truth for all to hear. In Proverbs, Solomon shares what he learned from a lifetime of God’s touches.
In Proverbs 2, Solomon encourages us to seek insight and understanding as if nothing else matters. He tells us that understanding and Godly wisdom will not only lead to the personal knowledge of God and bring us victory in life’s toughest circumstances, but these qualities will also protect us from poor choices and ill-fated alliances.
He begins by telling his sons he knows the secret to wisdom, deep understanding, and Godly wisdom. He says, if you will pursue wisdom as if it is silver, and skillful Godly wisdom as if it is hidden treasure, this quest will lead you first to the awesomeness of God and you will experience the mind-blowing immensity of the Great I Am! This experience will unlock the very knowledge of God himself! Put simply, pursuing wisdom has to lead straight to the mouth of God, because his words are the source of all knowledge and understanding, and only he can give you the wisdom to comprehend his words.
Even Greater than that, says Solomon, He stores up wisdom, knowledge and understanding for us to use. He says if you take the time to get to know God, you will recognize the better path, no matter what situation or relationship in which we find ourselves. What a promise!! Considering the Barna survey pastor David sent out last week, quite a few of us Christians may not understand this promise.
Now here is the real bonus for me as a teacher, getting to know God will cause skillful and Godly wisdom to enter into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to you. No more sadness and frustration in learning? Knowledge will be pleasant instead of feeling like drudgery? Where do we sign up? All my students will be there this afternoon! Yee hah!!!
If we read on, Solomon even personifies wisdom and discretion as guards that will watch over us. Wisdom and discretion do this by helping us recognize the word choice of unsavory characters:
"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words... For her house sinks down to death and her paths to the spirits [of the dead]. None who go to her return again, neither do they attain or regain the paths of life... For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the men of integrity, blameless and complete [in God's sight], shall remain in it; But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.”
In a nutshell, this last part says that just by being good listeners, we can avoid the paths that lead to death and destruction. Boy, do I want to stay far away from those! Yes Siree!! But this idea leads me to another . . . if a wise man or woman were to listen to my words, would my words lead down to the pit or point them toward the paths of life?
What a progression! In the end, Solomon’s challenge in Proverbs 2 is just this: To recognize the incalculable value of seeking wisdom that will lead us into a personal relationship with God. If we do this, he says, we will have the wisdom we need to take care of business in our families, friendships and even our places of business.
