A Young Man Finds Treasure in a Clay JarBible World
2:1Proverbs 2:1
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
Wisdom speaks here as a father addressing a son, setting a personal call to listen and to take instruction to heart. Receiving divine words and hiding, treasuring, and keeping the commandments within is the beginning and the condition for gaining wisdom and understanding. The wisdom so gained is learned in the school of Christ and is valued above gold and silver.
Joined with the verses that follow, this receptive obedience leads to inclining the ear to wisdom, applying the heart to understanding, and seeking understanding earnestly as in a search for truth. That earnest seeking, carried on with childlike willingness in searching the Word, leads to understanding the fear of the Lord, finding the knowledge of God, and growing in reverence for Him. The Lord Himself gives wisdom and understanding and keeps those who walk uprightly, enabling them to understand righteousness, judgment, equity, and every good path.
Turning the eyes Christward and being willing to do God's will brings knowledge of doctrine, cleansing from outward display and frivolity, and a mind enlightened by the Holy Spirit to comprehend the deep truths of the Word and the rich treasures of godliness. By contrast, a diverted mind full of worldly devising and without the Holy Spirit finds those truths a mystery, an offense, and a stone of stumbling. The law reaches beyond outward conduct to the thoughts of the heart, so its claims call for careful, humble study rather than reliance on human teaching. Careful obedience to God's revealed word is a person's safety.
The wisdom gained gives an enduring experience that does not wash out in the heat of summer or fade under pressure but stands the test of trial. Those who gain it step firmly by faith, weigh carefully all sides of a question, follow on to know the Lord, and do not follow their own impulsive conjectures. The passage with the verses that follow applies to the duty of parents to train children, who are younger members of the Lord's family, to be true and faithful to God, who gave His life for them.
Wisdom speaks here as a father addressing a son, setting a personal call to listen and to take instruction to heart. Receiving divine words and hiding, treasuring, and keeping the commandments within is the beginning and the condition for gaining wisdom and understanding. The wisdom so gained is learned in the school of Christ and is valued above gold and silver.
Joined with the verses that follow, this receptive obedience leads to inclining the ear to wisdom, applying the heart to understanding, and seeking understanding earnestly as in a search for truth. That earnest seeking, carried on with childlike willingness in searching the Word, leads to understanding the fear of the Lord, finding the knowledge of God, and growing in reverence for Him. The Lord Himself gives wisdom and understanding and keeps those who walk uprightly, enabling them to understand righteousness, judgment, equity, and every good path.
Turning the eyes Christward and being willing to do God's will brings knowledge of doctrine, cleansing from outward display and frivolity, and a mind enlightened by the Holy Spirit to comprehend the deep truths of the Word and the rich treasures of godliness. By contrast, a diverted mind full of worldly devising and without the Holy Spirit finds those truths a mystery, an offense, and a stone of stumbling. The law reaches beyond outward conduct to the thoughts of the heart, so its claims call for careful, humble study rather than reliance on human teaching. Careful obedience to God's revealed word is a person's safety.
The wisdom gained gives an enduring experience that does not wash out in the heat of summer or fade under pressure but stands the test of trial. Those who gain it step firmly by faith, weigh carefully all sides of a question, follow on to know the Lord, and do not follow their own impulsive conjectures. The passage with the verses that follow applies to the duty of parents to train children, who are younger members of the Lord's family, to be true and faithful to God, who gave His life for them.