– Proverbs 2:1-6 NKJV – The Value of Wisdom – 1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
One of the things I love about reading God’s word is that no matter how much we read the same scripture over and over again, God will reveal more to us about the scripture, fresh revelation. Discovery is beautiful, I love to seek and discover new things that seem to be hidden. Discovery is also a necessity with our Christian Walk. Through discovery we learn more about who God is and who we are in Him. When we read scripture for the first time, God’s word is illuminated as if finding buried treasure, there is so much awe and wonder found in the bible, waiting to be discovered. As we continue to grow in our faith, and we continue to search the scriptures, God reveals more golden nuggets and gems to us. God is not a mystery. He illuminates what is hidden, bringing things to light. May we never lose our awe and wonder in God. May we never lose the love to seek and discover His wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Sometimes it may take a childlike faith to maintain our excitement to seek and discover. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that we should become as little children. As we get older through life, sometimes we can easily lose our sense of awe and wonder. As grown adults it is ok to still be a kid at heart. My children and grandchildren have helped me to maintain a sense of awe and wonder. My grandkids love to go on adventures. It does not matter if the adventure is in the house, the backyard, the park, or on vacation, they love adventure. Finding a small rock, a leaf, or a stick may seem trivial to adults, but it is valuable to children. It is a blessing to witness my grandkids curiosity, imagination, creativity, and thought process. It is a blessing to see their awe and wonder when they discover something new. They remind me of what it was like when I was their age, and they remind me of how I still need to have a childlike faith as an adult.
Matthew 18:1-5 NKJV, 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
We never stop learning, it is true, that is not a secret. We will never know everything even though there are people who may think they know it all. And if we ever get to a place where we think we know it all and as if we have it all figured out, then we stop growing and maturing as Christians. No matter the amount of knowledge we think we have, it does not make us better or more mature than anyone else, it just means we may know things. But when you apply that knowledge, walk in that knowledge, and live it out, then it shows the growth and maturity of your Christian walk.
We like to share our knowledge with people, and that can be a good thing because what we have learned can help others learn too. But we should not let pride make us think that we have something to prove with our knowledge. Having knowledge does not make you smarter than others. With discovery you find treasure first for yourself. After discovery you can then examine the treasure to see its value, find its worth, and figure out what to do with it. And then with humility, share that treasure with others or you can help them out by pointing them in the right direction to discover treasure for themselves. Do not be stingy with what you discover. Share your knowledge, give sound wisdom, and show understanding with others.
In Proverbs 2:1-6 we learn about the value of wisdom. Scholars believe that these scriptures are Solomon talking to his son. We know according to 1 Kings 3:5-14 that the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him, “what shall I give you?” Solomon could have asked for anything, but he chose to ask for wisdom (understanding, discernment). God blessed Solomon’s request and gave him more than that. Solomon used wisdom in asking for wisdom.
In Proverbs 2 we learn the following keys to understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God:
- Treasure the commands within you – How much do we value what we already know? How valuable is wisdom worth to us? Treasure what revelation God has already spoken and shown to you. Cherish what He has given you.
- Incline your ear to wisdom – are our ears open to what God is speaking to us? Are we tuned in to what He has to say to us?
- Apply your heart to understanding – application is part of discovery. Applying what you learn opens the door to obtaining more understanding. Be doers of the word, not just hearers (James 1:22-25).
- Cry out and lift up your voice for discernment – We need discernment to help separate the truth from lies. Discernment is a gift from God, but we all have it. Gifts may be stronger in people than others, but the basics and simplicity of discernment is using common sense, it is not rocket science. As born again, Spirit filled believers we should be able to discern what is of God and what is not.
- Seek wisdom as silver, searching for hidden things – The more we seek God the more He reveals.
- God gives us wisdom, knowledge and understanding – Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of your life. God will guide us in His true wisdom. We can learn lot from books, audio recordings, pictures, documentaries, sermons, and commentaries. But still allow God to help you to discern His wisdom, knowledge and understanding with everything you read, see, and hear!
What are you seeking God for today? What are you searching for? God is not a mystery. Seek Him and His goodness to discover who He is and who you are in Christ.
