Proverbs 2 Verses 1 to 15 The Search for Wisdom July 14, 2024

Proverbs 2 Verses 1 to 15 The Search for Wisdom July 14, 2024 Lesson 2 Class Presentation Notes AAAAAa

Background Scriptures:

· Romans 8:28 (NKJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

· Psalm 19:7 (NKJV) 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD issure, making wise the simple;

· Psalm 119:130 (NKJV) 130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

· 2 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV) 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

· Colossians 2:2-3 (NKJV) 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Main Idea:

· If we live according to the wisdom God gives, He will protect and direct us.

Study Aim:

· To understand that our search for wisdom begins with a personal relationship with God.

Create Interest:

· Proverbs 1 has entreated us to pursue wisdom;

· Proverbs 2 tells us how to pursue wisdom (vv. 1–4) and then sets forth the great benefits of wisdom (vv. 5–22).[1]

· In this chapter the father instructed his son (“my son”; cf. 1:8) on the efforts needed for attaining wisdom (2:1-6)

· The moral benefits of wisdom’s attainment (vv. 7–10),

· The protection of wisdom from immoral people (vv. 11–22).[2]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Most of the Bible is devoted to telling us how to live successfully on this earth. In proportion, very little of the Bible deals with life in Heaven. Why? We do not need instructions on how-to live-in Heaven. We will then have new bodies... glorified bodies. We will be incapable of sin with our new natures. We will be like Christ. I John 3:1-2. God speaks of Heaven in His Word only to inspire us and challenge us to get others ready for that place. We will be on eternal autopilot once we arrive in Glory. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven".

o The Bible is written to tell us how to live the heavenly life while still on this earth. Discuss

· The benefits of wisdom far outweigh what one can receive from earthly riches.

o True wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge but a transformation of character. Jerry Falwell, The Book of Proverbs, Ch.2.

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Bible Study:

Proverbs 2:1-4 (NKJV) Earnestly seek 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;

· God Is the Source of Wisdom.Our study of these few verses does not allow us to see the larger structure of the chapter. The if used in verse 1, 3, and 4 established a series of conditions (in technical language known as protases) that when met generated the results (called an apodoses) beginning with then in verses 5 and 9. “In this speech of persuasion, the teacher explains that wisdom is a divine gift that, taken into the heart, enables the youth to come to a knowledge of God, to live the moral life, and to experience divine protection and blessings.”

o Much of the chapter is devoted to describing the benefits that would accompany those results.

· My son, whether spoken by a father to his child or by a teacher to his student, is intended to get the attention of the one being taught.

o It also implies a deep relationship between the one teaching and the one being instructed.

o Thou indicates that what follows is a personal word that will call for a personal response.

§ In other words, the teacher was telling him, “This instruction is for you, and you will be faced with a decision on what you will do with it.”[3]

· Some people read verses like James 1:5 (‘But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him’) and imagine that God simply zaps us with the quality of wisdom when we ask him.

o Proverbs explains that God grants wisdom by means of a process. In order to gain this treasure, you must exert effort in digging deep for it.

o The word ‘if’ occurs three times in verses 1–4, indicating specific conditions for the blessings that are promised in verses 5 and following.

Proverbs 2:1-2 (NKJV) Be receptive to 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;

· Does your soul thirst after knowledge? Some people are hard, like the path in Jesus’ parable of the soils. God’s Word just bounces off them. Others are like the good soil that held the seed fast and bore much fruit (Luke 8:15).

o In the previous chapter, Wisdom pleaded with you to pay attention to her.Have you heeded her cry? The fact that you are taking time to read this book indicates you have a desire to gain more wisdom from God’s Word.

· Do you treasure God’s Word in your soul? In 1849 thousands of men were willing to leave their comfortable homes to travel to far-away California, where they lived in tents and spent day after day in back-breaking labor, all because they hoped to find a few nuggets of gold.

o What would our church/our life look like if we approached our personal Bible reading, the sermons we hear at church, and Bible classes with the same fervor. Merely going through the motions of religion will not make you wise.

§ You must fully exert yourself and dig deeply.

· Do you actively memorize Scripture? In so doing, you fill your mind, like a vault, with wisdom. Some of the chapters of Proverbs seem to have been arranged to make memorization easier. For example, chapter 2 has twenty-two verses, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

o We learn from Jesus’ encounter with Satan in the wilderness that the ability to recall Scripture from memory can be very useful in times of trial.

§ We can be like him as we not only memorize the Word but also internalize its teachings. Encourage call to explain how.

· Are you a good listener?To show up in church sleepy or distracted shows a disrespectful attitude towards God and his Word. The fool sleeps and daydreams in church. His lackadaisical attitude towards the Word of God contributes to the hardening of his heart (Heb. 2:1; 3:15).

o Would you like to be more attentive? Prepare to hear God’s Word by reviewing the text to be covered and then getting a good rest the night before.

o Take notes during the sermon so you will retain what you heard.

o Humbly receive God’s Word (James 1:21).

§ This also applies in the context of family instruction as children should listen attentively to their parents, whom God has appointed to make them wise.

Proverbs 2:3-4 (NKJV) Earnestly pursue wisdom

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;

· The father teaches his children how to find wisdom: ask God for it (v.3). Any child (or adult) who seeks to be wise needs to call out to God. The idea is to cry out with “loud, insistent pleas for help,” to plead with God just as you would plead to a king for deliverance from trouble. Prayer is crying out!

· One more “if”—condition—remains before children (the son) can find wisdom. They have to earnestly, diligently search for it. They have to search for wisdom just as they would for any precious metal or hidden treasure.

o For example, silver was rarer and more valuable than gold in Palestine. Silver first had to be located and then it had to be mined (Jb. 28:1). Both of these processes involved a word that is foreign to many people when it comes to spiritual matters: work, work, work!

· Is acquiring the greatest treasure of all treasures—the wisdom that is found in Christ—not worth the labor required to obtain it?

· The father’s charge contains two action words, each expressing a different aspect of the task of finding wisdom. Vs. 4

o Seek emphasizes the earnestness required—the sincere desire of the heart for wisdom.

o Search emphasizes the diligence required to gain wisdom.

§ The diligence to stay with the task is the fruit of the earnest desire. If the deep desire is lacking, the seeker will give up before finding wisdom

§ Likewise, the search for wisdom is an ongoing and lifelong one; it is a never-ending quest. “Neither silver ore nor wisdom is gotten in a day, or got without industry; but for miner and student alike, the prize is worth the toil.”[4]

Proverbs 2:5-8 (NKJV) You will know God personally

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 comeknowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; 8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.

· The Lord is the origin of wisdom: “Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:5–6).

o Knowledge and understanding did not come from the mouths of Buddha and Muhammad.

o Knowledge and understanding do not come from the mouths of politicians, educators, philosophers, or scientists.

o Wisdom and knowledge do not come from the mouths of familiar spirits; the utterances of mediums have not contributed a single sentence to the golden sayings of mankind.

§ People considered to be wise by the world have made numerous quotable statements. Some have made astute observations about life, the world of nature, and other topics. Great thinkers have contributed to religious thought.

§ Some such people have attracted millions of followers, but true wisdom cannot be found in worldly ideologies.

📷 “The Lord giveth wisdom.”[5]

· Our heavenly Father is making that wisdom available to all of us in verses 5–8. We do not have to be geniuses. We only have to be straight with Him: “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright” (v. 7). If we will seek God honestly, He will deal with us directly.

o So we should pursue wisdom by studying Proverbs and calling out to Wisdom (Jesus) because that will lead us to know God. This is essential because the Lord is the one who gives wisdom; it comes from his mouth (2:6).

§ There is a paradox here. Wisdom—like salvation—is both a gift to be received and something to work out with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12–13). Wisdom is a pursuit (Prov 2:1–4) and a gift (vv. 6–7) (Goldsworthy, Tree of Life, 52–53).

· We need to be diligent and work at wisdom. As Solomon does, we need to observe the world around us and see how it works. Solomon looks at ants and is instructed (6:6–8). We need to do this as well, but we do it through the fear of the Lord—through dependence on God and his Word. And as we seek, God grants more to us. James 1:5 says that if we lack wisdom, we should ask the Lord for it because he gives it generously. Solomon already knows this because he asked the Lord for it (1 Kgs 3).

o The gift of wisdom is found in God’s Word.

§ Solomon’s words are God’s words, and we should commit to them because wisdom is found here.[6]

· The theological discernment of vv. 5–8 is specifically the ability to see God’s care for his people. The fool sees no evidence of this, but the one who is wise understands that God gives success and protection to the pious.

o An alternative translation of vv. 7–8 is possible: “He will treasure up success for the upright. He will be a shield for those who walk in integrity, for the one who keeps the paths of justice. And the way of his devout ones he will guard.”

Proverbs 2:9-11 (NKJV) Wisdom will transform you as a person

9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. 10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will watch over you,

· When wisdom enters your heart: Solomon mentioned the idea of protectionrelevant to wisdom (Proverbs 2:7–8). Now he explains that something happens when we gain wisdom, when we value God’s knowledge (it is pleasant to your soul).

o The protection wisdom gives, moreover, is that it keeps its follower from making decisions that will later bring only regret.” (Garrett)

o Knowledge is pleasant to your soul: “Spiritual joy mortifies sin. Pleasure there must be in the ways of God, because therein men let out their souls into God, that is the fountain of all good; hence they so infinitely distaste sin’s tasteless fooleries.” (Trapp)

o Discretion will preserve you: We need God’s protection to gain wisdom (Proverbs 2:7–8), but wisdom also protects us. Understanding will keep you from many foolish and harmful consequences in life.[7]

· Verses 9–11 describe the moral discernment by which the wise both escape immoral behavior and gain competence.

o In v. 9 Wisdom gives a strong sense of personal ethics to her followers; they will know “what is right and just and fair.” These terms describe both integrity and an even-handed way of dealing with other people.

o Verses 10–11 assert that Wisdom gives both pleasure and surefootedness in life. The more wisdom one learns, the more one desires and enjoys it.

§ The protection wisdom gives, moreover, is that it keeps its follower from making decisions that will later bring only regret (v. 11).[8]

Let’s wrap up these thoughts and soak on them

· When wisdom enters your heart (v. 10a), you will become a changed person. You will be able to discern right from wrong (v. 9a). You will make decisions that are wise and just (v. 9b). You will enjoy success in the important relationships in your life. You will have confidence that your choices are sound.

· You will have a taste for what is best (‘knowledge will be pleasant to your soul’, 2:10b). Wisdom gives us a new and growing desire to share God’s good taste for truth which has become pleasant to our souls.

o The prospect of Bible study becomes attractive to us, like the smell of freshly baked bread.

§ Would that each of us would be as repulsed by folly and attracted to wisdom as we ought to be!

· Wisdom also gives us discernment. Just as a mother has a trained nose to sniff the milk in the refrigerator to know if it is spoiled, wisdom will enable us to distinguish between good and evil. We won’t need hundreds of legalistic rules for every situation; we will have an inner sense to discern what is best.

Thought to Soak on before we move on

· This is the training our children need.

· It is not enough for them to hear Bible stories and memorize verses.

o Why do many children from Christian families turn from the faith when they leave the home? Because, while they received the Word of God on an external level, they never internalized what they were taught.

§ Education is about training your children’s tastes to discern between good and evil and love wisdom.

Proverbs 2:12-15 (NKJV) Wisdom will protect you from evil men

12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; 15 Whose ways arecrooked, And who are devious in their paths;

· The image of wrongdoing as crookedness runs through vs 12–15. Wisdom is your protection from the liars of vs 12–15 (close relatives of the thugs of 1:10–19) who call black white and white black so audaciously that it becomes plausible.[9]

· There is, we must note, a recognition in the later verses of this paragraph that all is not well. There is sin in the world and there is stupidity and laziness. Human beings can do dreadful and destructive things to each other; there are those whose words are perverse and whose delight is in doing wrong.

· But when Wisdom enters your heart (V. 10) and becomes part of your intellectual and moral being, this is pleasant:there is a harmony between your soul and God’s creation, and your whole humanity is affirmed.

· Wisdom, in other words, makes you feel good at home in the world, and safe under the protection of God.

o We sometimes hear, in political commentary, about the elusive ‘feel-good factor’, which is meant to be the test of whether the Government is succeeding, the economy is booming, the future is hopeful, and so on.

· ‘Feel—good factor’ is in fact a very apt description of what Proverbs suggests the results of seeking Wisdom should be.

o To be in touch with God, live in God’s ways and follow his just paths—

§ In other words, for Wisdom to come into your heart—is to produce the sense of security, protection, deliverance and hope which enables us to ‘feel good’ in God’s presence and in God’s world. Wisdom is here at one with the writer of Genesis 1, who tells us that God’s response to the whole created order, and humankind within it, was, in effect:

· ‘This is good, this is very good.’[10]

Thoughts in closing

· When teens get into trouble with the law, you will often hear their parents say, ‘My kid is a good kid. He just got in with a bad crowd.’ We have already seen in 1:8–19the warning about the harm that peer pressure can do to a young person.

· Those who are wise learn to recognize and stay away from evil characters and their wayward paths. John Bunyan’s classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, describes dangerous characters such as Talkative, Mr Worldly Wiseman, Mr Money-love, and Mr Hold-the-world. It is hard to spend much time with such men and yet emerge unscathed.

· You can recognize these men by their speech (‘perverse things’, v. 12b), their behavior (‘who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness … whose paths are crooked’, vv. 13, 15a), and their desires/tastes (‘who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil’, v. 14). They are deceitful and can appear very smooth (v. 15b). They are completely without moral illumination (John 3:19–20), and their path leads to the City of Destruction.

· The wise person will be repulsed by their values, their characters, and their lifestyles and will stay far away from them (1 Cor. 15:33).[11]

[1]Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 44. [2]Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 909. [3]Ronald K. Brown, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2014, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2014), 50–51. [4]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Proverbs, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2012), 57. [5]John Phillips, Exploring Proverbs 1–19: An Expository Commentary, vol. 1, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Pr 2:5–8. [6]Jonathan Akin, Exalting Jesus in Proverbs, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 35–36. [7]David Guzik, Proverbs, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2017), Pr 2:10–11. [8]Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 14, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 75–76. [9]John E. Goldingay, “Proverbs,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 588. [10]David Atkinson, The Message of Proverbs: Wisdom for Life, ed. J. A. Motyer, John Stott, and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 35. [11]Jim Newheiser, Opening up Proverbs, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2008), 44–52.