******proverbs 2:6-8

Proverbs 2:6–8 (NRSV)

6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, 8 guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones.

What is wisdom? Where does it come from? What does it do? How can one obtain it? These are all legitimate questions.

Wisdom: (Webster’s Dictionary) the quality of being wise; good judgment; learning; knowledge.

Wisdom: (Holman Bible Dictionary) says, “Wisdom is considered by many to be simply the art of learning how to succeed in life … Wisdom is considered by some to be a philosophical study of the essence of life … though the other definitions may include this, it seems that the real essence of wisdom is spiritual, for life is more than just living by a set of rules and being rewarded in some physical manner. Undoubtedly, in this sense wisdom comes from God. Thus, though it will involve observation and instruction, it really begins with God and one’s faith in Him as Lord and Savior.”

Charles Swindoll says, “Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life from God’s perspective.”

Jimmy Draper wrote, “Wisdom is far more than the mere gathering of information. A person may have a great deal of information and not have wisdom. The book of Proverbs shows us how to take the wisdom and knowledge of eternity and put it into practice. That wisdom takes us out to where we live, work, and play. It speaks to us as we go about daily tasks and engage in our personal relationships. It helps us to react to those around us in the experiences of life. It enables us to understand life. That is the wisdom that God wants us to experience.”

The Book of Proverbs was written by one of the wisest men that ever lived. When Solomon became King of Israel as a young man the Lord asked Solomon what he desired. Solomon didn’t ask for riches, long life, fame and fortune. Solomon didn’t ask for protection and power. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom to live by and lead by and the Lord granted Solomon’s request. 1 Kings 3:11–12 the Bible says, “Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.”

Solomon declared the Source of wisdom and the securing of the wise. Wisdom is gained by knowing the Lord, serving the Lord, walking with the Lord, and trusting in the Lord. I want to challenge the people of God to rely on God for wisdom, to call on God for wisdom, to walk with God in wisdom, and to display the wisdom of God before the world. This passage gives us some facts about what the Bible says about wisdom.

I. Wisdom is a gift to us. (6–7a)

A. Who the gift is from. (6)

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding”

Wisdom doesn’t come

→ from reading books,

→ searching on the web,

→ classes in college,

→ learning from your mistakes,

→ talking to your friends,

→ listening to your elders,

→ reading the instructions,

→ redoubling your efforts.

Wisdom is not found in the world’s universities, in the world’s philosophies, or in the world’s religions.

→ You don’t have to be listed in Who’s Who to know what’s what.

The wisest man in the world reveals to us the Source of true wisdom. Wisdom is from the Lord God. He is the Giver of wisdom. Without Him there would be no wisdom and only those who know Him, serve Him, and honor Him are truly wise. Wisdom is not necessarily obtaining or gaining knowledge. Studying hard does not make one wise. Doing well on tests is not the true test of true wisdom.

Knowledge is exploding at such a rate—more than 2000 pages a minute—that even Einstein couldn’t keep up. In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21–70, and retained all that you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from reading or learning or gaining knowledge, but I am telling you that all the knowledge in the world is not the same as having wisdom from God.

As a matter of fact, the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.

✓ Man in his own wisdom has denied God, defies God, and is denied by God and defied by God.

1 Corinthians 1:18–21 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

Wisdom is not gained by who we are, where we are at, or what we do. Wisdom cannot be bought or bargained for. Wisdom cannot be purchased or programmed. True wisdom is a gift from God. It comes from God and is given to us by God. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:6–8 says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Gives: nathan, naw-than’; to give, used with great latitude of application (put, make, etc.) add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, avenge, bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute. The Lord Jesus bestows and gives wisdom. Wisdom is a gift to us. The Lord’s word gives wisdom.

In the Bible we find the wisdom of God. We gain true knowledge and understanding from Him and His word. Understanding: tabuwn, taw-boon’; intelligence; by implication an argument; discretion, reason, skillfulness, understanding, wisdom. 1 John 5:20 says, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Do you have wisdom from God? Have you obtained knowledge and understanding from Him? John Phillips wrote, “Knowledge and understanding did not come from the mouths of Buddha and Muhammad. Knowledge and understanding do not come from the mouths of politicians, educators, philosophers, or scientists. 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 astute observations about life, the world of nature, and other topics. Great thinkers have contributed to religious thought. Such men have attracted millions of followers, but true wisdom cannot be found in worldly ideologies. ‘The Lord gives wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The Bible tells us that wisdom is a gift from God. The Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. The Bible tells us who the gift is from. We also note:

B. Who the gift is for. (7a)

“He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;”

The Lord does indeed give wisdom, but He does not dish it out to any and every one. The Lord has wisdom but it is not given to all people. Solomon tells us who wisdom is from and who wisdom is for. Wisdom is a gift from God to those who know God, walk with God and serve Him. Solomon tells us that God has wisdom stored up, in reserve, and waiting to be given. Stores up: (KJV: Layeth) tsaphan, tsaw-fan; to hide (by covering over); by implication to hoard or reserve; figurative to deny; specifically (favorably) to protect, (unfavorably) to lurk-esteem, hide (-den one, self), lay up, (keep) secret (-ly, place).

This word means “to lay up, to hide as one hides a treasure.”

Do you need wisdom:

◦ To raise your children

◦ To handle your finances

◦ To be a godly wife or husband

◦ To honor God on your job

◦ To serve the Lord with your business

◦ To make decisions about health issues

◦ To rightly relate to your neighbors and friends?

God has wisdom stored up! Solomon reminds us who the wisdom is stored up for.

→ God will not give out His wisdom to those who are selfish, sinful, and sorry!

→ He will not give wisdom to those who are liars, lazy, or lost.

→ He will not give godly wisdom to the carnal, corrupt, and the Christ-less.

→ He will not convey wisdom to the worldly, wayward, or the wasteful.

He has sound wisdom stored up for those who are upright. Sound wisdom: tuwshiyah, too-shee-yaw’; from an unused root probably meaning to substantiate; support or ability, i.e. (direct) help, (in purpose) an undertaking, (intellectual) understanding, substance, (sound) wisdom, working. God gives sound wisdom or working wisdom. It is practical wisdom for godly living. The Hebrew word means “stability.” This tells us that God gives wisdom that translates into a practical, godly, and stable life. People with wisdom from on high live a secure and stable life. They live out their faith in the Lord Jesus. They have wisdom from God for day in and day out circumstances of their lives.

→ God’s people not only have common sense, but they have uncommon sense!

I read the story that took place several years ago. The man tried to call his office from the airport, but his quarter was eaten by the pay phone he was using. Realizing he didn’t have another quarter and had to get on his plane in a few minutes, he decided to report his problem to the operator. She said, “Sir, if you’ll give me your name and address, we’ll mail the coin to you.” The man said, “Operator, if you do that, it’s going to take forever. You’ll take my name and give it to somebody else, who’ll turn it over to accounting, who’ll make the request, then they’ll turn it over to somebody in another department who’ll fill the envelope, then it’ll go to somebody else who will have to mail it. Wouldn’t it be easier to simply return my coin? I am in a hurry and I have to call my office before I board my plane.”

The operator insisted, “Sir, if you’ll just give me your name and address, we’ll mail you the coin.” Then as an afterthought she asked the man if he remembered to press the coin return. He had not so when he did the machine started spitting out every coin it had. There were quarters, dimes, nickels everywhere and the man had to use both hands to catch the overflow. The operator said, “Sir, what’s happening?” The man said, “I hit the return button and the machine has emptied every coin it has into my hands and onto the floor. The operator said, “Sir, will you please put the coins back in the box.” The man thought for a second and said, “Madam, if you’ll give me your name and address, I will be glad to send you the coins!”

God’s wisdom is a gift for the upright. Upright: (KJV: righteous) yashar, yaw-shawr’; straight (literal or figurative) just, meet (-est), pleased well right (-eous), straight, (most) uprightness.

God’s wisdom is

→ not for the crooked, but for the straight;

→ not for the rebels, but for the righteous;

→ not for the sinners, but for the saints.

Wisdom is for the upright. Those who know the Lord and walk with the Lord receive wisdom from the Lord. Wisdom is a gift from God for the godly! A.B Simpson wrote about a wise person:

• O Jesus, come and dwell in me, walk in my steps each day, live in my life, love in my love, and speak in all I say;

• Think in my thoughts, let all my acts Thy very actions be, so shall it be no longer I, but Christ that lives in me.

If you have wisdom from God you need to thank Him for it and use it daily for His glory! If you do not have wisdom from God you need to call upon Him and ask Him to give you wisdom! The Bible says that wisdom is a gift to us. We also learn in this passage that the Bible says:

II. Wisdom is a guard for us. (7b–8)

A. God protects His saints. (7b)

“He is a shield to those who walk uprightly”

There are numerous benefits of being a child of God and walking in fellowship with God. Solomon tells us that God guards His saints. He protects His saints. The Lord is not only the Bestower of wisdom, but He is also the Buckler for the wise.

Shield: (KJV: Buckler) magen, maw-gane’; a shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); figurative a protector; also the scaly hide of the crocodile-x armed, buckler, defense, ruler, + scale, shield.

Travis Doucette wrote these powerful words in his song, “Defender”

◦ He is near to the broken; He is close to the weary of heart

◦ In His name is a refuge; safety from the weak and discarded;

◦ There is help for the hopeless; for the wounded in need.

◦ In the presence of Jesus there is power unleashed.

✓ Call upon the name of the Lord; He’s our Defender; our Deliverer. A shelter in the midst of the storm; Jesus our Savior; He is King over all. (the earth)

◦ I will sing of my Redeemer, testify to the touch of His hand.

◦ Lifted me from disaster, set my feet on a solid rock to stand.

◦ There is help for the hopeless, for the wounded in need. In the presence of Jesus there is power unleashed.

◦ God is our refuge, our strength and salvation.

◦ A mighty fortress is the Lord Almighty!

◦ There is no equal, no power beside Him, forever our champion is the Lord our God!

The Lord is our Shield and our protector. Psalm 27:1 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The Lord gives wisdom to His saints and protection to His saints. He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. Walk: halak, haw-lak’; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative):-(all) along, apace, behave (self), come, conduct oneself, to exercise self. God’s protection is for those who live a godly, holy, and upright life. Uprightly: tom, tome; completeness; usually (moral) innocence-full, integrity, perfect (-ion), simplicity, upright, at a venture.

God wants His people walking uprightly, being men and women of integrity, faithfully representing Him on this earth.

◾ An upright walk doesn’t happen by chance. It is not something we happen upon by accident.

◾ An upright walk is not something for the casual, hit and miss, flippant lifestyle.

Those who walk uprightly take their relationship with the Lord Jesus seriously! His will is priority #1! Living a life to please Him is what should and does matter most whether we realize it or not! Those who have wisdom from God do indeed recognize the importance of living for the Lord Jesus and living an upright life.

Christians are not to be swindlers, cheats, liars, deceivers, crooked in business deals, slight of hand in our dealings! When we walk uprightly we will honor the Lord Jesus and please Him even when it hurts! Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Obtaining spiritual wisdom isn’t a once-a-week hobby, it is the daily discipline of a lifetime. But in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, digests, and numerous ‘made easy’ books, many people are out of the habit of daily investing time and energy in digging deep into Scripture and learning wisdom from the Lord. Thanks to television, their attention span is brief; thanks to religious entertainment that passes for worship, their spiritual appetite is feeble and spiritual knowledge isn’t pleasant to their soul. It’s no wonder fewer and fewer people ‘take time to be holy’ and more and more people fall prey to the enemies that lurk along the way.” Are you walking uprightly? Do you daily and diligently pursue the Lord Jesus? The Bible tells us that wisdom is a guard for us. We’ve learned that God protects His saints. We also see:

B. God preserves His saints. (8)

“He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.”

God not only protects His saints, but thank God He preserves His saints. He is our guard, our shield, our protector, our deliverer! Guards: (KJV: Keepeth) natsar, naw-tsar’; to guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.) watcher (-man). The Lord will guard His saints and will judge sinners.

His justice will prevail. He will have the last word. Justice seems to be perverted all over the world and in this country as well.

◾ The saints of God are persecuted in the world, but God guards the paths of justice.

◾ The word of God is being suppressed, but God guards the paths of justice.

◾ The church is neglected, ignored, or pushed aside, but God guards the paths of justice.

“God preserves the way of His saints.” God’s protection over us is not always temporary, but it is always eternal. God does allow His saints to

→ go through the fire;

→ be thrown to the lions,

→ go to the gallows,

→ stand before firing squads,

→ and receive the edge of the sword.

Sometimes God’s protection is not physical deliverance, but He will always deliver His saints and preserve His saints for all eternity. God didn’t say that He will preserve us in the way, but He did say He would preserve the way of His saints. Preserve: shamar, shaw-mar’; to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc … beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keeper, mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man). God will preserve the way of His saints. His way is the narrow way and His way is the straight way! He is the way, the truth, and the life!

→ The Lord Jesus will guard us, guide us, protect us, and preserve us!

The wisdom of God is a guard for us! That doesn’t mean we can be foolish and be arrogant! When we have the wisdom of God we will walk in the ways of God and obey the word of God! Jeremiah 9:23–24 says, “Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, “says the Lord.”

If we have the wisdom from the Lord we will seek to honor Him in every way. We will seek to bring others to Him! We will be a witness for Jesus Christ. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” God’s wisdom is a gift to us; we cannot earn it, buy it, nor do we deserve it. God’s wisdom is a guard for us; we are protected by God and preserved by God. The saints of God will never perish! Hallelujah! Do you have that assurance of salvation today? Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Have you repented of your sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you have the wisdom of God?

God has wisdom for families, for parents, for business owners, for school teachers, for mechanics, for farmers, for grocery store owners. Are you lacking wisdom? Are you walking uprightly? Is your life a living testimony of the grace and mercy of God? Are you consistently obeying the Lord Jesus? Are you daily seeking the Lord Jesus? Are you faithfully serving the Lord Jesus? If you need wisdom today God has sound wisdom stored up for the upright! Ask Him today! Do you need protection in the midst of a storm? God’s wisdom will guide you, sustain you, and enable you to travel His paths.