Proverbs 2:1-9

Proverbs 2:1–9 KJV (WS)

a1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

Introduction

This is an exciting time of life for you guys!

I am so happy for all of you and your parents.

Tonight I want to look at some of the words that Solomon wrote to his son.

Solomon’s hopes for his son are the same hopes we have for you tonight.

A father’s plea to his son.

A right relationship to the training you have received.

Receive my words.

Don’t cast them away.

Hide my commandments.

Put them in storage.

A new personal responsibility for growth.

Incline thine ear to wisdom.

Apply thine heart to understanding.

Listen attentively and reflect seriously.

A growing desperation for truth.

Cry for knowledge.

Lift your voice for understanding.

These things flow from a life that values the truth.

The son seeks wisdom as silver.

He searches for her like someone looking for buried treasure.

If you will not only keep the training of your Christian parents but will also seek to grow in your understanding of what is right, you will see the evidence in your life.

A search for wisdom leads to a noticeable inward product.

You will understand the fear of the Lord.

You don’t have to check all the sinful boxes of the world’s offerings to discover what is best to do, right?

David talks about how the a person can witness the consequences of sin without partaking in them.

If you pursue wisdom at this next stage of life, you can avoid the consequences many of your peers will bring upon themselves.

You will find the knowledge of God.

The only people who don’t know God are those who don’t want to.

The people who want to know God know Him.

You will see the difference that seeking wisdom brings to your life.

There will be things God will do for you that you won’t notice at first.

The Lord will give you wisdom.

Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

God keeps wisdom stored up for those who are righteous.

The righteous person in this passage is described in the first part.

This is both scary and encouraging.

As you enter the formative years of your adult life, there are things that God has stored for you that you may or may not receive.

You will miss it if you live your 20s as a know-it-all who doesn’t need anyone’s help.

If you enter adulthood with enough humility to seek God’s help, you can trust that he already has what you need.

Just like there is wisdom you don’t even know you will need yet, there are dangers you can’t see.

The good news is you have a bodyguard ready to protect you if you don’t wave him off.

It’s not your guardian angel either.

Solomon tells his son that God himself stands ready to be his buckler.

Think about that for a second.

You are walking into a time where you will lay the foundation for the rest of your life.

I look at each of you and see talented, good-looking young men whose lives are full of promise and potential.

I also see a group of young lives that Satan would love to destroy.

He doesn’t want to see you 15 years from now serving as a deacon.

He doesn’t want to see you still in the orchestra a year from now.

He doesn’t want to see you married to the godly young lady who loves God even more than she loves you.

The future is bright, but the dangers are scary.

But only if you try to go through it without your bodyguard.

Follow your bodyguard, and you can count on Him to perform at a high level.

He will do whatever it takes to keep the path of judgment.

You must choose the right path, and God will do the rest.

How do I know the right path?

Your parents already told you.

If you seek the ability to understand God’s path, he will show you.

He will preserve your way.

As a child of God, you are a saint.

Do you know what that means?

You are the object of God’s favor.

He delights in blessing you and protecting you.

You may not notice these at first, but after some of your adult years, you will look back and see that these things are true.

Solomon tells his son that if he lives by these words of caution, he will look back and see that his dad was right.

By following his counsel, even when he didn’t fully understand it, he now knows how to live the way God intended.

Righteousness = knowing how to live on the right.

Judgment = how to not only tell the difference between right and wrong, but also how to act forcefully against evil.

This is justice.

Equity = the ability to live with integrity.

I love that this is pretty much the last part.

Integrity is doing what’s right when no one else is watching.

It’s a construction term.

A building may look nice on the exterior.

But if the foundation is crumbling, the building lacks integrity.

You can make it through college and your early adult years with integrity.

Application

If you will…

Remember what your parents taught you.

Pursue greater knowledge and understanding of Godly wisdom.

Then you will…

Understand the fear of the Lord.

Find the knowledge of God.

Not only that, but God will also…

Share the wisdom that he has stored up just for you.

Be your bodyguard against the enemy that seeks to take you down.

So that someday in the not-too-distant future, you will look back and see…

God’s way was best.

You’ve developed the skills and character that you needed to walk on every good path

Conclusion

This is what we all hope will be each of your testimonies.

As you move into your adult life, this can be your experience.

Follow your parents’ teaching.

Seek to increase your understanding.

God will protect you.