"This chapter presents the FIVE
fruits of wisdom."[1]
"My son ..." (Proverbs
2:1). "This address occurs
thirteen times in the first seven chapters of Proverbs,"[2] not
only indicating the unity of this section, but also revealing the format here
as a succession of speeches to a young person by a teacher or to us as the
children of the heavenly Father.
"Incline thine
ear to wisdom ... thy heart to understanding" (Proverbs
2:2). The use of the words wisdom and
understanding without the possessive pronouns `my' and `her' make it clear
that, "Wisdom is no longer personified in this passage and regarded as the
speaker." ‘to hide in your heart…so as to have a high esteem of
them…value for them…retain them in memory and frequently think of them and
meditate upon them…constantly observe them
Psa. 119:11 It is worth listening
with greatest attention. A hypocrite may
seemingly hear with great attention, and show much affection, and yet his heart
be after the world and the things of it.
Application is essential!!!!
"Yea, if thou cry
after knowledge" (Proverbs
2:3). "The seeker after wisdom
must be earnest and sincere, as indicated by these words."[4]
Furthermore, he must extend himself diligently and search for true wisdom with
the same abandon and exertion that men devote to the seeking of earthly
treasures.
"How do men seek money? What
will they not do to get rich? Reader,
seek the salvation of thy soul as earnestly as the covetous man seeks wealth;
and be ashamed of thyself, if thou be less in earnest after the true riches
than he is after the wealth that perishes."[5]
"This paragraph underlines the
involvement and effort needed both to obtain and retain wisdom."
"Then shalt thou
understand the fear of Jehovah, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs
2:5). "The deeper religious
element of wisdom appears in this verse, the fundamental conception of Hebrew
prophecy that the knowledge of God is the supreme good."[7]
"There are two coefficients to
our receiving wisdom from God, namely, our efforts and God's assistance,"[8]
as noted in the next verse.
"Jehovah giveth
wisdom" (Proverbs
2:6). George DeHoff has these priceless
lines on this verse. "God gives wisdom only to those who search for it.
Often in the Bible, God is pictured as giving something when he merely makes it
available. He gave the city of Jericho to Joshua; but it was necessary for
Joshua and his soldiers to obey God's instructions before they could possess
it. God gave manna to Israel in the wilderness; but they had to go and gather
it up (Numbers
11). Christ gave the blind man his
sight; but he received it only when he went and washed in the Pool of Siloam.
God gives men wisdom; but much diligent study is required in order to receive
it."[9] Likewise, salvation itself is the free gift of God; but
it is given conditionally. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved" (Mark
16:16). "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth
the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew
7:21).
"That he may ...
preserve the way of his saints" (Proverbs
2:8). "Only here in the book of
Proverbs do we find this remarkable word `saints'."[10] And is
it really true that God preserves the way of his saints? The answer is
affirmative. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, due to (1) the
activities of Satan, (2) the freedom of the human will, (3) the curse upon the
earth for Adam's sake, (4) the element of chance, and (5) the mysterious
`chastening' that falls upon every true child of God. Our Lord himself promised
that his faithful servants, "Shall receive in this present life a hundred
fold, and in the world to come, eternal life" (Mark
10:30). How does God accomplish such a
thing as this? (1) The angels of heaven do service for them that shall be the
heirs of eternal life (Hebrews
1:14). (2) Christ himself will be with
his church even unto the end of the world (Matthew
28:18-20). (3) God will avenge his elect (Luke
28:7-8).
Verse 9
MANY RICH REWARDS BESTOWED BY WISDOM
MANY RICH REWARDS BESTOWED BY WISDOM
"Then shalt thou
understand righteousness and justice,
"Many men in high office who
are guiding the destiny of our nation today are not being guided by the
Lord."[11] The righteousness, justice and equity needed in a
well-ordered society are available only in God's Word. The tragic word in the
sacred Scriptures is that, "It is not in man that walketh to direct his
steps" (Jeremiah
10:23). Every generation of mankind has
repeatedly proved this to be the truth.
"Knowledge shall
be pleasant unto thy soul" (Proverbs
2:10). Men must appreciate wisdom in
order to profit by it. "It is one thing to be acquainted with wisdom, and
quite another for wisdom to be welcomed as a 'pleasant' guest."[12]
"Understanding
shall keep thee" (Proverbs
2:11). These words introduce another
facet of the benefits of wisdom and the knowledge of God to which it leads; and
that is, "It is not only that to which wisdom leads a man, but it is that
from which it saves him, or keeps him, that eternally blesses him."[13]
The following verses will provide examples of this.
"To deliver thee
from the way of evil,
This paragraph speaks of the
seditious and subversive enemies that form the bottom layer of every society.
"They wish to subvert the state of things, whether or not religious; they
are seditious themselves and wish to make others so; they speak much of liberty,
oppression, injustice, etc., endeavoring especially to corrupt the youth."[14]
Such men are totally destructive, rebellious and critical; and they are
bankrupt of any worthwhile purpose.
"To walk in the
ways of darkness" (Proverbs
2:13). Christians are specifically
warned against the ways of darkness. Much of the world's evil is perpetrated in
darkness, due to men's instinctive desire to hide their evil deeds. "The
word darkness carries with it two ideas (1) ignorance, and (2) error."[15]
To walk in darkness is therefore to reject the true light of wisdom and to
practice iniquity. The apostle Paul has commanded us to, "Cast off the
works of darkness" (Romans
13:12): and in the same breath he
mentioned among those works such things as, "Reveling, drunkenness,
debauchery, licentiousness, quarreling and jealousy" (Romans
13:13).
"Who rejoice to
do evil" (Proverbs
2:14). This fingers an amazing trait of
wicked men; they rejoice in evil! "A malignant joy lights up the
countenance of any abandoned sinner at the very prospect of some wicked deed.
This is Satanic wickedness; and such men may exclaim with Milton's Satan,
`Evil, be thou my good'!"[16]
"To deliver thee
from the strange woman" (Proverbs
2:16). Who is this strange woman?
According to Cook, "She is none other than a foreigner";[17]
but the mention of her having forgotten "the covenant of her God,"
identifies her as an Israelite who had been in covenant relationship with the
Lord. Others have identified her as a religious prostitute attached to some
pagan shrine; but the simple truth appears to be that. "The strange woman
here is any meretricious person who indulges in illicit sex."[18]
(This is the first of several
warnings against adultery in the book of Proverbs; others are in Proverbs
5:3-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18). The
thing that amazes is that the author of these instructions was himself the most
fantastic violator of these warnings ever known.
"Some Jewish commentators personify the strange woman
here and make her a symbol of some form of foreign philosophy; but, very
probably, the reference is to literal vice."[19]
The use of the word
"stranger" (or strange woman) in Proverbs is not to be understood in
its ordinary meaning. Ruth called herself a stranger (Ruth
2:10); but, "In Proverbs, these
words are euphemisms for harlot."[20]
"That forsaketh
the friend of her youth" (Proverbs
2:17). Most scholars agree that these
words refer to the woman's husband.[21]
"Her house
inclineth unto death" (Proverbs
2:18). "Men come away from every
unlawful indulgence other than they go - weaker and worse in soul. Alas for the
morrow of incontinence, of whatever kind it is! The soul is injured;
self-respect is slain; his force is diminished; he is on the incline that
slopes to death; and one step nearer to it than ever before. `Her house
inclineth unto death'!"[22]
"Adultery is a house slanted toward the death of the
spirit; and Divine wisdom is essential for deliverance from its temptation and
torment."[23]
HE WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL INHERITANCE
"That thou mayest
walk in the way of good men,
Although "the land" as
used in these verses was probably understood by the Israelites as the
Palestine, that is, "The Promised Land," it should be remembered that
"The Promised Land" itself is a valid Biblical symbol of something
far more wonderful, namely, heaven on earth – a REST for God’s people; and it
is in that sense that the Christian should read these verses.
The Old Testament promises of the
rewards of righteousness stressed the physical and material things of the
present age rather that the eschatological wonders of the world to come; but
they were not entirely wrong in this.
"There
is still impressive evidence that integrity pays better than treachery, that
honesty is better than thievery, that truthfulness is better than falsehood,
and that righteousness is better than wickedness, even in human terms."[24]
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