Why Should I Value Wisdom? (Proverbs 2)
Is wisdom worth seeking in life? Proverbs 2 gives us some answers and has two primary purposes.
Proverbs 2
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Why is wisdom so valuable?
Proverbs 2 gives us some answers and has two primary purposes. As Bruce Waltke notes, “The father’s important second lecture tells the son both how to know God…and how to achieve the book’s key to understanding: the fear of I AM.”[1]
According to David Hubbard, “No chapter in Proverbs is more tightly knit than this.”[2] Hubbard goes on to explain why. “Read in Hebrew, it is virtually one continuous sentence. Since the number of its lines (and verses) is twenty-two it may be designed to mirror the completeness of the Hebrew alphabet, whose twenty-two letters form the framework of the acrostic (alphabetic) song in 31:10–31.”[3]
In verses 1-5, the author says,
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 listening closely to wisdom
and directing your heart to understanding;
3 furthermore, if you call out to insight
and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it like hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and discover the knowledge of God.
This passage shows us that wisdom is something to be pursued and stored up. It isn’t something we instantaneously receive when we become a follower of Christ. Many Christians lack wisdom. They know God but do not handle relational conflict well, struggle with their finances, and often leave themselves open to temptation by entering into situations they should avoid.
“To be wise,” as Timothy Keller says, “is to recognize multiple options and possible courses of action where others can imagine only one or two.”[4]
A Meditation to PRAY
Praise | I praise you for being the great I AM. Thank you for having complete wisdom and for teaching me your ways.
Release | I give you my desire to do things my way.
Ask | Help me to walk in instant obedience to you.
Yield | I surrender my will to you. Help me to become more like Christ.
A Challenge to Act Like Christ
Despite being fully God and fully man, Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.” And if this was the case for Jesus, how much more is it the case for us today?
Unfortunately, as we’ll see in Proverbs over the next several weeks, many pursue the path of being a fool. What is the difference between a wise person and a fool? Spanish priest and writer Baltasar Gracian says, “The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.” And I think he is on to something.
Something is to be said for “instant obedience” to God’s voice. Fools always want to learn the hard way. Like Adam and Eve, they want to test the boundaries and see if they can bargain. Ultimately, they don’t trust God as they should. As Timothy Keller says, “The main mark of fools is that they are opinionated, wise in their own eyes, unable to learn knowledge or be corrected.”[5]
But those who are wise follow in the footsteps of Jesus. They don’t avoid wisdom. Instead, they seek it out.
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[1] Waltke, Bruce K.; De Silva, Ivan D. V.. Proverbs: A Shorter Commentary (p. 145). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.
[2] David A. Hubbard and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Proverbs, vol. 15, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 60.
[3] David A. Hubbard and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Proverbs, vol. 15, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 60.
[4] Keller, Timothy; Keller, Kathy. God's Wisdom for Navigating Life (p. 4). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[5] Keller, Timothy; Keller, Kathy. God's Wisdom for Navigating Life (p. 10). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
