Proverbs 2 – 3
Verses 2:3 – 5 give us insight into why we should find wisdom:
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
If we sought wisdom like we did riches in this world we may find a larger treasure. Wisdom makes us realize that the treasures in life are not always silver and gold, but rather relationships. We often get caught in the search of one and lose complete sight of the other.
When my quest becomes too focused for money I often think back to Humphrey Bogart who played Fred Dobbs in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Dobbs was down on his luck and met up with two gents who became prospectors. They hit it big, and then they all changed. Dobbs ends up killing “partner” and cuts out the old man only to be killed by bandits and the treasure dumped as dust.
If Dobbs would have had wisdom, all would have prospered. Verse 3:5 is where Dobb’s trust should have been and not on his riches:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
We all tend to blow it when we rest on our “understanding” and forget the Lord. We don’t need to expect the Lord to speak to us each step along the way when we have the Bible to read. This book is filled with almost every piece of insight for almost any situation. Prayer is the other way we get focus, when we ask the Lord we are usually guided to where he wants us to be.
Verse 3:12 talks about correction we get along the way:
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Notice two things here, God corrects us like we would our own family. We rarely think of this as love when we are getting the “switch” but in the long run we see the value. This of course is assuming we don’t hold a grudge for something and did not see the need for “correction”. Part of being a wise is knowing when you are in the “wrong” and accepting the punishment that goes with it.
Verse 3:13 is very self-explanatory:
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
Now verse 3:27 hits home in a few ways:
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
I have blown this on many levels from not giving praise when it’s due, to withholding payments to keep my cash on hand good. This hits home to me big time since there are many levels to this, since the definition of “good” is so broad. We need to make sure not only do we praise God and not withhold our tithe from Him, but treat others the same way. Don’t get work done if you can’t pay for it then and when you do don’t withhold paying the person. NOTE – I have been guilty and am currently guilty of this!