Proverbs 2:1–5 (KJV 1900) — 1 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.
In Proverbs 1:7, Solomon declared the fundamental truth that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” In Proverbs 2:1-5, he listed for his son eight steps that lead to understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God:
1. Receive my words.
2. Hide my commandments.
3. Incline your ear to wisdom.
4. Apply your heart to understanding.
5. Cry after knowledge.
6. Lift up your voice for understanding.
7. Seek understanding as you would seek silver.
8. Search for understanding as you would search for hidden treasures.
In each of these steps, the responsibility rests with us. Wisdom has already made herself available (Proverbs 1:20-25). All that remains is for a person to receive her counsel. It will not be forced on anyone; that is contrary to to the nature of wisdom. Folly is aggressive (Proverbs 7:6-21); she catches men (Proverbs 7:13). Wisdom calls to people; she even stretches out her hand (Proverbs 1:24). But she waits for them to turn before she pours out her spirit and makes known her words (Proverbs 1:23).
These brief devotions are drawn from one of my earliest books, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World: Proverbs. They are not the complete texts from the books. For example, the comments on Proverbs 2:1-5 fill nearly eight pages in the book with additional detail, including biblical texts that connect conceptually with these verses. The book is available from pentecostalpublishing.com, as a Kindle download from Amazon, and as an Apple Book (also known as iBook).
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