Wisdom is for all, but not all will pay the price to obtain her.

 I'm looking at Proverbs 2:1-9.  “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.”

I'd like to highlight three truths regarding these nine scriptures.

 The first thing I'd like to note about this text is its offer. The offer is wisdom and knowledge conditionally. The word “if” makes the offer conditional. In other words, the offer stands good if you want it. God will not force His grace upon you. It’s your choice to receive it or reject it. You may have it if you desire it. And if you desire it, you must pay the price to get it.

It is an exercise of our volition (the will of man) to receive or reject the things of God. Because God is a free moral agent, He allows us to choose or decline His offers. After all, we are made in His image. The ability to choose is paramount to everything we do in life. The words of Eleanor Roosevelt underscore this, “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”  Tim Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p. 143.

The second thing I'd like to note about this text is the value of wisdom. It is likened to silver and great treasures. Do you remember the story about the man who was given daily a fish to eat, in hopes of fulfilling his need for food? The story presents a dilemma to its reader, does it not? In other words, one can give something to meet an endless need or one can teach a man to provide for his own daily needs. Comparing the search for wisdom to that of great value reminds me of this story. I could ask God for silver and gold, but exhaust it and still be in want. Or I could do one better. I could ask God for the wisdom to get silver and gold and, thus, never lacking in any situation. Wisdom is as good as gold but even better than gold. God’s wisdom gives me the insight to avoid poverty at “all costs.”

Since we’re on the subject of treasures, what is God’s wisdom toward acquiring wealth? It is a desire to succeed, a good work ethic, a disciplined approach to spending, and prudent investing with the patience of Job. These principles make up the base of God’s wealth pyramid, but the pyramid has an apex also. At the top of God’s plan for acquiring gain is the principle of sowing and reaping. It is impossible to continue a harvest season in and season out without planting seed, season in and season out. Give and it shall be given to you. The measure you give, dictates the measure you receive. He who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly. The Bible is filled with ways to increase one’s harvest. But one must apply the principles—this is wisdom.

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke—one out of every six verses deals with money. Of the 29 parables Christ told, 16 deal with a person and his money. Finances: How to use them and how to invest them are very important to God. God wants His people to grow, to expand, to enlarge in grace, in knowledge, and in the wisdom of giving, especially to the poor and needy.

It was the great Reformer Martin Luther who said, “I have tried to keep things in my hands and lost them all, but what I have given into God's hands I still possess.”

The third thing I'd like to note about this text is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge comes from the mouth of God. Wisdom comes from the heart of God. It is who He is. God is wisdom personified. In other words, God became flesh to show us who He was. He animates wisdom to keep it out of the abstract. For example, I may declare someone to be beautiful but that tells you nothing about beauty. Or I may point to a beautiful person and clarify beyond question the meaning of beauty.

God doesn’t just tell us to be wise. He shows us what wisdom is. Wisdom comes from His heart by way of His only begotten Son. When we look at Jesus in the Bible, we see the wisdom of God animated. It walks, it talks, it breaths. It loves, it mourns, it laughs, it cries. The wisdom of God has come to us through Jesus Christ His Son. We may receive His wisdom for life by accepting Jesus the Son by faith.

Once we receive His wisdom, we must continue in His knowledge. Knowledge comes from the mouth of God. In other words, Knowledge comes from the study of God’s word. The Bible came from the mouth of God. The Bible must be studied and applied to walk in the knowledge of God.

And now we’ve come full circle. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding come from God above. They are available to God’s people to insure their safety, triumph, and well being. The offer is just too good to refuse. But people do refuse it. Why? Because it must be sought after with all one’s heart and many just don’t have the heart to pursue it. It’s because its value that exceeds rubies and gold is just too good to be true for many and they turn a deaf ear to its cry. Yes, it’s these reasons and more; however, the primary reason people miss the wisdom of God is because they refuse to pursue it with all of their heart, soul, and mind. And they refuse to apply it in their lives.

God’s best to you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding.

Pastor T.