WISDOM IN OUR HEARTS (1)

“When WISDOM ENTERS YOUR HEART, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you” – Proverbs 2: 10-11

As a principal Instrument for Victory in Life, God puts WISDOM in OUR HEARTS by His Spirit: “When WISDOM ENTERS YOUR HEART, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you” (Pro.2:10-11). The main themes of the book of Proverbs are: the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, and the lack of wisdom leaves one in folly or the path of foolishness. Much like the Lord’s teaching of the narrow and broad ways, Proverbs 2 – focusing on the Pursuit of Wisdom – depicts souls walking along the good path of integrity and righteousness (vv.7-9, 20); or crooked, dark paths, that lead to death (vv.12-19).

Viewed through the lens of the gospel, we understand that because of sin we were all by nature on the path of darkness. But when God saved our soul, we were delivered from the domain of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col.1:13). Once our feet are set on the path of Christ, we are required to persist on that path. The evidence of walking therein is receiving, embracing, and assimilating God’s Word. By this, our minds are renewed and our lives transformed to no longer conform to worldly thought patterns, lifestyles, and conduct (Rom.12:1-2).

In verses 1-5, accentuated by the conditional word “IF,” the father exhorts his son to pursue wisdom with everything he has; to give his earnest attention and devote himself to wisdom. God’s Wisdom is to be pursued by: receiving His words and treasuring His commands within (v.1); inclining our ears attentively and applying or adjusting our hearts to understanding (v.2); crying out for discernment or insight and lifting our voice for understanding (v.3); seeking her as silver and searching for her as hidden gems (v.4).

The receiving is much more than hearing; it is hearing in order to delight in and apply what is learned. In the parable of the sower, Jesus teaches about different ways people respond to His Word when it is proclaimed. Some don't listen at all; others hear and receive it with joy, but the troubles that come in this world make them turn away. Still others receive the word, but the cares, riches, and pleasures of life choke out any fruitfulness. Those who assimilate God’s Word are those whose souls thrive from it (Lk.8: 4-15).

The first necessity in receiving God’s Word is to pray or cry out for insight (vv.3-4). James 1:5-6 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” Again, “You do not have because you do not ask” (Jam.4:2b). A wise and rewarding life doesn’t happen passively. We must pursue God's Word like a miner values hidden treasures.

Verses 6-8 reveal the LORD GOD as the Source of Wisdom. Then, verses 9-22 explain why wisdom, above all other interests, is worthy of vigorous pursuit – the Value of Wisdom: Discernment, spiritual and moral perception (vv.9-11); protection from the evil man and evil woman (vv.12-15; 16-19). God’s Words in our hearts shape our appetites and develop in us a taste for wisdom and distaste for folly. It enables us to see through the allurements of evil, and protects us from foolish choices we otherwise would make.

The central truth is the connection between Wisdom and Righteousness. To do what is right is to be wise. God has a moral order in the universe. If we live accordingly we both honour Him and enjoy His favour. It’s in our own best interests to pursue righteousness – it’s the wise thing to do. To be righteous is to be wise; and to be wise is to be righteous. To pursue sin is foolish and self-destructive! God’s Word gives us a Heart for Wisdom; helping us to develop a heart, taste, and instinct for what is right and wise.