Webbijbel
Gert-Jan Van Zanten
“Gold” from Proverbs
Chapter 2
In the
book of Proverbs there is a constant contrast being made between
heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom.
(James 3: 13- 18)
And we as Christians need to seek this heavenly wisdom.
This wisdom will be our safe-guard in live. Safe-guards are
important in every area of life. We understand that we need it in
traffic, we understand that we need it for our bodies, we understand
we need it in our jobs, so we need it all the more in our spiritual
lives. We all do want to lead lives that are free of true heart-ache
and pain. God can give this. It is that simple.
Now, we do not need to mix this up with the fact that we all suffer.
Suffering is universal.
The Bible helps us to understand that the rain falls on the just and
the unjust. The Bible tells us that Christians suffer.
(Matt. 5: 45; Rom. 8: 22- 23)
But in this suffering we have a God and Father of all comfort (2
Cor. 1) and who is constant and true.
He wants to shower our lives with these things that are good. (Deut.
28; Matt. 6: 25- 34)
So He
offers us heavenly wisdom, heavenly knowledge and heavenly
understanding.
When we give ourselves over to that wisdom, beautiful things are
bound to happen.
In this
chapter other words are being used in connection to this heavenly
wisdom. Words like knowledge and understanding.
|
Understanding: H8394
tâbûn
|
|
Knowledge H998
bîynâh |
It is
all about our mind.
The
book of Proverbs has a lot to say about our wisdom, our knowledge
and our understanding. These principles have to do with our mind.
They have to do with our thinking.
Rom 1:28 And even as
they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave
them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
Here we find a verse in which God shows how people who do not want
to retain God in their knowledge, He will give them over to a
reprobate mind. And a reprobate mind is filled with eartly wisdom
and that wisdom leads to disaster and death.
We are in a fight. We are in a continual fight. Our minds are in a
fight. That is why we need to pull down all things that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God. When folks become Christians
the earthly wisdom needs to go out to make room for the heavenly
wisdom.
2 Co 10:5 Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;
And so, Christians have been given treasures from God. Treasures to
fill their mind with. Treasures that will keep us safe. As
much as we have rules in traffic, so that everybody will arrive home
safely, we need these rules in our spiritual lives so that we will
arrive home safely.
In Christ we have everything that can stand against earthy wisdom
and we are to bring all our thoughts into captivity of Christ.
What
are we to do? (1- 5)
We are
to “hide” this heavenly wisdom in our hearts. We are to search for
it. This hiding is further explained that we are to seek for her as
for silver and search for it as a hidden treasure.
David
wrote:
Psa 119:99 I have more
understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are
my meditation.
Wow,
this is a wonderful thought. Gods testimonies are better then all
the teachers that David had. The testimonies of the Lord are a true
treasure for the heart.
What
about our Bibles, they should be open on our diningroom-table, it
should be open as we are eating, in all the rooms of our houses
should be an open Bible, but most off all we have to make room in
our hearts for the Bible. The word of our Lord and Father.
God
gives us a constant picture of seeking Him with all that we are.
Jesus spoke the words in Matt. 22: 37, that we are to love the Lord
with all our hearts, souls and minds. What is left out here? So we
ask.
In the
gospels Jesus spoke that we are to seek the kingdom like finding a
treasure.
That is what our lives should be.
Mat 13:44 Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
We are to seek His kingdom. But before we seek the kingdom we are to
seek the king.
When we do not know the king, we will not seek the kingdom!!!!
We should know the king, if we know Him then we will understand that
He is the source off all that is good. When we know this, we have
the reason and the key to seek Him with all that we are. We need to
know Him!!!!
So, we are to seek Him. Jesus said in Matt. 6: 33
Mat 6:33 But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you.
God
has provided it all. (6-
9)
We read
that God has stored up for those that seek. These things are given
freely by Him and through Him.
God is
the source off all that is good.
Throughout the scriptures we always see the connection between these
two.
Being a child of God and then a seeker of heavenly wisdom is the
connection to what God will provide.
If we
seek Him He will fill us with heavenly wisdom, heavenly
understanding and heavenly knowledge. And these will serve as our
protection in life.
See, when we are careful in traffic, when we observe the rules it
will bring us home safely.
So it is in our lives with God, when we use the good rules it will
be our safe-guard.
However, we all need to learn this. We have learned to deal with
matters in an earthly way, as Christians we need to start dealing
with life in heavenly wisdom.
Our
Father is a Father who wants to supply us and supply us with
abundance. First off all in the spiritual realm but also in the
physical realm. See also verse 20- 22.
|
He surrounds His children as He has surrounded Jerusalem |
What
will God be for them that seek these things? (10- 11)
The
text shows that those who will seek after these things, to them God
will be a shield, He will guard there paths and he will preserve
their ways. So, God is not only the giver of blessings when we seek
Him but He also makes Himself our shelter.
He
surrounds His children as He has surrounded Jerusalem.
Psa 125:2 As the
mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is
round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
The Lord will surround His people, He will protect them.
As we seek Him in all that we do, as we are walking in the light (1
John 1: 6- 10)
So God will continue to protect them that are His. Nobody can
separate us from His power and love. We just need to search out this
heavenly wisdom. Wisdom that will protect us.
Heavenly wisdom will deliver us. (12- 19)
This
heavenly wisdom will deliver us from 1) the way of evil, 2) from the
person who speaks perverse things, 3) from the one who leaves the
paths of uprightness and 3) from the immoral woman.
The
text is giving us four areas in which we will be delivered.
Being delivered means that we will not get in contact with these
principles, we won't get affected by it. It means that we will be
able to recognize those things for what they truly are and we will
stay away from them.
A. It
will deliver us from evil.
When we
are walking the heavenly road it will automatically keep us from the
earthly road.
That is simple and yet hard. Simple in the sense that is the way
things work, hard because it has to do with temptation and
temptation remains a pull for all of us.
B. It
will deliver us from the man who speaks perverse things.
Walking
the heavenly road will deliver us from the person who speaks
perverse (earthly) things.
C. It
will deliver us from the man who leaves the paths of righteousness.
We are
also delivered from them that are a part of the faith and leave it.
So, we are delivered not only from the influences of outsiders but
also from insiders.
As we
walk the Christian way we are confronted by outsiders and insiders.
God will deliver us from both.
Listen
to the words of Paul!!! He talked about outsiders and insiders.
Act 20:29 For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among
you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30 Also of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them.
So God
promises us deliverance from all areas and all places. From wrong
outsiders and wrong insiders.
D. It
will deliver us from the immoral woman.
Since
this writing was to the son of the preacher he has things to say
about the immoral woman and how Gods wisdom is a safe-guard against
her.
This
immoral woman is called a seductress woman who flatters with her
words.
Temptation is always offered in the best possible way, so there is
seduction and flattering. However, the child of God recognizes these
things for their true worth and he understands that these things are
only a way to bring sin and death in the life of a child of God.
|
See, wrong always appears right. Let us never forget that |
Heavenly wisdom will lead us to truly understanding and to be able
to make a difference between right and wrong, even though it can
appear good.
See,
wrong always appears right. Let us never forget that.
If wrong appears wrong it would not be tempting, however wrong
always appears right.
She is
further described as someone who:
-Forsakes the companion of her youth.
-Forgets the covenant of her God.
The
woman who does this is someone that is acting foolishly and she is
decribed as someone who forgets.
Covenants that are made are important. When we do not hold to our
promises we become a liar. And God hates lying. (Prov. 6: 16, 17)
Lying is an abomination to the Lord. And the woman who does this is
a liar to her companion of her youth and also towards God.
It
further illustrates how important marriage is to God. Marriage is
Gods institution and it is not to be frifled with. God instituted
marriage in the garden when he said:
“Therefore
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh”.
God wants a man and woman in marriage to cleave and to be one flesh.
No other flesh should ever become a part of this unity. That is Gods
design.
The ways of this woman lead to death.
When a woman has become a seductress and flattering and we follow
it, it will lead to death and nothing else but death. How many man
could testify to this!!! It works addictively.
Heavenly wisdom can be a safe-guard against it. How important this
becomes!!!
Those
who dwell with heavenly wisdom will dwell in the land. (20- 22)
What
does this mean? God gives His children spiritual and physical
blessings.
One of these physical blessings is that we will dwell in the land.
How do we know this?
Exo 20:12 Honour thy
father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the LORD thy God giveth thee.
God gave the law unto the Israelites and God promised them a long
life in the land which God gave them. God promised them the good of
the land and a long life.
If we move on to the book of Psalms we find the same promise being
made.
-Psalm 37: 3, 9 and 11
In this Psalm we also see the connection being made between a long
life and inheriting the land. We find it in the words of Jesus, in
the beatitudes.
Then we find it in the book of Ephesians.
Eph 6:1 Children, obey
your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2 Honour thy
father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3 That it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
And then we find it in the letter of Peter.
1Pe 3:10 For he that
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
So we
find that doing the will of the Lord is giving us a long life and
good days.
In
closing we see in this chapter the importance of heavenly wisdom.
And how we all need it.
It serves us in so many ways and it makes our lives a blessing to
ourselves and to others.
It will
glorify our Lord and with that we should be concerned.
He is
holy, let us be holy.
