Prayer.

Reading: Prov 2:1-5.

Meditation.

The climax of the first chapter of Proverbs is a clear and open call from Lady Wisdom, an open invitation to everyone to come and get wisdom for themselves: “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks” (Pr 1:20-21). Everything we saw in our first series of studies in Proverbs 1 brought us up to that point. Here’s a brief overview of the flow of thought in chapter one: verses one through six told us that gaining wisdom was the aim of the book; verse seven showed us that the foundation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; verses eight and nine told us that we would need to listen with an open heart; verses ten through nineteen warned us of the dangers of being tempted away from the path of wisdom and into the path of sinners; and verses twenty through thirty-three then gave us this call from Lady Wisdom herself.

With this in mind, the call of Lady Wisdom to come and get wisdom leaves us with a very immediate and obvious question: How do we get wisdom? In Chapter 2:1-5, that is exactly the question that Solomon answers. As we launch our expedition into this chapter, we’ll see that getting wisdom is not some mysterious, mystical transaction. What we’ll find here is clear instruction on how to actually do this. To get wisdom, and become the man or woman of God that your were made to be, there are certain things that God says that you must do. To use the metaphor of 2:4, I want you to think of gaining wisdom as being like mining. If you want wisdom, you’re going to have dig, work hard, and gather the wealth of wisdom.

Now if wisdom is like mining, then we can think of chapter one as getting equipped with the tools. If you’re going to mine, you need a pick-axe, a helmet with a light on it, and all sorts of other pieces of gear. We need a warning about what dangers to avoid, but we also need to learn how to use the tools. We need on-the-ground training, and that’s exactly what we find in chapter two.

Be ye doers of the word...

I love the simplicity of wood-chopping. You get a block-buster, you get a whole bunch of sawn-off chunks of tree, and you get to work. You split every single one of those things – especially the stubborn ones. Then there’s step two. You stack the wood. It takes work, but you know exactly what you need to do. I sometimes wish I had such a clear grasp of everything else in life! As we take a tour of Proverbs 2:1-5, we’re going to see that getting wisdom is, in a sense, as clear and simple as chopping wood. You don’t have to be a genius to get this.

There’s actually a skill to gathering wisdom, and 2hapter 2:1-5 is a lesson designed to equip you with the skill you need to become wise. Mining involves certain skills – as does every profession. Mining for wisdom also involves certain skills. Again – getting wisdom is not a mysterious process, it doesn’t come to you on the top of a mountain by divine revelation. There’s a real cause and effect relationship between seeking wisdom and having wisdom. In other words, if you don’t do these things that we’re going to be talking about in Part 1 of this book, the things laid out for us in Proverbs 2:1-5, then you won’t get wisdom any more than if you tried to get diamonds by having a picnic outside the entrance to a mine. In a sense, it’s as simple as that.

Now think about this – it’s actually huge! You will not get wisdom by accident. You weren’t born with it. You’re not going to be a great, wise person by default. But the good news is that you can actually get it, and nothing you can desire can compare to wisdom. This is so, so important. In the next few chapters, we’re going to lay out a series of very practical instructions on what God calls us to do so that we might get wisdom and become mature men and of God. So here’s the application: pay close attention to the next few chapters and be prepared to put them in to action. And for now? Here’s your challenge: Read Proverbs 2:1-5 ten times, and write down in your own words the actual things that you’re being told to do. And come armed to the next chapter ready to get equipped, and get stuck in. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration.

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