Pro Verbs: 2:1-10

About half of the second chapter of Proverbs, from the NET Bible:

My child, if you receive my words,
and store up my commands within you,
by making your ear attentive to wisdom,
and by turning your heart to understanding,
indeed, if you call out for discernment –
raise your voice for understanding –
if you seek it like silver,
and search for it like hidden treasure,
then you will understand how to fear the Lord,
and you will discover knowledge about God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
He stores up effective counsel for the upright,
and is like a shield for those who live with integrity,
to guard the paths of the righteous
and to protect the way of his pious ones.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity – every good way.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and moral knowledge will be attractive to you.

And what we want to take away from reading this:

1. What happened in the text?
2. What do I learn about God?
3. What should I do about it?

This is quite a set of promises, especially from a guy who sort of lost the plot when it came to pursuing wisdom and righteousness as he grew older. But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.

1. What happened in the text?
   The writer says to ask for wisdom to know God, who gives it to help His people.
2. What do I learn about God?
   Looking in the right places for understanding will give you information about Him.
   He gives wisdom.
   Knowledge and understanding come from Him.
   He wants us to understand righteousness and justice and equity.
3. What should I do about it?
   Boy, are there a lot of wrong places to look for wisdom and understanding. But the whole point of this passage is that the writer wants the reader to listen to specific, knowledgeable advice that will make moral knowledge attractive. That may be a good measure. Does my source of “wisdom” make moral knowledge attractive, or does it support my natural desire to get my own way?
   I’m glad to be reading and thinking about this stuff, but another application of this passage is in passing along what I know. Now, I’m very aware of some of my failings, but there in the mix is some of the gentleness and goodness of Jesus, too. And that’s what I’d like to give my kids, for example, a chance to see.