Lord’s Day, Vol. 5 No. 30
Be Diligent to Search the Scriptures
Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
God’s people ought to be diligent in seeking the things of God, because these are things that count and last for eternity. Life does not end when this earthen vessel perishes. The decisions and the paths we take in this life have eternal consequences. We are faced with choices daily! How do we know which is the right choice? How can we walk in the path of God’s blessing?
If we diligently search the Scriptures we will understand “the fear of God and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5). The fear of God and the knowledge of His will, help guide our choices.
May we go back to basics and be connected with the mind of our Creator. The fear of God will keep us from evil (Proverbs 16:6). The knowledge of God will speed us on to the path of safety and we shall be quiet from fear of evil (Proverbs 1:33).
The Book of Proverbs is God’s blueprint for every good path, the paths of uprightness, the paths of the righteous and the just, the path of judgment, the path of life, as opposed to the path of death. We have to be diligent to seek God in His Word in order to find the path of God’s blessing. This is what we call a condition of reality. If we do according to God’s instructions given in verses 1-4, the result in verse 5 follows logically and naturally from it. There are three “ifs”, in verse 1, verse 3 and verse 4 that we are to consider carefully.
When we study diligently the word of God, personalising the lessons with much prayer, it will build in us a spirit of self-control, a restraining spirit, a resolute spirit to do what is right in the sight of God.
It internalises for us the reason for doing what we do so that it becomes a part of our way of life, a godly habit and a godly heritage we pass to our children. It also warns us of the consequences of what we should not do, having that godly instinct to respond correctly each time when we are faced with a choice, that we may choose the fear of God (Proverbs 1:29).
May it not be said of us that we have “no strong will against vices, yet we have none also for virtues.” Are we simply indifferent?
Verse 1 “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee.”
Verse 1 tells us that we are to imbibe the mind of God by receiving our heavenly Father’s words as a filial son, “my son, if thou wilt receive my words”. This “if” is a big “if”, when our hearts are not quiet and hushed before Him. The voices of this world, its care and demands are often so overwhelming. God’s people should find time daily to shut out all distractions and focus our hearts on the deep meditation and study of His Word.
And not only must we receive the Father’s words but we are to “hide” them in our hearts. There is this saying that half of the knowledge is to know where to find it, but I say lovingly that, the fullness of knowledge is to have it deeply ingrained in our hearts. The word “hide” means to “treasure up”. Practical wisdom must be carried about with us, and be ready for use anytime. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he was physically, mentally, and emotionally strained. If we were to be in that condition, we often lose our sense of self-control, we let our tiredness take over and we compromise for want of self-control and sense of mind. But it is not so with our Lord.
May the Lord help us so that God’s instruction be written in the tables of our hearts. When the Word of God stands written in the heart, we are able to use it at the call of the moment. The book of Proverbs, the book of action, is written in a most condensed manner to aid us. It expresses thoughts, similar and contrasting to show the good and the evil, blessing and cursing, the good path and the way of death.
Verse 2 “So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;”
The word “incline” means to give attention, to set aside time, to free ourselves from the entanglements of this world that choke us. The battle is very real.
“And apply thine heart to understanding.” This word “apply” means “to stretch out”. To have the hunger and thirst for God’s Word, showing an unquenchable appetite to keep at it.
Verse 3 “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge and lifteth up thy voice for understanding.”
Receiving the wisdom of God can be a most “agonising” affair. It is not received with ease but we are to call with the utmost earnestness and there is that process of “agonizing” for the truth to be made plain to us – Proverbs 20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.” The well of God’s wisdom may be deep but the earnest heart will be patient and skill enough, with help of the Holy Spirit through prayer, to draw up the water even to the last drop.
We are to ask God in prayer that our eyes of understanding may be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). The Word of God is to be studied with much prayer. It is often a rigorous process.
Verse 4 “If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures.”
A lot of work, perhaps a little progress! That is why it requires much patience as the search for hid treasures. It is well worth the time spent.
Verse 5 “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
When we study the Bible, we will learn who God is and have a reverential fear for Him. We exist because of His good pleasure. The very breath in our nostrils are given by Him. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, to know the wisdom of God. It brings us to God and to the knowledge of His salvation plan and shows us the good path to take on this pilgrimage to heaven. May the Lord help us. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee