Incline Your Ear to Wisdom,
and Apply your Heart to Understanding
Proverbs 2:1-5
“My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God. NKJV
One of the main reasons I love writing devotionals is because it causes me to study the Word, read cross-references and meditate on God’s Word and literally hold on to the passage in my heart until God gives me a deeper understanding of what I am reading. I’m seeking out a wisdom that can only come from God above through the Holy Spirit imparted to me.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17- NKJV
I do this because I know that I myself am not all wise, all knowing or have a mysterious power of my own. In fact I believe my greatest strength is understanding that I’m weak and need a savior and my greatest wisdom is knowing that I myself have no wisdom of my own and need God’s Word to show me His Truth and impart to me His knowledge.
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come — all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Everything we receive from God can only come because of His grace that He has given to us through His Son. He gives it to those who believe in Jesus willingly so that we would walk worthy of our calling; glorifying God in our bodies as lights and ambassadors for Christ in a dark world.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of “firstfruits” of His creatures.” James 1:16-18-NKJV
We are privileged beyond our understanding to think we could receive such wonderful wisdom and godly counsel that comes straight from God Himself to us. In this privilege I also have gained a reverent fear to be diligent to rightly divide the Word of truth because where much is given much is expected and caution to those who teach for they shall be held to a higher accountability.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15-16 - NKJV
Not everyone who writes devotionals is teaching persay in their devotionals in fact most of the time they are meant to share a word of encouragement and blessing. I personally take my own writing of devotionals this way and do not speak for everyone else who writes them.
Getting back to the passage at hand; in the book of Proverbs - King Solomon is giving his son godly counsel and words of wisdom in regards to wisdom and understanding.
King Solomon is renowned for his wisdom. It is recorded that he asked God (Yahweh) for discernment and wisdom to rule his people in 1 Kings 3:7-9 and that God granted him wisdom along with long life and prosperity.
The beauty of proverbs and this passage is the visual example King Solomon gives. He is having a, “Father to son talk”. I believe this idea alone is special and one to meditate on. It is a picture we all know and understand either because we have experienced it in our own household or we have learned about it as something that fathers do with their sons when a father feels it is that time when the son is ready for such a talk about women.
The beauty of proverbs is who the woman symbolically represents. King Solomon is calling her, "Wisdom and Understanding" according to verses 4 & 5. He is teaching his son to seek after, “Her” as silver and to search for her as hidden treasures as he would a good woman.
He is teaching his son the valuable lesson of desiring wisdom that God taught Him according to 1 King 3:11-14,
“Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." 1 Kings 3:11-14
I want to close with my own personal testimony that when I seek God to show me His wisdom, whether I’m doing a bible study, teaching or writing my devotionals God has always been faithful to answer that prayer. It is well pleasing in His sight because we are seeking godly counsel and wisdom from the God of wisdom who gives freely to His children that ask. We are acknowledging to God that in our own power and strength we have none but in God through Christ we have riches of wisdom, knowledge and understanding that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
“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.” James 1:5-7NKJV
In the same way King Solomon taught his son to seek out and desire to have wisdom and search for understanding; we also are meant to learn from this and do the same so that we also would receive a reverent fear of the Lord and remain in Him and in His truth that God would give us a spiritual prosperity and clarity through His Word, that we so need in this present age that is filled with chaos, lies and confusion.
“My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.” Proverbs 1:8-9 -NKJV
Filoiann Wiedenhoff
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