THE LORD GIVES WISDOM

Passage: Proverbs 2:1-22

Key verse: 6

NIV

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son,(A) if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding(B)—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight(C)
    and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,(D)
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.(E)
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;(F)
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.(G)
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield(H) to those whose walk is blameless,(I)
8 for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.(J)

9 Then you will understand(K) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,(L)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.(M)

12 Wisdom will save(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,(O)
14 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,(P)
15 whose paths are crooked(Q)
    and who are devious in their ways.(R)

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,(S)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a](T)
18 Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.(U)
19 None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.(V)

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,(W)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked(X) will be cut off from the land,(Y)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.(Z)

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Value of Wisdom

2 (A)My son, (B)if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice (C)for understanding,
4 if you seek it like (D)silver
    and search for it as for (E)hidden treasures,
5 then (F)you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
6 For (G)the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is (H)a shield to those who (I)walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
    and (J)watching over the way of his (K)saints.
9 (L)Then you will understand (M)righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 (N)discretion will (O)watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to (P)walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who (Q)rejoice in doing evil
    and (R)delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose (S)paths are crooked,
    (T)and who are (U)devious in their ways.

16 So (V)you will be delivered from the forbidden[a] woman,
    from (W)the adulteress[b] with (X)her smooth words,
17 who forsakes (Y)the companion of her youth
    and forgets (Z)the covenant of her God;
18 (AA)for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;[c]
19 none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

20 So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright (AB)will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be (AC)cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be (AD)rooted out of it.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
  2. Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
  3. Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Accept God's word (1-11)

When we store up God's word in our hearts and seek him in prayer, we will find true wisdom, for the Lord will give it to us. Furthermore, we will understand what it means to fear God. He will give us moral courage and protect us from the evil one. He will help us to walk in the way that is right and just. His wisdom will enter our hearts.

2. Wisdom saves from the way of the wicked (12-22)

God's wisdom in our hearts saves us from men who tempt us to leave the straight and narrow path and walk in the dark ways of dishonest dealings. God's wisdom also helps us to be chaste. Wisdom keeps us from falling into the temptation of those who try to persuade us that what is wrong is really all right. Wisdom helps us walk in the ways of good men, and live in God's land.

Prayer: Lord, give me your wisdom; help me to keep your word in my heart and walk in your ways.

One Word: Seek wisdom and live by it