My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,
Comment: Men and women are not meant to be automatons/robots. God does heaps automatically for us and waits to do even more for us – but there are ‘ifs’ involved! It is true that people are born with different IQs but a high IQ doesn’t equal wisdom nor does obtaining masses of knowledge equal being wise. Hitler’s IQ was said to have been about 140. He was able to achieve great heights of knowledge and power but it takes an ‘anti-semite terrorist thug’ to say that what he did was wise. The ‘ifs’ at the beginning of this proverb use the following words ‘treasure up’, ‘attentive’, ‘heartiness’ ‘searching as if for hidden treasures’ as to how we are to look for wisdom and understanding. Understanding is very different from knowing. ‘The fear of the LORD and finding the knowledge of God’ is the base whereupon true wisdom is built! Wealth may have its advantages. The search for true wisdom leads to ‘integrity, justice with equity and righteousness’. These are much to be sought after rather than mere wealth. They bring peace and understanding of what God really desires!
Prayer: Help me to understand the quality of and search passionately for wisdom and understanding.
As I read it! 