He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous (Prov 2:7)
Wisdom: The First Priority Prov 4:5-9
5) Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6) Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she
shall keep thee.
7) Wisdom [is] the principal
thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and
with all thy getting get understanding.
8) Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to
honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9) She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory
shall she deliver to thee.
INTRODUCTION:
Throughout the book of
Proverbs the importance of wisdom is emphasized. This section of our study reminds us once
again that gaining wisdom should be our first priority in life…
EXPOSITION:
5) Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Solomon
now gives encouragement to us to place wisdom as our first priority in life…
1. We are told to get both wisdom and
understanding. The Heb word translated “get”
is a commonly used word that means “to purchase” or to “receive through payment
of a price”. When something is
purchased, it is gained through giving up something of value in exchange. To gain wisdom and understand takes sacrifice;
it takes time, effort and diligence to obtain these and apply them to everyday
living.
2. Once receive they are not to be left behind
unused. One of the greatest shames for a
Christian is to be graced of God in the receipt of wisdom and understanding, to
simply leave them behind, unapplied and unused.
3. Once gotten we are to share them with others,
through our examples and words spoken to others. What a blessing it can be to be used of the
Lord to share His truths to others who desperately need them.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.” (James 1:5)
6) Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she
shall keep thee.
Solomon
gives us 7 reasons why are we to gain, apply and share the principles of understanding
so that they produce wisdom for living?
1. if we take wisdom with us, it will surround
us with protection in the Lord
2. if we sacrifice to gain and keep wisdom, it
will watch over and guard us as we serve Him.
“… because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
7) Wisdom [is] the principal
thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and
with all thy getting get understanding.
3. Wisdom, the application of truth to our lives,
is the ultimate possession to be desired.
Why
is this so? The application of His Word
to our life is the basis of our relationship with the Lord and our service to Him. Without applying His Word… we would not be
delivered from our sins, living a life that is pleasing to Him, nor would we
have hope in a wondrous eternity with Him.
Because
of the immense value of wisdom we must be willing to sacrifice to get wisdom
and be willing to give all we have to gain understanding which produces wisdom.
“Cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what
is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:16-18)
8) Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to
honour, when thou dost embrace her.
4. If we place wisdom as our first priority, we
will be exalted in the eyes of others and successful servants in the eyes of
God.
5. If we hold her close, protect her and not let
her go, we will receive respect and be taken seriously by those around us.
“Give therefore thy servant
an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and
bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the
Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not
asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast
asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to
discern judgment; Behold, I have done
according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding
heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall
any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee
that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall
not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in
my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk,
then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke; and,
behold, [it was] a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of
the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace
offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.” (1 Kings 3:9-15)
9) She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory
shall she deliver to thee.
6. God’s grace is shown to us in the granting of
His wisdom. Our wise living displays God
to those around us. Therefore, wisdom is
a great blessing and privilege to exercise in our lives.
7. We will gain an eternal crown of reward for
our wise living
“And account [that] the longsuffering of our
Lord [is] salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the
wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;” (2 Peter 3:15)
SUMMARY:
By
God's grace let us recognize the supreme position that Godly wisdom should hold
in the lives of those who are the servants of Christ. Recognizing the great
benefits of the possession of wisdom and the important role it plays in our
service to Him, let us seek both understanding and the resultant wisdom with
all of our hearts, minds and lives.
By
God’s grace, let us all study these proverbs diligently, giving them the value
that they deserve.
May the
Lord bless us as we receive this sound wisdom and then “Think On These Things”.
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