Proverbs 16:16 Commentary and Bible Study

Solomon has selected the greatest of treasures in this world – gold and silver – so that no one suggests that he makes a weak case. When we wish to overturn an argument we present it in its strongest form not its weakest, lest someone accuse us of sleight of hand. If gold and silver, the best that this world can offer, are not to be compared with wisdom, then certainly nothing less than them is.In so many ways wisdom and understanding are better than gold and silver, and this should become a principle of our lives that we do not let go of. The Christian above all people must know the true value of things. He has been enlightened for this very purpose: that he should no longer be taken in by the deception of the world, for this is a large part of Satan’s trickery: that the unbeliever is ignorant of the value of what this world offers. He is too easily impressed with what is held out to him, and does not properly evaluate the power of material things to give real benefit. This is partly because he sets disproportional value on the body and not enough on the soul. Silver and gold can buy clothes and finery to adorn the body, houses to shelter the body, food and dainties to please the palette, lands to make earthly life seem secure, and riches to boast of earthly greatness. But silver and gold cannot enrich the soul, which is left untouched by material increase. The soul may starve even while the stomach is full. A man’s heart may feel this powerlessness acutely even while he does his utmost to gather gold and pamper himself. The soul may cry out and say, ‘What use, all this increase, when the fundamental issues of life remain unaddressed.’ The soul senses that it will outlast the mortal body, and what then? Gold enters the hand but it does not enter the heart in any real sense. Yes, a man may gloat about the bottom line on his bank account, and find pleasure in his increase, but nothing has entered his heart except greed, a sense of earthly security. Gold and silver are physical objects and although the love of them can dwell in the heart, they themselves are kept out. But spiritual entities such as God’s truth, joy, peace, love, righteousness, goodness, kindness, mercy; these can all enter the heart directly. Unlike material things, when we obtain these spiritual virtues, they build us up, for they become part of us. Christ dwells in us because the truth of his resurrection and the knowledge that he lives now tells us that wonderful things exist, and this knowledge alters the world around us. Furthermore, the Spirit of God dwells in us in order to communicate God’s thoughts to us. This enriches us beyond our ability to express and in a way that material riches can never do. What God gives us is given to us for ever, never to be taken away again. Understanding makes us able to appreciate God as we never could before. He was always there, and our lack of understanding did not make him vanish, but without it we are in darkness and cannot have any fellowship with him. Understanding also enables us to avoid the pitfalls of this world.