Proverbs 2:6 Commentary and Bible Study

The blessings of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding amount to conversion. We must listen to God’s word understandingly, but uncritically. We must not concoct some theory of God of our own. We must receive what God has said, obey it, and act upon it. We don’t seek the Lord with a proud spirit. This does not amount only to keeping the moral commandments. We must honestly seek him as a personal God. He is not hard to find but we need a humble, repentant attitude. We must cry out until these blessings are ours.‘For the Lord gives wisdom.’ Solomon wants to correct any misunderstanding that there is some merit in our seeking, in our searching. We find the Lord because he gives salvation freely. In spite of the diligence and urgency that he has been encouraging, all that we receive we receive freely, not as a reward for our seeking. The mining illustration runs through these verses. In ancient times mining for precious metals was regarded as a lucrative work. The jewels were worth much more than the effort put into mining them. The gold rush was seen as almost money for nothing. Solomon sees it as like grace –blessing given for next to nothing. The miner doesn’t make the gold; he simply receives it. We receive a freely-given salvation. ‘The Lord gives’ – salvation is wonderful beyond comparison with anything in this world. Those who possess it cannot perish or be lost. A gift from the Lord is as glorious as the giver. My new life will last eternally; the believer will never fall eternally; our salvation will stand forever.‘Out of his mouth’. Be careful when we think of the source of revelation and truth. Today there is much false teaching about the sources of revelation. The idea is that God speaks through nature, conscience, friends, words of knowledge, dreams, and last of all by his word. But Scripture says God speaks authoritatively only by his word. He may touch our minds, prompt, intervene but this is not authoritative revelation. Those promptings are of quite a different order from his word. Solomon is here referring to Scripture (see verse 2). There is a revelation through nature, showing various aspects of his power and creative skill, but you won’t learn of grace or Calvary, the way of salvation. Grace only comes through Scripture.Out of God’s mouth comes the gift of God’s wisdom to individuals. Wisdom equals salvation and God alone can command salvation. Again we often encounter false teaching at this point. Some think that God is compelled to save if a prayer is offered, or when we recite some formula. No, God decides when a person is saved. He alone has the prerogative to say that.