Proverbs 2:1-22
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
12 Wisdom will save 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,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.
16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
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.
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.
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,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION ®. NIV®. COPYRIGHT © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by
Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Discussion Questions:
- We’re told that we should search for wisdom like it’s a hidden treasure. Why do we often undervalue wisdom and overvalue other things? What are some of the things that we “treasure hunt” for (the things we really love and spend a lot of time, energy, and money on)?
- According to the passage, how can we gain wisdom? Where can we find it? What activities will help us? How important is Bible reading, Bible memorization, and prayer when it comes to this kind of wisdom?
- We are warned again about the way of fools. Their path is marked by wickedness, perversion, and unfaithfulness. How can wisdom keep you from joining them?
- What blessings do we get by searching out wisdom? (see verses 7-11 and 20-22).
- Col. 2:3-4 says that Jesus possesses all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge. How does this inform our understanding of what it means to be on the path of wisdom? What motivates you to stay on the path and continue following Christ? How does understanding who he is, what he has done for us, and what he will do for us in the future help motivate us?