Proverbs 2

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.

• Seek and you shall find.  Ask and it will be answered.  
• If you truly treasure God’s thoughts on the matter over all else, then you will be given knowledge.  
• Pretty cool promise, eh?

 For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

• Knowledge and understanding come from Him.  Where has he spoken?   Right here, in scripture.  It can come from many other sources (dreams, a loud booming voice, a still and quiet voice), but most of it for me comes from the Word.  By the way, be careful of the “still and quiet voice” - it can be coming from another source, so make sure you line it up with scripture.  If not lined up, it’s likely coming from the other guy with the red leotard.

 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

• He saves the good stuff for the people He knows will value His wisdom and act upon it.

he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

 guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

• He will protect you if you have integrity and are just.

 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;

• Take the wisdom into your heart, not just your head.  Make it part of your life, don’t just put it up on a “good to know” book shelf.  Just that act will be “pleasant to your soul” - it will give you warmth and comfort.

 discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you,

 delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of perverted speech,

 who forsake the paths of uprightness

to walk in the ways of darkness,

 who rejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,

 men whose paths are crooked,

 and who are devious in their ways.

• Cough… Obama
• We must discern what this world is telling us.  It will try it’s best to trick us into it’s current way of thinking.  It will happen slowly.  I feel for those who don’t take the time to seek real truth, but rather grasp whatever “feels” okay. That “feeling” changes over time – it can’t be trusted.
• Many men throughout history – including those claiming to be Christian – have perverted truth, doing what they want to get ahead and bragging about it.  They will get theirs in the end, God will take care of that.
• We should ignore that they are “getting ahead” and just focus on ourselves and what we’re doing with God’s blessings and with regard to His plan for us.

 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,

from the adulteress with her smooth words,

 who forsakes the companion of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God;

 for her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;

 none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

• The “forbidden woman” is anything that tempts you … alcohol, porn, drugs, love of money and material things, etc..
• That path is the path to death – spiritual death.  
• Going down that path comes with the risk of never coming back.  And that means EVERYthing. 

 So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

• A direct command, as from a good parent.  Do this – trust me that I have your best interests in mind and know better than you do.  Just follow my instructions and you’re going to be alright – better than alright.
• Stick with other righteous peeps – take their lead, not the lead of others whose feelings and foundation-less opinions lead them.

 For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it

• The “land” can be translated as “in the presence of God”
• Those who choose to follow Him and believe in Him, will show it by walking in integrity.  It will be obvious.  And those people will be with God for eternity.  Incredible joy, great peace, no pain, no tears.  
• Those who “choose” to not follow Him, believe in Him and show it through action … and ultimately reject Him … will get their wish.  They will not be with Him for eternity.  They will not inherit the land.  They will be left with regret, sorrow, emptiness, and “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.