“If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures…” (Proverbs 2:1-9, NASB)

How much do you value wisdom, especially that of biblical nature? As we read the book of Proverbs, we get a sense that the Old Testament believers highly valued wisdom as a way of life. In those days, wisdom was more than just head knowledge. It was about developing skills for living, such as building good relationships, speaking properly, choosing the right paths, building wealth, and staying away from sin against God. And if we are honest, we still need wisdom in these things today. Wisdom involves having the skills needed to live well, while biblical wisdom refers specifically to living rightly from God’s perspective. To Solomon, who valued such wisdom, discovering it was like finding treasures. It says,

“My son, if you will receive my sayings, and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.”

To Solomon, obtaining wisdom for life was highly valuable because it led him to know the paths in life that pleased God. In turn, God provided “sound wisdom” and became a “shield” for him. I appreciate the New Living Translation of verse 9: “Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.” Don’t we all value this?

First, Solomon attributes the source of wisdom to God, particularly to His mouth. In verse 5, he says that we can “discover” wisdom, but in verse 6, he says that God “gives” wisdom. These two verbs seem contradictory, but they’re not. I believe Solomon was trying to say that if we diligently seek wisdom, God will allow us to discover it. If we seek it as “silver” and “treasure,” God will allow us to find golden nuggets of truth. On the other hand, if we don’t value God’s knowledge and wisdom, they will remain hidden from our sight.

Second, treasure hunting for wisdom can be done by every believer. We do not have to go to some mysterious, faraway place. God’s trove of treasures is near us, right inside us! Notice that wisdom comes from God, and we can discover it by having a relationship with Him. Apostle Paul writes, “I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col.2:2-3, NLT). God hid all His treasures in Christ, and we can find them as we deepen our relationship with Him. So, don’t settle for a map when God offers a Guide.

Lastly, how does one seek such treasures? Verses 1-4 provide many action verbs that help us: “receive,” “treasure,” “attentive,” “incline,” “cry,” “lift our voice,” “seek,” and “search.” With these tools, we can find treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. Let’s go treasure hunting!

• Why did Solomon compare wisdom to treasure, and finding wisdom to seeking for treasure?
• What does God “hiding His treasures in Christ” mean, and how can we discover them?