Proverbs 2:1-5

Solomon Calls On His ‘Son' To Receive His Words With A View To Attaining A True Knowledge Of God Which Will Cause Him To Reverence Him (Proverbs 2:1).

The first voice that speaks to the young man is the voice of his mentor, which echoes the voice of God (Proverbs 2:6). He calls on him to apply his heart and mind to understanding the fear of YHWH and finding the knowledge of God. And this he will do by seeking earnestly after wisdom and understanding, partly as divulged by his mentor.

This can be seen as presented chiastically:

A My son, if you will receive my words, and lay up my commandments with you (Proverbs 2:1).

B So as to incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding (Proverbs 2:2).

C Yes, if you cry after discernment (Proverbs 2:3 a).

C And lift up your voice for understanding (Proverbs 2:3 b).

B If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures (Proverbs 2:4)

A Then will you understand the fear of YHWH, and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:5).

In A the young man is to receive his words and lay up his commandments and in the parallel he will through them understand the fear of YHWH and find the knowledge of God. In B effort is required in achieving this (‘incline -- apply'), and in the parallel the same is true (‘seek'). Centrally in C he is to cry out and call for discernment and understanding. (BCB can also, of course, be seen as progressive).

Proverbs 2:1

‘My son, if you will receive my words,

And lay up my commandments with you,

So as to incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding,

Yes, if you cry after discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hid treasures,

Then will you understand the fear of YHWH,

And find the knowledge of God.'

Once again we have the introductory, ‘my son', typical of a wisdom teacher. Fatherly advice is being given. And it is being given in words, words which he shortly explains are from the mouth of God (Proverbs 2:6, note the for/because' which relates Proverbs 2:6 to what has gone before). Note here that the purpose in seeking wisdom is to be in order to understand the fear of YHWH, and in order to find the knowledge of God, and that great effort must be exerted to that end. In Israel all wisdom had as its end the awareness and knowledge of God. That is where Israel's wisdom teaching differed from much other wisdom teaching. And as a surrogate father speaking to his son Solomon calls on him to receive his words, and lay up his commandments ‘with him'. They are to be his constant companion and guide, with a view to his inclining his ear towards wisdom, and applying his heart to understanding.

Thus he is to receive, learn, and meditate upon them. He is to ‘cry after' understanding and discernment because he is so eager for it, seeing it as the equivalent of silver and as a hidden treasure which must be desperately sought for. The reference to silver and to hidden treasures (men would often bury gold in the ground for safety, only to be unable to retrieve it later), indicates the aims of everyday men and women to whom such goals were achievable. Solomon is bearing in mind the limits of their ambitions. He is bearing in mind what most men seek. But from Solomon's point of view, ‘silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon' (1 Kings 10:21).

However, the point is clear. Man's greed must not be for wealth, but for God. Note the progression of thought. The young man is to ‘incline his ear and apply his heart/mind' to wisdom and understanding; then he is to ‘cry after' discernment and understanding (as Wisdom cried after him - Proverbs 1:20), and finally he is to ‘seek' and ‘search for' wisdom and understanding as men seek silver and search for buried treasure. This verse may well have been in Jesus' mind when He taught the parable of the buried treasure (Matthew 13:44).

Note also the contrast with the greedy and violent men in Proverbs 1:13 who sought ‘all precious substance' and to ‘fill their houses with spoil'. There they wanted ill-gotten gain and would do anything to obtain it. But here the search is to be for the precious substance of truth. The seeker after truth is to have the same eagerness for truth as the sinner has for wealth, but in his case it is to be an eagerness to obtain the discernment and understanding which will enable him to understand the fear of YHWH and to find the knowledge of God. His longing is to be that he might be a true servant of God.

It is important to note the final goals, which are so very different from other wisdom literature. Paradoxically the aim is to understand God's awesomeness and hiddenness and holiness (the fear of YHWH), whilst at the same time coming to know Him as He is (the knowledge of God), not theoretically through theology, but practically through experience of God. Whilst He is far off, He is to be seen as ever near. As Solomon would say elsewhere, ‘even the Heaven of Heavens could not contain Him' (1 Kings 8:27). And yet now he confirms that He reveals Himself to those who seek Him. This is the wonder of our God.