Proverbs 2:1-22
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Proverbs 2:1. Hide my commandments with thee, as a treasure is secured in the cabinet, or as the copy of the law was put within the ark in the holy place. The words of the law must be retained in the memory, as maxims of wisdom, and the sentiments concealed in the heart. Then they are ready on all occasions, as defences against temptation. This is to incline, to cleanse, and open the ear.
Proverbs 2:4. If thou seekest her, as the merchants in search of gold and silver cross the deserts, encountering dangers, and as the miners follow their veins of ore if we seek religion as the men of the world seek wealth and pleasure, we shall succeed in our efforts. Such is the promise: “When ye seek me with your whole heart, then shall ye find me.” Deuteronomy 4:29.
Proverbs 2:6. The Lord giveth wisdom. As the fertilizing rain, he replenishes the heart with its treasures, and covers the conscience with its shield.
Proverbs 2:8. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints, in equity to men, and piety towards God.
Proverbs 2:12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, who would initiate thee into all the secrets of his club; allure thee to intemperance, instruct in order to deceive and defraud the unwary; to blaspheme religion and launch the reins to passion. These are the crooked ways that lead to destruction.
Proverbs 2:16. To deliver thee from the strange woman, where thy innocence will be lost, where thy conscience will be ruined, thy soul destroyed, and thy body perish. These are dangerous connections:
“Joyless, loveless, unendeared.”
These are scenes not to be contemplated, but avoided and abhorred.
Proverbs 2:19. None that go unto her return again. See that young man with a pale cheek, treading the streets with cautious steps. His friends talk of colds and consumptions; but widely differing are the symptoms. After awhile we hear of his death! Compared with these examples, how noble is real love; how cheerful and pleasant is the married state, how honest and upright the intentions. Their presence cheers all families where they visit, and the issues are crowned with nuptial felicity.
Proverbs 2:22. The transgressors shall be rooted out. Hebrews בוגדים bogadim. The men that wear a cloak or covering, the hypocrites. Not only shall the veil with which they cover themselves be rent, but they shall be rooted out of the earth. Sudden and total destruction awaits them.