Proverbs 2:7 (Mini Sermon)
Submitted by Pastor Chad Wagner on Thursday, July 18, 2019.
7. Pro 2:7 - "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." A. The LORD has a depository of wisdom from which He dispenses to the diligent who ask and seek for it. i. Lay v. - 60. lay up. c. To deposit or put away in a place for safety; to store up (goods, provisions); to put by. ii. Even with infinite resources at His disposal, the LORD is nevertheless a saver, laying up wisdom for the time to come. a. As a good leader, God leads by example in teaching His children the importance and necessity of saving, a principle that is taught throughout the Bible. b. "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up." (Pro 21:20) c. It's prudent to under-consume to put away physical wealth for the future; how much more so is it incumbent upon a Christian to "lay up for [himself] treasures in heaven" (Mat 6:20). iii. The LORD repeatedly admonishes His people to follow His lead and lay up spiritual treasures, not in their houses, but in their hearts. a. Deu 11:18 - "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes." b. Job 22:22 - "Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart." c. Pro 7:1 - "My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee." d. Pro 10:14 - Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. e. Pro 23:23 - Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. B. He layeth up sound wisdom i. The wisdom that God lays up for us is not "the wisdom of this world" (1Co 1:20), nor the "the wisdom of men" (1Co 2:5), but rather sound wisdom. ii. Sound adj. - II. 8. a. In full accordance with fact, reason, or good sense; founded on true or well-established grounds; free from error, fallacy, or logical defect; good, strong, valid. iii. Sound wisdom is the truth which conforms to reality and is in agreement with fact and reason. a. Truth n. - II. 5. a. Conformity with fact; agreement with reality; accuracy, correctness, verity (of statement or thought). b. Sound wisdom (truth) is found in the word of God which is truth: (i) "Thy word is true from the beginning..." (Psa 119:160) (ii) "...all thy commandments are truth" (Psa 119:151) (iii) "thy word is truth" (Joh 17:17) c. It is reliable and cannot be gainsaid. d. It therefore can be trusted unreservedly: "blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust" (Psa 40:4). C. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous i. God doesn't cast His pearls before swine (Mat 7:6). ii. He only lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. iii. Righteous adj. - 1. a. Of persons: Just, upright, virtuous; guiltless, sinless; conforming to the standard of the divine or the moral law; acting rightly or justly. iv. God is only concerned with the righteous (Psa 34:15). D. He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. i. Uprightly adv. - 1. In a just or upright manner; with strict observance of justice, honesty, or rectitude; sincerely, justly. ii. Buckler n. - 1. A small round shield iii. In other words, God is the protector and defender of the righteous. iv. He accomplishes this by two means: directly and indirectly. a. God directly, through His sovereign control of all things, hedges His children about, keeping the devil and the evil of this world from them (Psa 5:12; Psa 91:4-10). b. He also indirectly safeguards His obedient children by giving them wisdom through His word which enables them to make wise decisions to avoid the snares and traps of the wicked (Pro 2:10-12, 16).
