Pursuing Wisdom: The 3 “Ifs” of Proverbs 2

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Proverbs 2:1-4

Within the second chapter of Proverbs, you will find an outline showing how to attain the priceless treasure of wisdom in the Christian life. In scripture every time you come across the word “if”, you must pay close attention to what follows right after. These are the conditions that God requires of you to attain the blessings of His kingdom. The “ifs’ in the Bible are extremely important yet are commonly overlooked.

There are three “ifs” in Proverbs 2:1-4 that we must take heed of in order to attain the promise that follows.

1. IF you receive God’s words and treasure His commands within you so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding. This means carving out and guarding your time from your busy schedule to be with Jesus uninterrupted. Time to be in His word, meditating on, studying it, praying it out loud, memorizing it and communing with Him in prayer. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more He invites you into His heart and reveals Himself to you in intimacy. In this way, you treasure Him—the Living Word of God. (See John 1:1)

2. IF you cry out for discernment and lift up your voice for understanding. This is a physical action! How many of us truly cry out loud, “God! Please give me discernment and understanding!” ? I know, if I’m being honest, I do not as much as I know I need to. God is telling us to raise our voices and cry out for His discernment and understanding. This is a heart posture of passion. We must be desperate for His wisdom.

3. IF you seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures. The wisdom of God is a hidden treasure that is available for you if you search it out with all of your heart. Think of it this way, if you knew that somewhere on your property was a buried treasure chest that contained billions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and jewels, how would you spend your time? More than likely you would be actively digging up your yard searching for it with everything that you had! We should be seeking the wisdom of the Lord with the same active passion. (See Proverbs 3:13-18)

If we do all of these things, what is God’s promise to us? The answer can be found in Proverbs 2:5

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

Because…

Proverbs 2:6-8 “For the LORD gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is s shield to those who walk uprightly;

He guards the path of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.”

When you protect your quiet time in prayer and study, you keep God’s Word at the center of your life (see Proverbs 4:21). The more you focus on His truth, the more your heart will align with His.

The result is obedience which leads to a life of glorious fulfillment hidden in Jesus. A life of treasures that the world can never offer. Treasures of Godly understanding and knowledge which is reserved only for those that walk uprightly.

Whatever you’re going through today, just know this, there is a Light at the end of the tunnel, and the Light is Jesus Christ the Son of the one, true, and living God.

Jesus is the answer to everything.

Turn to Him today, give Him your “Yes”, seek for His wisdom, cry out for it with a loud voice, obey His commands, and watch in humble amazement as your life blossoms with His promises.