Proverbs 2:7 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:
God provides something far better than a large bank account. He provides sound wisdom for the righteous. The righteous are a privileged people. There are thousands of deceived people who think they are saved and they think they can draw from God’s wisdom. When they speak, it is clear they have no clue about God’s wisdom.
I was watching a piece of a man who was exposing Kenneth Copeland. It is a shame that so many people are willing to waste their time listening to that deceiver. The man exposing him, showed clips of Mr. Copeland rambling on. He also showed clips of Mr. Copeland admitting he needed a pacemaker, back surgery, he had appendicitis, needs glasses and hearing aids. Yet He has preached for years, that if you have enough faith and you send him enough money, you should never be sick. He is a heretic. He should be avoided, and yet many people trust in men like him.
In contrast to men like Kenneth Copeland, God lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. Those who are saved can turn to God at any time and find wisdom for every situation they will face.
The word “buckler” refers to a “shield’ and a “protector”. We see again the need to walk uprightly. Those who do not want to know God and who do not want to walk humbly with Him, cannot draw from His wisdom, nor will they find protection in Him.
What men like Kenneth Copeland, Joseph Prince and many others do not acknowledge is that God is being very merciful to them. They are heretics who are spewing out lies, and God is allowing them to live yet. He wants them to repent and know His peace.
God keeps the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints. There is so much corruption in what is claimed to be Christianity today; however, the path of true Christianity is just as clear and pure as it ever was. Don’t be fooled by the deceivers. Take a King James Bible and read it. Find a true, Bible-believing church and attend it. Get to know the pastor and get involved in some true Bible studies. If you want to know the truth, you have to submit to the truth. If you want to set yourself up as the arbiter of truth, you will not get far at all.
In verse 9 we see that if we will do what is spoken of in the first 8 verses of this chapter, then you will understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity. God summarized that as “every good path”.
This is not works salvation. This is talking about those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Those who are born again, need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one has ever been saved by works. Biblical salvation is always by grace through faith.
If you want to understand God’s way, you need to be saved. If you cannot understand that now, it is clear that you are not saved. That is not cruel talk. That is loving talk. It is better to check your walk now rather than wait until after death and find out you are not going the right way.
In verse 10 we see that wisdom needs to enter into your heart. Knowledge needs to be pleasant to your soul. This is what God says. This is not something that pastor Bartel is making up. I am just the messenger. My responsibility is to walk humbly with the Lord and teach the truth.
Verse 11 talks of discretion. Discretion involves purpose. When a person is saved, he can make plans that have meaning. If he submits to God’s will, he will see things more clearly. God knows how to lead a person in the right way. The issue is, will we listen to Him. Joshua was given a command and a promise early in his time as leader:
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
As we follow the life of Joshua we see that he had good success for the most part. We can also see that when things went south, it was due to his failure to heed God’s book of the law. The same will be true for you and I. In order to have a successful marriage and family, surrender to God is necessary. In order to know where God wants you and what He wants of you, surrender to His will is necessary.
There is no shortcut to success. Thousands upon thousands have tried to find their own way, but all have failed. One thing is abundantly true of man: he can be extremely stubborn.
As we noted, Solomon was chosen by God to write much of the book of Proverbs. Solomon wrote the truth because God is the Author of the Bible. Solomon had trouble living out the truth. He allowed the lust of the flesh to destroy the good that he could have known.
It is important to note this, but not to have our noses in the air and suggest we are smarter than that. In order to accomplish what God declares here, we need to submit to Him. When a true Christian sins, confession of sin is important. Then there is also the need to get back into the Word and get back on track with God.
Pastor Bartel