Proverbs 2:3-6 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

One of my earliest memories is my mom taking us to pan for gold flakes. I remember being there, with other parents and children around us doing the same. People would spend 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or even an hour or more to find a couple of small, almost weightless/worthless flakes of gold. People get into that. I also remember a friend of mine whose friend was getting into gold mining. He told him how they spend a lot of money on their equipment, go out for days and weeks to prepare, risk their lives while digging and exploring, and search tediously through the earth for gold. In Arkansas, there is a place called “Crater of Diamonds State Park.” Recently a father and son found a huge diamond while searching for gems. In the interview, they were excited to have found the ‘hid treasure’ they were looking for.

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There are earthly treasures, and there are spiritual treasures. We’re exhorted in the Scriptures to search for treasures of wisdom with the same passion and diligence we would if we were minding for a great treasure. I asked my children last night, “how earnestly would you look if I told you I hid two-hundred-dollar bills in one of the books on your bookshelf (they have a LOT of books)? They agreed that they’d look very earnestly. This morning’s Proverbs tells us that if we’re going to receive godly wisdom, we must be willing to search the Word of God like we are searching for silver, or for hidden treasures.  We’re to put time and passion and energy, sifting through the Word looking for the nugget that we need, and that God has for us. Might we place a high value on wisdom from God. But let us remember the prerequisite:

“if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom…”