Day 2: A Famished Soul

And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will undersatnd the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs. 2:4,5

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!" Has one of your kids ever said that in desperation as they waited for something to magically appear on the supper table? Have you ever said it?

Perhaps the exaggeration that I see in my children helps me to understand the secret to gaining wisdom. The phrase "the fear of the LORD" is one of the keys to understanding the whole of the book, as the phrase or a version of it is repeated 21 times. Understand this concept and you gain a better chance of obtaining the wisdom promised.

Chapter 2 starts off by listing eight characteristics which describes a person who understands "the fear of the LORD." They are:

- Accept God's words.
- Store up God's commands within you.
- Turn your ear to wisdom.
- Apply your heart to understanding.
- Call out for insight.
- Cry aloud for understanding.
- Look for it as silver.
- Search for it as hidden treasure.

Each of the characteristics describe a person who is hungry for God; someone so desperate that they will do what it takes to obtain the promise. David expressed this heart attitude in the Psalms:

As the deer pants for the waters, so my soul longs for you. (Psm. 42:1)

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (Psm. 63:1)


This is not different from the words of Jesus, when he said:

Seek first the kingdom of God, and all of these things (the cares and concerns of everyday life) will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:10)

The author of the Hebrews agrees with the principle that Solomon is teaching:

Without faith it is impossible to please God, but anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

This all leaves me with one question for today: am I hungry for God? If I am, I'm in good stead to learn what it means to fear God and gain a heart of understanding and wisdom.