Facts About True Wisdom

The Path to True Wisdom (Review)

0:02 Let us turn to the book of Proverbs, and chapter 2, as we continue the book of Proverbs, and I shall read chapter 2, verses 1 through 9. My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and lay up my commandments with thee, so as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thy heart to understanding, yea, if thou cry after discernment, lift up thy voice for understanding, if thou seek her as silver, and search for

0:41 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. He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to them that walk in integrity.

1:03 That he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints, then shalt thou understand righteousness, and justice, and equity, yea, every good path.

1:20 The writer of this section of Proverbs, having warned his son against the twofold danger of listening on the one hand to the counsel of evil men, and on the other hand, of failing to hear the voice of wisdom, moves in this second chapter to the general theme of the path to wisdom, and the blessings that true wisdom will bring with it. In our previous study, we considered in some detail verses 1 through 4, which are a statement of the path for the attainment of true wisdom.

2:02 And we saw in these four verses that the first, necessary requisite, if we are to enter in to true wisdom, is that there must be exposure to the words of God, verses 1 and 2. It is only as we are exposed to those words that we can ever attain unto true wisdom. Exposure with readiness of mind, with retentiveness of mind, exposure rooted in right motives. The desire to attain true wisdom.

2:36 True wisdom and true understanding. But to this exposure to the words of God must be joined earnest prayer for the impartation of wisdom. So we have verse 3, crying after discernment, lifting up our voice for understanding. And then, joined to this exposure and earnest prayer, there must be that which is described in verse 4, unflagging diligence in the pursuit of wisdom.

3:06 Seeking it as silver, hunting for it as for hid treasure. Now, when these things are done, when there is this exposure to the words of God with readiness, retentiveness, and with right motives, when there is joined to that exposure, earnest prayer and unflagging diligence in the pursuit of wisdom, then what we have, beginning with verse 5 through verse, really through the end of the chapter, but we are just going to study down through verse 9 tonight, will certainly be fulfilled in everyone who enters

The Substance of True Wisdom: Knowledge of God and His Will

3:46 in to the mold of that which is described in the first four verses. So let us consider tonight, first of all, the substance of that true wisdom which will always be imparted to those who meet the conditions of the first four verses. What is the substance of the true wisdom that God will impart? Well, it is described in verses 5 and 9 in this way, Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

4:21 Verses 6 through 8 are like a parenthesis, and we pick up the thread of thought again at verse 9, Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and justice, and equity, and every good path. The substance, then, of the true wisdom that is imparted to those who walk within the framework of the first four verses breaks down into two divisions. That true wisdom which God will impart consists, first of all, in the right knowledge of and relationship to God himself. Verse 5, and verse 9, the right knowledge of and relationship to,

5:04 the will of God. Now let's think of those two things in that order. Here we are told that if we receive the words of God, lay up those commandments, incline our ears, cry out for discernment, seek it as silver, a certain kind of wisdom will be imparted. And what is the essential substance of that wisdom? The wisdom for which the scriptures were given, the wisdom for which

5:31 the Holy Spirit is given as the purchased gift of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, it consists fundamentally in what is described in verse 5 in these words, the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. So then, the substance of that true wisdom consists in the right knowledge of God, and the right knowledge of God.

6:01 And a right relationship to God, to know God, who He is, what we are in relationship to Him is the very core of true religion. In John 17 in verse 3, our Lord Himself describes or defines the essence of eternal life in these words, and this is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God. And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God. And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God. And Him whom thou didst send,

6:37 even Jesus Christ. What then is the substance of true wisdom? It consists in this experimental acquaintance with the living and the true God. And so if we heed wisdom's voice, if we cry out for wisdom, if we search for it as for hid treasure, we shall come to the discovery of the fundamental aspect of all true knowledge, the knowledge of the living God. But the writer of

7:11 Proverbs is careful to indicate that this is not mere speculative knowledge. In other words, a man may be devoid of the essence of true religion, and yet still be able to speak very profoundly about the nature and the character and the attributes of God. A man coming with reasonable degree of intelligence, and yet still be able to speak very profoundly about the nature and the attributes of God. A man coming with reasonable degree of intelligence, and yet still be able to speak very profoundly about the nature and the attributes of God. A man coming with

7:33 reasonable degree of intelligence, and yet still be able to speak very profoundly about the nature and the attributes of God. A man coming with reasonable degree of intelligence to the scriptures could take a passage like Isaiah 40 and perhaps wax quite eloquent about the nature of God as omniscient and sovereign over the nations and open up some of those beautiful poetic imageries of Isaiah, even to the point where it would make the heart of a true believer rejoice. But you'll notice that the writer to the Proverbs says the substance of that knowledge involves not only a right knowledge of God, but a knowledge leading to the truth. And so the writer of Proverbs says to a right relationship to God, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord. And this term,

8:11 the fear of the Lord, in many places in scripture is used as synonymous with true religion. It involves that right knowledge of God, which brings us to the place where we count God's smile, our greatest delight, and God's frown, our greatest dread. And the fear of God, becomes the regulating principle in the totality of life. The fear of God in the heart of a man is that disposition with reference to God that makes walking with him in the light of his countenance the whole occupation of life. So then the substance of true wisdom involves,

8:54 as I have stated, the right knowledge of and a right relationship to the living God. And so the writer to the Proverbs says to a right relationship to God, which brings us to the Old Scottish commentator speaking on this text, said this, and I want to read this paragraph, because to alter it, to try to assimilate it and make it my own is to spoil its beauty, and so I shall quote it to you. It's from Lawson's commentary on the book of Proverbs. The fear of the Lord and the sound knowledge of God are inseparably connected.

9:27 Religious fear is not a blind and tormenting passion of the soul, but a holy and delightful grace founded in, and follow closely now, founded in true apprehensions of the awesome and lovely glories of the divine nature, the full spectrum of God's character, and disposing him who possesses it, that is, this true apprehension of the divine nature, disposing him who possesses it to walk with God. The knowledge of God regulates this fear and preserves it. The fear of the Lord and preserves it from sinking into terror or degenerating into superstition, but guides it to

10:10 express its power in checking and subduing every corrupt affection and animating the soul to every instance of obedience. He's saying in more eloquent terms what I've been saying. Whenever we come to this term, the fear of God is, it is that understanding of the character of God. Joined to that work of God is the fear of God. It is that understanding of the character of God.

10:33 It is the grace in the heart that brings me to walk before this God, counting his smile life's greatest delight, counting his frown life's greatest dread. Now that's the substance of the wisdom that God imparts to those who expose themselves to his words, those who cry out for true wisdom, those who seek it as for silver and for hid treasure. They shall come, to this aspect of true wisdom, the knowledge of and right relationship to the living God. But there's a second aspect of that true wisdom, and it's found in verse 9.

11:17 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice and equity, yea, every good path. And it's obvious that these words, righteousness, justice, equity, all of them have to do with conduct in the light of the moral absolutes of God. Something is just and right only as it conforms to the law of God. It is God's law which forms the standard of what is just, what is right, what is unjust, what is unrighteous. A path is good only as it accords

12:00 with the will of God. Romans 12, 2, that ye may prove what is that which is good and what is not. That good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is the will of God which is good. So then the

12:13 substance of that true wisdom will be the ability to discern between right and wrong, not in the abstract, but in relationship to God's law as it touches all of life. So true wisdom then is not so much the ability to discern between right and wrong, but the ability to discern between right and

12:34 wrong, but the ability to discern between one galaxy and another in the heavenly bodies. But to be able to discern between the course of action that is well pleasing to God in my home, in the shop, on the playground, in my social life, in my business life, to understand every good path. To understand that which is well pleasing to this God whom I've come to know through the opening up of the words of wisdom. And so Solomon gives us to understand that

13:04 the substance of the true wisdom which comes as the reward of grace to those who walk the path of the first four verses involves these two fundamental things, the right knowledge of and relationship to God, and then a knowledge of and relationship to the will of God. Now by way of application, let me say two things. Will you notice the fusion of these two parts of the wisdom given to those who walk the path of the first four verses? Will you notice the fusion of these two parts of the wisdom given to those who walk the path of the first four verses?

The Inseparable Fusion of Knowing God and His Will

13:34 Will you notice the fusion of these two parts of the wisdom given to those who walk the path of the first four verses?

14:06 Will you notice the fusion of these two parts of the wisdom given to those who walk the path of the first four verses? In the life and experience, there is no certain knowledge of what is right and just and what is the good path. Whether you're thinking of politics, economics, social issues,

14:47 such as abortion, birth control, the drug problem, ecology, all the rest. Where is the certain voice saying, this is the good path? This is the just path. This is the righteous path.

15:00 It's not there. Why? Because the men attempting to formulate the answers have utterly ruled out the substance of true knowledge as given in verse 5. They have sought to come up with some knowledge of what is right and just and good without the knowledge of God and the fear of God.

15:20 And God has so made His creatures that it is utterly impossible so to do. It cannot be done. Now you see, man likes the fruit of justice and righteousness and equity and the good path, for there are a lot of side benefits that come to unregenerate men. But man does not like the root, true religion.

15:44 And so the dilemma of our own generation is the pitiful attempt of men to somehow sustain the fruits of true religion while denying and cutting off the very roots of the same. No, God has fused these two things together, and it is impossible to have true ethics without the knowledge of God. It is impossible to have true ethics without the knowledge of God. It is impossible to have true ethics without true religion.

16:08 And therefore every attempt to have a restoration to some kind of ethical stability at any level of human experience while denying its root in true religion is doomed to fail. Jesus said, make the tree good and its fruit good. Or the tree corrupt and the fruit corrupt. We must begin where God begins.

16:32 But conversely, notice that verse 5, is joined with verse 9.

16:41 Whenever God imparts an understanding of His fear, and men find the knowledge of God, they always enter into the sphere of verse 9, then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice and equity and every good path. In other words, to claim the true knowledge of God without some measure of ethical sensitivity and obedience to the revealed will of God is mystical fantasy. And miserable self-delusion. That's why John in his first epistle constantly emphasizes the fact that the knowledge of God will be demonstrated at the realm of the practical and the ethical.

17:24 If a man says, I know Him, I've come to the knowledge of God, I've entered into the sphere of the fear of God, and John says he keeps not His commandments, there is no carryover into the realm of God, there is no carryover into the realm of what is just and right and the good path. John says he's a liar, and the truth is not in him. For in the blessings of the new covenant, God promises, all shall know me from the least to the greatest, but He goes on to say, I will write my law upon their hearts and upon their minds will I write them, so that everyone who can say, I know Him, and my sins are blotted out, can also say, I delight to do Thy will,

18:09 O my God, yea, Thy law is within my heart. And so when we attempt to separate the substance of true knowledge as given in verses 5 and 9, we end up either on the one hand with proud, carnal humanism that says, I want goodness, but I don't want God. Or on the other hand, you have decadent, indulgent religious orthodoxy that says, I want God, but no goodness.

18:40 My friends, both of these stand under the curse and indictment of God. It's obvious that if I were speaking to a gathering of people out of the neighborhood where you live and where I live, my emphasis would be upon the first delusion. Proud, carnal humanism that says we want goodness and the good life, but we don't want God. But I'm not speaking to such primarily.

19:04 If there are some of you who fit that category, I hope you hear the voice of God in this. But our danger is to think, think that we can have God and the knowledge of God without this understanding of righteousness, justice, equity, and every good path and seeing the demands of the kingship of Christ in every department of life and seeking under that kingship to live well-pleasing in His sight. Note the fusion of these two parts of the wisdom given. God has joined them together.

19:40 May it be our wisdom to see them joined in our own lives. And the second thing I want to say by way of application is this. Note the certainty of these two things given if we seek them in the way appointed. If, that's the word of condition, verse 1, if thou wilt receive my words, verse 3, if thou cry after discernment, the word of condition, verse 4, if thou seeker his silver, the word of condition, but verse 5, is the word of promise, then shout thou.

The Certainty of God's Promise to Impart Wisdom

20:13 Verse 9, then shout thou. Notice not only the fusion of these two things in verses 5 and 9, but the certainty of their being imparted graciously by the God who has committed Himself to His people in the words of this promise. The shalls and the shall-nots of the Bible become handles for faith to take hold of. And God, God in His graciousness has condescended to our weakness and has given us so much to encourage our faith.

20:47 And what is more encouraging to faith than a shall of God's Word? When God Himself says, if, if, then this shall come to pass, O dear child of God, if you're exposing yourself to the words of wisdom, seeking to do so with attentiveness and with retentiveness and with rightness, motives not wanting to be thought clever and smart and wise, but with all your heart wanting true wisdom and true understanding. If in your closet you're crying to Him for discernment, lifting up your voice for understanding, in the public exposition of the Word and in your private perusal of the Scriptures, not treating them in a surface way,

21:32 just threading the words through your eyes, but applying yourself with diligence to seek out the mind of God, then you should have grace, then you should have grace, then you should have great joy in pressing this promise before God again and again. Lord, you've said, then shalt thou understand, then shalt thou find. And God delights to have His promises pleaded in His presence. There's nothing or very few things that delight God more than when His people show their confidence in the veracity of His Word in pressing that very Word before Him in believing prayer and pleading the promise that He Himself, has given.

The Source of True Wisdom: God's Verbal Communication

22:12 So much then for the substance of that wisdom that will be imparted. Now consider in the second place the source of that wisdom and we find it in verse 6.

22:26 For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

22:36 Yes, we must give ourselves to the words of God. Verse 1. We must receive those words. We must incline our ears to wisdom.

22:47 But who is the ultimate source of true wisdom? This text indicates that it is God Himself. For Jehovah giveth wisdom. And the reason it is God Himself is because wisdom is there in God to be given.

23:07 And this God who gives is the God revealed particularly in His name, Jehovah. It is not God merely as the mighty or the almighty one, but Solomon is careful to use that title of God which has a distinct reference to God as the self-contained, self-sustaining, self-revealing God. I am that I am or I will be that I will be. And this title of God, Jehovah, is that title that is used in a special way with His choice of His revelation to and His care for His covenant people.

23:50 It is His covenant name. That name by which He reveals Himself and enters into covenant relationship to His people. And so He wants us to understand that this true knowledge that comes in its substance as the knowledge of in right relationship to God, knowledge of in right relationship to His will, the source of it is our covenant-keeping, covenant-making God who has revealed Himself to us in even a fuller revelation than that which Solomon had. For we know that this Jehovah is the one manifested to us in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

24:34 God who in times past spoke unto the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken unto us in a son. And it is He who has become the messenger of the covenant. God's name is in Him the angel of Jehovah and now revealed as the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is God Himself then who is the source of this wisdom and reading this text in the light of passages such as we have in Colossians and in 1 Corinthians we know who the source of that wisdom is for in Him Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.

25:18 He is made unto us wisdom as well as righteousness, sanctification and redemption. So the source of this wisdom is God Himself and it is God as a graciously giving God. For the Lord giveth wisdom. You cannot give what you don't have but you can have something and not give.

25:43 God not only has and is this wisdom but He gives it. And of course the best commentary on that concept is James chapter 1. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God who what? Who giveth to all men liberally.

26:04 Who giveth. He has and He gives. He is God possessing and God giving this wisdom which He has given. Himself promised.

26:17 But not only is it God Himself in His covenant revelation. God Himself as giving but thirdly it is God as graciously giving in verbal communication. Look. For the Lord giveth wisdom out of His what?

26:35 His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Not out of His mind, out of His heart but out of His mouth. Now God doesn't have a mouth. A mouth literally of course.

26:47 But what is the mouth? It is the organ of communication. It is by the mouth that words are framed and articulated and spoken. Hence we had in verse 1 My son if thou wilt receive my words and lay up my commandments with thee out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

27:12 And I don't believe it's pressing more into the text than is warranted to say that Solomon was careful to choose that aspect. The organ of communication. It is God who gives this wisdom. He gives it as Jehovah the self-contained self-revealing covenant God who delights to give but He gives in verbal communication out of His mouth.

27:37 Hence the statement in 2 Timothy 3.16 All scripture is breathed out of God. As you listen to me speak tonight you are listening to those sounds which are framed as air passes over my larynx and out through my mouth. And some of you know what has happened with people who either in wartime or due to cancer have had the voice box removed.

28:05 They're able to speak by manipulating their burps is what they do. Some of you perhaps even heard people who speak that way. They're still able to force air up over their lips. The muscular structure here and are able to frame words.

28:20 All scripture is breathed out of God. It is the breath of God. It is God's voice. 2 Peter 2.21

28:28 Holy men of God spake, spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Now apart from this we could have no true wisdom. There could be no right knowledge of God. There could be no right knowledge of our duty before God unless God was pleased to reveal it.

28:48 God is the author and the giver of wisdom. Man is reader and receiver. But in the pride of his heart you know what man wants to say? I am the discoverer if not the very creator of wisdom.

29:03 So that man would like to write the text this way. For man giveth wisdom out of his head cometh knowledge and understanding.

29:15 This is humbling. For man to say it is God's who is the source of wisdom. This is his world. He made it.

29:23 I am his creature. He made me. He alone knows who I am. He alone can tell me what I am here for.

29:29 How I can please him. What is the good path? What is it to know him? What is he like?

29:34 And for man to stand and say Oh God unless you do reveal I will be as dark in my understanding as the darkest night without the light of the moon and the stars. That is humbling to man. Man wants to know to be able to take the place of being his own creator of wisdom and of knowledge. But it is God who is the author of knowledge and it is this fact that undergirds the very authority and the infallibility of the word of God written as the God of infinite wisdom.

30:12 He knows all about himself and his world and his creatures as the God of infinite condescension and grace. He is pleased to reveal himself in his word as the God of power. He can bring an infallible word through fallible creatures and as the God of truth he is committed to preserve the purity of that word so that we might know him and know how to please him. So then the substance of that wisdom which is comprised of the right knowledge of in relationship to God the right knowledge of in relationship to his will then is shown to be in its source

The Recipients of True Wisdom: The Upright and Those with Integrity

30:56 the living God himself. Now then we come in the third place to this very fundamental and vital question who can receive such wisdom. That wisdom comprised of the elements considered in verses 5 and 9 that wisdom of which God himself is the source can anyone receive it? Well look at verse 7 in which we have described the reciprocal and the reciprocal and the reciprocal of true wisdom.

31:23 He God layeth up sound wisdom for the upright. He or it is a shield to them that walk in integrity. And here the recipients of true wisdom are described under two terms. They are described as upright and secondly those that walk in integrity.

31:50 Now let's spend just a minute with the meaning of the word of those words. What does it mean to be upright? Righteous is a poor translation. There are many places where I just wonder what the translators of the authorized version were thinking and this is one of them.

32:05 For in verse 21 they translated it rightly. I believe the authorized version has the word upright in verse 21 and this is exactly the same word in the Hebrew. For the upright shall dwell in the land. And basically the word means to be straight.

32:21 That's a strange word in our day isn't it? Somebody's straight and it's sort of used as a term of derision. He doesn't have sideburns any longer than an inch and he has his hair off the back of his neck and his lapels are something under six inches in width and we say that guy's kind of straight. He hasn't quite with it.

32:41 He hasn't flowed in with the spirit of the times. Well, this word literally means to be straight and hence it is a description of a man of unbending moral character. It's the word used of Job in Job 1.1 and Job 1.8

32:58 where he's spoken of as an upright man and a perfect man. Now this word integrity simply means simplicity of intention. It's the word used in 1 Kings 22.34 about that man that pulled that soldier that pulled his bow and shot an arrow in his simplicity.

33:19 It's the same word in the original. He pulled and shot his bow at a man that is he had no duplicity of idea. He had one simplicity of thought a singleness of thought. I'm just sticking an arrow in my bow and I'm shooting it hoping it'll get someone.

33:36 He did not know that in so doing he was fulfilling the prediction of the prophet concerning this apostate king. And so the word began to develop in its thinking or in its meaning to connote to denote to describe a person who has a simplicity of intention what the New Testament would call a single eye no double-mindedness. So the person who walks in integrity is the man who is honest and sincere and genuine as to the fundamental character of his walk. And if there's any distinction between upright and walking in integrity it would seem to be this.

34:18 Upright describes the external character. A man is straight unbendingly moral straightness living his life in conformity to the revealed will of God. Integrity is the disposition of heart out of which such a life flows. A man who has simplicity of intention.

34:40 He doesn't have one eye to the world and one eye to his God. He doesn't have one ear to the voice of God and one ear to the voice of his peers. He has a single eye a single ear a single heart. This one thing I do.

34:54 Would be the New Testament parallel. Now this text says that God lays up sound wisdom for the upright that's the concept of a treasure and he forms or this wisdom becomes a shield to those who walk in integrity. So you have the concept then of a treasure and the concept of protection. Now what does this mean?

Ethical Demands for Receiving Wisdom

35:22 Having looked at the meaning of the words what does this say to us? And here perhaps is one of the most pivotal issues that we've touched in our exposition of this section.

35:33 It is not enough to be exposed to the words of wisdom or even to cry for wisdom or even to seek it with great earnestness. You and I must be fit recipients for wisdom.

35:49 May I say if we wanted to demonstrate some degree of general maturity we'll not let the present odor of little Mr. Skunk be the only throw us.

36:03 It's not your neighbor really.

36:10 And this is where we must accept our view of the God of Providence.

36:16 The Lord could have had that skunk hit somewhere down the road or his girlfriend come by and go out for a walk tonight or something else but somehow he's been attracted to this building and is probably not too far away in letting us be made aware of his presence. So if you can just bear with it I'll bear with it and we'll go on. All right. Coming back now to Proverbs.

36:39 It is not enough to be exposed to the words of wisdom. To cry for wisdom to seek it you must be a fit recipient of wisdom. And the fit recipient is described in this text as the person who's walking in practical godliness from a disposition of heart purity. He lays up sound wisdom for the upright.

37:04 He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. So then this passage teaches us that the recipients of true wisdom are those who have met the ethical demands of being a true learner. As one man has said a good life is the best key to scripture.

37:26 And this is what makes true biblical knowledge something totally different from any other field of human knowledge. That the person's ethical and moral state determines his ability to learn. Now that's not true in any other area.

37:44 Man can live the life of an absolute profligate. Chase around with women booze it up and then get sober and go in and create music that will astound and thrill people for centuries after.

38:02 Another man may be utterly indifferent to every demand of scripture as given in the word of God is reflected in his own conscience and he may be a brilliant scientist. He may penetrate almost any field of human knowledge and be considered brilliant in his own right. But ah my friend when you come to finding the knowledge of God and coming to this issue of true wisdom there are ethical moral religious demands made upon you. And the scripture indicates that many times the problems of understanding in the minds of the people of God are rooted in their failure to walk in integrity and in their failure to be able to be upright.

38:46 If you have any doubts of this read 1 Corinthians chapter 3 where Paul says it was the arrested growth of the Corinthians which was causing the problem in their ability to understand what he wished to convey to them. He said I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal even as unto babes. Why? Not because there was something lacking in your gray matter not because your IQ was not quite up to it it's because there was arrested growth there was this area of carnality specifically divisions he's dealing with in that section.

39:25 And he says that area in which you are not walking uprightly and walking in integrity has so operated upon you that you're not able to perceive that which I want to communicate to you. So it is not so much a keen and able mind which equips a man to receive true wisdom as it is an upright walk and a spirit of spiritual integrity. Listen to David as he speaks of this principle in the 119th Psalm.

39:58 In verse 99 Psalm 119.99 I have more understanding than all my teachers I've advanced in knowledge he says.

40:13 Why? Because I'm more brilliant I have a higher IQ no for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged why? Because I have kept thy precepts.

40:29 I have refrained my feet from every evil way walking in his uprightness that I might observe thy word. I have not turned aside from thine ordinances for thou hast taught me. How sweeter thy words to my taste yea sweeter than honey to my mouth through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every thought I have. In a false way he's walking in integrity simplicity of intention.

40:57 David understood why he advanced beyond his teachers and beyond the older men and it was not because he was more quote brilliant in natural gifts it was because he met this prerequisite of receiving true wisdom. Turn back to verse 33 of the same Psalm. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will be and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law.

41:29 Yea I shall observe it with my whole heart make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do I delight incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not under covetousness. What is he doing? He's saying Lord give me the spiritual disposition to receive fresh light. This has great practical implications.

The Unbeliever's Rejection of Wisdom Due to Love of Sin

41:52 Why do men turn away from the gospel in unbelief? Is it because the gospel makes such demands upon the human mind as to cause a rejection problem simply from the standpoint of its being unreasonable? No that's not the problem. You know what the problem is?

42:11 Jesus tells us in John chapter 3 and this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. John 3 and verse 20 For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light and cometh not to the light lest his works should be reproved but he that doeth the truth not he that understands or he that believes he that doeth the truth he that doeth the truth cometh to the light that his works may be made manifest that they have been wrought in the light. God

42:55 what's the problem with some of you unsafe people here tonight? Why is it that you do not receive true wisdom that brings you into the fear of God and walking in the right ways of God? Is it because there is something in the gospel that you must somehow commit a form of mental suicide before you can embrace it? No, you know what the real problem is, don't you?

43:21 It's because there's almost an instinctive recognition that to get close to this book and its teaching is to bring your sins under the light of God's confidence. And the problem is you love your sins.

43:35 You can't be detached when it comes to your sins. You love your sins. You do. And you're wedded to your sins.

43:45 And you don't want to divorce your sins. You don't even want a legal separation let alone a formal divorce. And that's why you don't come to the light of God's truth. That's why heavenly wisdom that wisdom that is bound up in Christ and in the gospel and in God's law and in His demands is so offensive to you.

44:05 Why? We have it here in this text. It's because you don't want your works to be reproved. That's why.

The Christian's Need for Integrity and Uprightness

44:16 This is why the child of God you see is so different. He comes constantly saying with David Oh God teach me that I may run the way of Thy commandments. Show me! Open up true wisdom!

44:30 Why? Because I want my life in all of its areas to be under the scrutiny of Your eye. Then shalt Thou understand the fear of God you see. And to Him that hath more is given.

44:42 And from Him that hath not is taken away that which He seems to have. This has a very vital application to the life of a true Christian. When you find yourself beginning to be indisposed to the scriptures you ask yourself what's behind this? Oh you can rationalize and find all kinds of reasons but many times it's because there's some area where we're no longer walking in integrity.

45:11 Some area where we are no longer walking in the fear of God and therefore have become indisposed to the reception of heavenly wisdom. So the recipients of true wisdom are described here as those who walk in their integrity before God they are described as those who are so these and these alone can receive. Well we close with this brief word now about the purpose of true wisdom. In fact I better not go into it.

The Purpose of True Wisdom (Brief Mention)

45:48 It'd be wrong to touch on it tonight and not do justice to it.

45:53 The purpose of true wisdom laid out here in verse 8 that He may guard the paths of justice and preserve the way of His saints. The purpose of true wisdom is to help the people of God on in their way to glory. The whole doctrine of the preservation and the perseverance of the saints enters in here and it would not be right to just give it in a cursory way so we'll leave it there and pick up there next week God willing and then move on to what happens when this wisdom is embraced. Verse 10 Wisdom shall enter thy heart knowledge be pleasant to thy soul and then it's practical outworking it preserves from the evil man beginning with verse 12

Concluding Exhortation: Be a Proper Recipient of Wisdom

46:38 down through verse 15 and then verses 16 through 19 it preserves from the evil woman and then we have the concluding statements in verses 21 to 22. Well then I ask you as you sit here tonight are you a recipient a worthy recipient of true wisdom? Ah but you say Mr. Martin none is worthy yes that's true and unless we are found accepted in the beloved we are not worthy but being found accepted in him we are then put in contact with all those supplies of grace that are in Christ which we as his people are responsible for which we are responsible to avail ourselves

47:22 and therefore we before God must cry to him for greater measures of the grace of spiritual integrity greater measures of the grace of walking uprightly and then we'll be amazed at how our understanding has increased. I think one of the most astounding things as a pastor is to see some people that in any other field of human knowledge are way down here in the scale of ability but you put a Bible in their hands and turn them loose and they outstrip people who are far far superior in their basic mental acumen and ability and you say what's the difference? After five years

48:05 this one very limited in his mental ability is outstripped stripping this other man in his spiritual sensitivity in his spiritual knowledge true heavenly knowledge what's been the essential difference? He's walked in greater measures of uprightness and in greater measure of Christian integrity that's it that's what puts this knowledge in a sphere totally apart from anything else may God grant that as we've gone through this passage tonight we will have a new appreciation of the substance of true wisdom you young people you children going to school learning your ABC's and learning geography and history and all the rest I plead with you above all else

48:49 cry for that wisdom which is most vital and you say oh God teach me who you are and teach me how to know you and fear you teach me the path that is pleasing to you that's true wisdom and without that in God's eyes you've never gotten out of kindergarten then continually look to God as the only source of that wisdom and any temptation to move aside from that deposit of wisdom in the scriptures recognize it for what it is carnal human pride and come back again and again to that disposition of a little child saying Lord out of your mouth comes wisdom you're the God who alone can give knowledge and understanding and then

49:33 continually pray that you may be a proper recipient of that wisdom pray that you may walk in understanding in uprightness that you may walk in integrity and then those gracious promises that we've considered will be fulfilled even in you let us pray