RAISING THE BAR ROSS SMITH
ALL REFERENCES FROM THE AMPLIFIED VERSION UNLESS NOTED
There are two symbols that are used extensively, are well recognised, but not clearly understood. These symbols are,
The difference is that the bar has been raised in the symbol of the cross, but too often we are content just to add, not excel. In fact, much of our existence is engaged in the “adding”, whether it be to our bank balance, to our waistline, to our family, and a myriad of other things which, when viewed in the light of eternity, are of little consequence.
The book of Proverbs is always beneficial reading, but Proverbs chapter two is significant for several reasons. Firstly, the repetitive nature of some statements confirming their importance, and secondly the intensity and concentration of provision for those who are prepared to comply.
Proverbs 2:1-5 MY SON, IF you will receive my words and treasure up my COMMANDMENTS within you, (V2) Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it]; (V3) Yes, IF you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, (V4) IF you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures, (V5) Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God.
Two particular themes emerge. The first is the reference to “paths/ways/walk”, (vs 7-20, but read the whole chapter for clarity) for which there are 13 references, and the second is “understanding” for which there are 8 references. Then there is the fascinating use of apodosis, with three “IFS”, and two “THENS”, the conditions and the consequences.
The concentration or emphasis on “Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding” throughout this chapter should alert us that these attributes are afforded God’s people, IF they are able to comply with the introduction, or the conditions.
Wisdom is a moral quality and leads to intuitive knowledge. Understanding may be taken to include something of a prophetic nature, or revelation. Understanding gathers up and makes use of the results of experience, whether in/of oneself or of others. And so, the first verse of Proverbs 2 becomes particularly relevant to anyone who has an ambition to be a true son of God.
Proverbs 2:1 MY SON IF you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you,
This is an interesting proposal, for here it is “more blessed to receive than to give”, the opposite of Acts 20:35B. And not only to “receive” but also to recognise the intrinsic value, that God’s commandments are real treasure, to be jealously guarded and accumulated.
1 John 2:3 And this is how we may discern [daily, by experience] that we are coming to know Him [to perceive, recognize, understand, and become better acquainted with Him]: if we keep (bear in mind, observe, practice) His teachings (precepts, commandments).
If we find that His commandments and precepts are too hard, then we need to reflect on 1 John 5:3
There is a critical need to our being “RECEPTIVE”, and also “PERCEPTIVE”, why otherwise would Solomon spoil a good dissertation on the promises and benefits God offers if there was any possibility that we would not heed, or perceive by placing “IF” as the very third word of his introduction. As we know, whenever we see an “IF” we should also look for the “THEN”, and by qualifying in the first instance we can occupy or attain or receive the outcome suggested by the “THEN”.
This first verse is setting the conditions for our reception and attainment of “REVERENT AND WORSHIPFUL FEAR”, which is the very foundation and plinth on which all and any knowledge and understanding is established. (See study, “We can never be wise till we fear”)
Psalm 111:10 The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the ALPHABET]; A GOOD UNDERSTANDING, WISDOM, AND MEANING HAVE ALL THOSE WHO DO [THE WILL OF THE LORD]. Their praise of Him endures forever. (Those who are “RECEPTIVE” … comments mine)
But it requires our “ATTENTION”. Any learning experience, leading to understanding, has as its initiator or launch pad, the discipline of “ATTENTION”. This involves “listening”, “receiving”, and “inclining”, the latter is very different to “reclining” which many folks prefer. There is effort involved, it is not some intrinsic gift carried by our genes, nor some latent talent waiting for the opportunity to emerge, but the application of our every faculty to enable our qualification.
Proverbs 2:2 MAKING your ear ATTENTIVE to skillful and godly Wisdom and INCLINING AND DIRECTING your heart and mind to understanding [APPLYING ALL YOUR POWERS to the quest for it]; (In other words, “pay attention” … comments mine)
Amplified Bible expands the concept for our benefit, and sets down the preconditions, notice they are conditions, PLURAL! Proverbs 2 as follows:-
Verse 1 Receive and treasure
Verse 2 Attentive ear, inclined and directed heart, expended energy
Verse 3 Spiritual determination, “cry out — speak up”
Verse 4 Quality of the quest — Silver and hidden treasure
Verse 5 THEN The “thens” are wide-ranging and significant — you will understand and find knowledge.
How should I go about the first four verses? It is all caught up in the word ATTENTION. There is a universal acceptance of the principle, “PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL”. But there is also another cliché which says, “The devil is in the detail”. One of the difficulties school teachers face is to maintain the students’ attention, and the deficiency seems to continue into adulthood and is pandemic in the church.
DE-TAIL WAGS DE-DOG!!!!!
Scripture abounds with this recommendation and principle, so let me list some verses for our contemplation, and see the different scenarios.
Isaiah 34:16 SEEK OUT (basically means “STUDY” … comments mine) of the book of the Lord and read: NOT ONE OF THESE [DETAILS of prophecy] shall fail, none shall want and lack her mate [in fulfillment]. For the mouth [of the Lord] has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.
Despite the worlds’ attempts to discredit the prophetic Word of God by their scientific explorations and prognostications, there is ongoing proof of those things prophesied, and as Isaiah has stated, “NOT ONE OF THESE DETAILS OF PROPHECY SHALL FAIL”.
Recently a group of astronomers conceded that they had determined that the universe, as popularly accepted at the moment, was far greater and larger and more extensive than they had ever imagined. There are still more shocks awaiting them for the Word of God says, in Psalm 104 that the extension of the universe continues, the word used is, “STRETCHES” and is present, continuous tense.
Wikipedia states that “there are 200 billion to 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, containing more stars than there are grains of sand on planet earth”. A “GALAXY” is any system of stars and interstellar matter that makes up the universe. Many such assemblages are so enormous that they contain hundreds of billions of stars. (Encyclopedia Britannica) The “Milky Way” is 93 billion light years in diameter. (BBC Earth) And our God has a name for each one of them. (Psalm 147:4)
Psalm 104:2 [you are the one] who covers yourself with light as with a garment, WHO STRETCHES OUT THE HEAVENS LIKE A CURTAIN OR A TENT,
Luke was a Doctor, and so his academic abilities and mental prowess were without question, and when he states that he “searched out diligently, followed things closely, traced accurately, TO THE MINUTEST DETAIL”, we can be sure that his research was meticulous and complete in every respect. In other words, he is saying “I HAVE PAID STRICT ATTENTION TO DETAIL”, so there is a significant degree of insurance against any error or deviation, a pattern poorly emulated today.
Luke 1:3 It seemed good and desirable to me, [and so I have determined] also after having SEARCHED OUT DILIGENTLY AND FOLLOWED ALL THINGS CLOSELY AND TRACED ACCURATELY THE COURSE FROM THE HIGHEST TO THE MINUTEST DETAIL FROM THE VERY FIRST, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
John, however, was intimidated by the task, the degree of accuracy required to record the details of Jesus ministry was too extensive, time-consuming, and even more amazing, SPACE CONSUMING, “the world could not contain the books”.
John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did. If they should be all RECORDED ONE BY ONE [IN DETAIL], I suppose that even the world itself could not contain (have room for) the books that would be written.
The work of the Gospel continues today, but with even greater emphasis, because the time is late, the return of the Lord imminent, the perversion of society rivalling Sodom and Gomorrah, and the blatant ambivalence of the church has anaesthetised the sensitivity of God’s people to such a degree that even if “SOMEONE CLEARLY DESCRIBES IT IN DETAIL” there would be disbelief, because we do not “PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL”. How obvious does this become when we see the neglect of the reading, and more importantly, THE STUDY of God’s Word by those who would claim to be disciples. These folk suffer from the “IFS”.
Acts 13:41 Look, you scoffers and scorners, and marvel and perish and vanish away; for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed which you will never have confidence in or believe, [even] if someone CLEARLY DESCRIBING IT IN DETAIL] declares it to you.
THE BAR IS BEING RAISED ……… WE NEED TO HEED.
Not unexpectedly, the Apostle Paul was a stickler for accuracy, if we could just confer with some of the New Testament churches he had dealings with I am sure we would get a whole new perspective of “DECENTLY AND IN ORDER”. (1 Corinthians 14:40)
Acts 21:19 After saluting them, (It was not “after lunch” or “after a nap” … comments mine) PAUL GAVE A DETAILED ACCOUNT of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
So now we are confronted with the challenge, HAVE WE SET THE BAR TOO LOW, AND ARE WE PREPARED TO STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF PROVERBS 2:1-4?
Here is the list again in case we have managed to overlook the “DETAIL” contained in Solomon’s prognostications and have failed to respond to the elevated demand.
Verse 1 Receive and treasure
Verse 2 Attentive ear, inclined and directed heart, expended energy
Verse 3 Spiritual determination, “cry out — speak up”
Verse 4 Quality of the quest — Silver and hidden treasure
Verse 1 refers to our heart condition, “Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. This requires a detailed consideration of what we consider “IMPORTANT”. That is the diagnostic tool first applied to our condition, and the question is posed, “IF” places the onus squarely back on our shoulders to ensure our heart is not subject to the demands of the world, but wholly submitted to His will and purpose. (See also 2 Corinthians 13:5 “examine, test, evaluate”)
Verse 2 then demands that we put some discipline into the arenas of our life, what we listen to, what we embrace, and how energetic we are about out Christian profession. This is not a hard one for either we ourselves, or alternatively, other spiritual observers to assess, a quick review of the “FRUIT” our lives are producing. The “FRUIT” is more than making a claim to be a Christian, it is making the change to show we are a Christian, and that cannot proceed without we “RAISE THE BAR” so that the example of our life will “EXPOSE, REPROVE AND CONVICT” (Ephesians 5:11)
Verse 3 becomes a little more intense, not only do we have to “PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL”, we now have to actively develop those characteristics which constitute “DISCERNMENT” or perception or insight, a gift that is scant and inadequate in the lives of the church community, and Proverbs calls it “INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING”. This is not academic achievement, but that sort of insight Jesus displayed as recorded in,
Matthew 12:25 AND KNOWING THEIR THOUGHTS, He said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand. (See also Luke 6:8)
The demands of Verse 3 raise the bar significantly, because when we are aware of what to do, then we have to do it, the verse says, “CRY OUT…. SPEAK UP”. We are so conditioned to allow compromise to pass unchallenged for fear of being ridiculed, castigated, falsely accused, and now exists the potential for being jailed as being racist or bigoted. But when we are so equipped as Proverbs 2 promises in verse 5, we will look back and wonder why it took so long, and shudder at the possibility that we displeased the Lord by our refusal to speak when expected.
James 4:17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.
Lastly, in Verse 4 there is the injunction to pursue the challenge of a “RAISED BAR” by equating the acquisition of “Wisdom” with “silver and hidden treasure”. In natural terms, these are pursuits that only a few eccentric prospectors engage in, or some lucky entrepreneur who happened to recognise likely territory for such finds, or when an even luckier heir is endowed, but none of these scenarios are relevant, we have to “SEEK AND SEARCH”. Father views this “ATTENTION TO DETAIL” as indicative of our recognising what He expects, and then pressing on with unabated vigour, to reach the ultimate that Proverbs 2:5 promises.
Proverbs 2:5 THEN you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God.
Colossians 3:1 IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], AIM AT AND SEEK the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
THE HIGHER THE BAR, THE GREATER THE LEAP OF FAITH
So, in reflection, how much consequence have we placed, not only on what we have heard preached, but also what we have read and studied? It is obvious in a church service that there are those who are intently listening, those whose mind is wandering, and those who have switched off or are catatonic, but the test is, those who produce fruit.
Most of us have been participants in all three states. So that then makes the necessity for our “attention span” to be addressed, not just “concentration” but “concentrated”. The mere flicking through the Word, even on a daily basis, is not going to qualify us for what follows in Proverbs 2:5 and 9, where the “THEN” sets down the outcome of our adopting the previous instructions
Proverbs 2:5 THEN you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God
Proverbs 2:9 THEN you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing [in every area and relation]; yes, you will understand every good path.
It is vital that we approach the Word with eager anticipation and expectation of finding “TREASURE”. If we come away from our reading “none the wiser”, then we have not embarked on the search for “received treasure” recorded in verse one, so I must examine my motives. Are our excursions into the Word of God constrained by any of the following?
- Was it a ritual?
- Was it obligation?
- Was it inconvenient?
- Was it too obscure?
- Was my mind on other things?
- Was I trying to read at the wrong time?
So, let me recap a little so that this vital chapter comes acutely into focus.
Do we know the difference between “Insight” and “Understanding?” A word occasionally used in the Bible is “BEHOLD“. Beholding is not merely seeing. It is seeing with an intensity and insight that goes beyond a mere physical processing of light entering the eye.
Seeing without INSIGHT is seeing without UNDERSTANDING. It is seeing without discerning significance, and that is not really seeing at all.
Ephesians 1:18 By having the EYES OF YOUR HEART flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),
There is “INSIGHT” and “OUTSIGHT”, the latter we are intimately acquainted with because we live and depend upon the visual, the outsight. But we need to have “the eyes of our heart flooded with light (insight). Our concentration on the “visual” interfered with the “vital”, we have to have the insight to have understanding. The prophetic Word is actually insight into the Word of God, and when received and applied it results in understanding.
“Understanding” is the execution of our choice of those things we are engaged in, generally the result of experience. If we have insight, or if we are constantly putting our knowledge and understanding into actions, we become more confident of our future.
To gain knowledge, we have to spend time and effort to know things by reading, listening, seeing, experiencing, studying and getting familiar with certain things.
To gain wisdom, we have to have knowledge first, and then use conviction to make a good judgment out of that knowledge.
To gain understanding, we have to have both knowledge and wisdom first, and then put them into action.
To gain insight, we have to have all of the above: knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
Verse 5 of Proverbs 2 is the enabling to begin the grasp God’s “INCONCEIVABLE GREATNESS”.
Verse 6 points us to the source of the “Insight and understanding”, so prominent is this thought throughout, God’s Word, inherently powerful. “For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom”.
Verse 9 highlights five very important things that are concomitant with “Understanding”, righteousness, justice, fair dealing and every good path. Not an unimpressive list to put on our spiritual CV.
Verse 10 sets another level for the bar, elevating us out of the wisdom of men and seating us in that place of knowledge that is enjoyable. In the natural, in the apprehension of understanding, we sometimes don’t think that “knowledge” is such a pleasurable experience, because it involves lessons, disciplines, other people, experiences, extraordinary demands.
APART FROM ME [CUT OFF FROM VITAL UNION WITH ME] YOU CAN DO NOTHING. John 15:5 (B)
Ross Smith 