PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6).

Do you believe that? That the Lord gives wisdom?

“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding" (Daniel 2:20-21).

Notice how this is worded. There's something that's kind of hidden there unless you really take note of it, do you know who God gives wisdom to? He gives wisdom to the wise, and it says that he gives knowledge to them that already know something. Thankfully, we have a biblical illustration of this in Matthew 13, and it’s a great lesson.

It relates to “line upon line, precept on precept, here a little there a little.” It means that you take the little bit that God gives you the start, and you have to do the right thing with what the Lord gives you to start with. For instance, the Lord presents His son, the Lord Jesus Christ; the perfect spotless lamb without blemish, and there was no blame in him. There is no sin in him. God presents that Saviour to the world, and the world rejects him. He dies on the Cross, and he rises from the dead and He ascends back up to heaven. Well, the Lord shows up on a dark hour at a man’s sick bed and shows him that the Lord Jesus Christ is his answer; not his religion, not his good works, not his crosses, and not his prayers, and not his this and that or his other. And then he shows him that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and that all he needs is Him—not a religion; and he says, “No.” Well, the Lord has nothing more that he's going to trust him with. If a man can't accept that and is not going to start there, God’s not going to skip that step and give him something more.

We see this in action in Matthew chapter 13, starting with verse 4:

“And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:4-9).

And then notice what his disciples asked:

“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given" (Matthew 13:10-11).

You have to acknowledge the fact that the Lord spake in parables; and He didn’t do it to deceive people. It was so people would have to make an effort to understand truth. There has to be some effort put into understanding the things of God. God gives the wisdom, but you do need to want it enough to seek it out.

Jesus continues the thought: “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given,” hath what? Knowledge and wisdom [assumed from verse 11], because “it is given unto you to know.”

“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not" (Matthew 13:12-13).

Those folks stood right there and saw the Lord Jesus Christ. They saw what he did. They saw that he had raised the dead, healed the lepers, saw Him feed the 4000, and then the 5000, and they are still standing around, a bunch of lawyers trying to catch something out of his mouth they can exploit Him with.

So, what they knew about him they weren't good stewards with, and so he took away the rest of it from them and so that's why he says what he says in verse 13, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not.”

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