Lord <Y@hovah> (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: — Jehovah, the Lord.
The Lord is real; He is actual; He is genuine – this is the opposite of imagined, artificial, and unsubstantial. He is undefined by time. He is without beginning or end. He is everlasting. He will never cease to exist. Read that again. This truth is mind-blowing.
Jehovah: I am; the eternal living one. The supreme Being, usually interpreted as signifying self-derived and permanent existence. “While Elohim exhibits God displayed in his power as the creator and governor of the physical universe, the name Jehovah designates his nature as he stands in relation to man, as the only almighty, true, personal, holy Being, a spirit and ‘the father of spirits’ who revealed himself to his people, made a covenant with them, and became their lawgiver, and to whom all honor and worship are due”. Smith’s Bible Dictionary (emphasis mine)
Ge 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
We must connect the name Jehovah with the Hebrew substantive verb to be, with the inference that it expresses the essential, eternal, unchangeable being of Jehovah. But more, it is not the expression only, or chiefly, of an absolute truth: it is a practical revelation of God, in his essential, unchangeable relation to this chosen people, the basis of his covenant. Smith’s Bible Dictionary (emphasis mine)
As we take a look at Proverbs 2:6, let’s keep in mind who the Lord Jehovah is.
Pr 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.
In Pr 2:5 we learned that God will answer our cries to know and understand Him. Verse six of this chapter tells us He has the authority to do this because wisdom comes from Him. It is His to give. God, Jehovah, self-Existent and Eternal, bestows wisdom upon His children who seek Him. This is His promise to us! Have you claimed it?
You’ve probably heard words that liken the relationship of God to His children as that of a King to a pauper. The Lord is the Highest of Highs, we are the lowest of lows. What Proverbs 2:6 tells us is that the King of Kings gives wisdom to those who love Him, the very ones whose sin crucified God the Son.
God, The Lord Jehovah and King of Kings willingly grants wisdom.
1Ki 3:9 “So give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Thine?”
Jas 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
1Jo 5:14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
For the Lord giveth wisdom. When the earnest pursuit of wisdom is combined with humble dependence upon the Divine Giver. Annotated Bible Notes
It is a sure thing that God will give wisdom to His children who genuinely seek it. Any wisdom that is ascribed to us comes from God, not from our own wit or intelligence or abilities. But from the One who owns wisdom, who originates wisdom.
How does this truth affect us? As I focus on the fact that any good in myself and any ability I might have to understand and follow the truth comes from God, I am left prostrate at the feet of God. This right thinking keeps me dependent on His instruction and direction. Have you ever trusted in your own wisdom and understanding? What was the result?
Ps 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.
Ps 16:2 I said to the LORD, “Thou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee.”
Ec 10:2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.
De 8:3 “And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
Where do you go for direction?
One of my first professional jobs was working as an EMT for an ambulance company. This of course was way back when women were not necessarily welcomed into a ‘man’s’ line of work. At the time, I was one of only three women in the county to be hired to this position. The competition to prove oneself was significant. An area of difficulty for me was learning to read a Thomas Guide quickly and accurately. Remember, these were the days sans mobile technology! Phones were connected to a base with a phone jack and a rubber coil attached the base to the receiver. Touch tone had only just begun replacing a hand dial. Some of you are smiling at these memories and others are wondering what in the world I’m talking about Anyways, GPS may have well been an abbreviation for ‘Great Peanut Butter Sandwich’ because the only global positioning system we had available to us was map coordinates given over a walkie talkie device!! Getting somewhere quick depended on the shot-gun’s ability to correctly direct the driver. Hence, I preferred driving – it was also a lot more fun pushing all the buttons to make different siren sounds and make the lights flash and turn. Misreading the map happened all too often because it was done in haste. Think how embarrassing it is to bring considerable attention to yourself with siren blaring and lights blinking only to drive in circles trying to find a location. This thought is making my heart beat quicken! You then finally arrive at the destination and nonchalantly jump out of the ambulance as the first-responders and on-lookers give you that look that says, ‘glad you could make it’.
Entertaining story, but it does have significance. We have been given a map, a God Positioning System. It needs no updating because it never changes! Understanding it is not dependent on our quick thinking or directional abilities (good news for the directionally challenged). The Bible contains all the information we need to arrive at our destination with the proclamation of “Well done, good and faithful servant”. God gives wisdom, from His moth comes knowledge and understanding. That’s what His word says. It is clear.
Read Daniel’s praise of God’s wisdom: Da 2:23 “To Thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For Thou hast given me wisdom and power; Even now Thou hast made known to me what we requested of Thee, For Thou hast made known to us the king’s matter.”
“From His mouth [come] knowledge and understanding.”
knowledge <da’ath> knowledge.
Knowledge is the result of perception and learning and reasoning; complete awareness. WordWeb
understanding <tabuwn> intelligence, discretion, reason, skill, understanding, wisdom
Understanding is the ability to comprehend, having information. It is the opposite of stupidity. WordWeb
God’s spoken word, the Bible, reveals to His children true knowledge and understanding of Him.
Ex 31:3 “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Joh 6:45 “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
Eph 1:17-18 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Verse 6: “The Lord will give wisdom” (the literal rendering); that is, to those who thus seek and pray for it: and he will do this by means of the words which he hath spoken by his holy prophets. The wisdom which he gives by his Spirit, in answer to prayer to those who diligently seek it, accords with written word, and must be tried by it. Thomas Scott
Within the first six verses of Proverbs Chapter 2, we are challenged to accept and treasure God’s commands, to listen carefully to wisdom and lean in the direction of understanding. Our entire being is to be involved in this desire to know God and is demonstrated by our loud cries lifted towards Him. Energy and diligence lead us to discover the most valuable treasure of knowing God. Knowing God produces a reverence towards Him and right relationship with Him. God’s spoken word is His perfect knowledge and understanding of all things. And, He wants to bless us with it!
Understanding of who the Lord is must lead to loving righteousness and hating sin.
Ps 119:104 From Thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
What more is there to say but Thank You Lord!
