In the previous verses of chapter one the father has taught the son that wisdom crieth without: she uttereth her voice in the streets.

Wisdom cries on the highways and the byways and invites the simple, the scorners, and the fools to partake.

He has told the son that there will come a time when that invitation will no longer be extended.

When that time comes God will laugh at the calamity that faces those who refuse to answer wisdom's call.

But he warns the son that whoso hearkeneth unto me (wisdom) shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

This is not a threat of wisdom but an invitation by wisdom to partake of safety, to partake of the quiet from fear of evil that wisdom brings.

The father knows that he has only a season to instruct his son and great things must be done in that season because no other season will be given to him by God.

The father knows that he is responsible to God to prepare his son to serve God.

The father realizes his part in seeing to it that the son hearkens unto wisdom early as he prepares him for service and therefore he engages in the instruction of this passage.

In this second chapter he instructs of the advantages of wisdom, how to attain wisdom and the protection of wisdom from the evils of this life.

This is the beginning of the quest for wisdom.

It all starts in the home, for the road to wisdom begins with the father's words.

We have seen in the first chapter how the fear of the Lord is communicated by a godly father whose word is honored by a godly mother who upholds the word of the father to the son.

We must get a grasp of this truth.

We must see how important it is for the father's word to be clearly perceived and understood as the authority in the home.

The father's word must be according to God's word and the mother must honor the word of the father before the children on every occasion.

The son must receive the words of the father and hide the father's commandments within him in order that the son is prepared to receive the knowledge of God.

Note the word "if" in our proverb passage.

"If thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandments with thee" then a result will happen.

It all starts with receiving the father's words.

Receive means to accept, to embrace, to seize as his own.

It means to adopt the father's words in a way that causes the son to live his words.

The father's words are embraced as treasures to be guarded and held.

The word hide means to hoard, to protect, to esteem, to lay up in a secret place and to be withdrawn as needed.

It is a bank account of the father's words.

What does this mean?

It means that the father must instruct the son in order to deposit in the son's word bank, words to be withdrawn when the time is fitting.

Why? Is this an end it itself?

Is the father to be satisfied that his words are observed?

Is he to glory in an obedient son?

No, the instruction is clear. Obedient sons go to hell also!

The father desires more than an obedient son.

The father's words are therefore preparation for receiving the words of another.

What are the words to accomplish?

What are the words of the father designed to do?

What is the mission of the father's words?

This is explained in verse 2.

Verse 2: So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

That is the purpose of the father's words.

That is the long range purpose of what the father is about with the son.

His purpose is not just to rear up an obedient son.

Many do that out of pride and power.

But there is no glory in that except the temporal glory of this earth.

No, the scriptural father is interested in things eternal and his purpose is to rear up a son who fears the Lord, a son who finds the knowledge of God that he may serve God!

He wants his words to accomplish in the son's life an inclining of the son's ear unto wisdom, and an application of the son's heart to understanding.

This father intends for his words to equip the son to transfer his ear from hearing the father's words to that of hearing God's word.

This father intends for his words to equip the son to apply his heart to spiritual understanding.

That is the purpose of a godly father and a godly home.

Hear my words son so that you are equipped to hear God's word.

A godly father is to prepare a son to do God's will.

A godly home is a preparatory school which is aimed at a commencement where the son goes forth to serve God.

Graduation is not to be the end but the beginning of a life of serving God.

The son has served the father only as preparation for his service to God.

All other service is vain service and will simply result in making fuel of wood, hay and stubble for the consuming fires of the judgment of God.

If we don't rear children to do God's will what other eternal purpose is there for rearing children?

There is none of course!

As godly fathers and mothers our vision must be clear in this matter if we intend to rear children for God.

My son, my intention for you is that you receive my words, that you hide my commandments and that, that results in an ear that is inclined to God's word.

But effort must be expended to become wise.

Just as gold and silver and diamonds are not mined without great effort neither will wisdom be gained without great effort.

God demands that you want wisdom before he gives it to you.

Proverbs 2:3-6,  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for 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.

We learned last time that the father's purpose for the son was that he receive the father's words so that in process of time the son would receive God's word.

A godly father is interested in things eternal and his purpose is to rear up a son who fears the Lord.

His purpose is to rear up a son who finds the knowledge of God that his life of service will glorify God!

He wants his words to accomplish in the son's life an inclining of the son's ear unto wisdom, and an application of the son's heart to understanding.

This father intends for his words to equip the son to transfer his ear from hearing the father's words to that of hearing God's word.

This father realizes that great effort must be made on behalf of his son to realize his vision for his son.

As in any other visionary effort much labor must be performed if the vision is to be realized.

This father does not prepare a bed of roses in which this son may sleep.

He does not sit back and trust that in the process of time salvation will take care of everything.

He says receive my words and hide my commandments so that you will incline your ear unto wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.

He continues to press upon his son that this will take much effort on his part.

Proverbs 2:3-5,  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

The father uses many ifs in his instruction.

The turning of the uncertainty of the "ifs" of his instruction to certainties depends on the son.

This in itself is instruction.

The son is accountable to receive the father's instruction and this accountablity must also be taught to the son.

Note the three "ifs" of the verses under study.

Note the additional implied "ifs" of these verses

If thou receivest,

if thou hidest,

if thou incline thine ear,

if thou apply thine heart,

if thou criest,

if thou liftest up thy voice for understanding,

if thou seekest,

if thou searchest,

then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge of God.

What a responsibility we have to start our children off the right way!

And what a responsibility we place upon them to take that start and use it to glorify God.

It all starts with the son receiving the words of the father.

What does this imply?

It implies that the father has words for the son to receive.

It implies an instructing father.

It implies a father who is the authority in the home.

It implies a mother who honors the father's word and sees to it that the son honors the father's word.

The father's word is held in high esteem so that when the time comes in the son's life, God's word will be held in high esteem.

The home is to be the incubator where the son is prepared to hear God's word.

Hear my word son and if you hear my word you will hear God's word.

Look at the picture that the father presents to the son.

It is a picture of a seeker of truth.

A seeker who wants knowledge and understanding that only God can provide.

But this is a seeker who seeks knowledge and truth as diligently as a man of the world seeks silver and hid treasure.

Homes thought the world are preparatory schools for seekers of the treasures of this world.

Public schools and many Christians schools and Christian colleges are simply preparatory schools for seekers of the treasures of this world.

But God expects his children to operate preparatory schools for seekers of heavenly treasures.

As a father or a mother you'll operate one school or the other.

Picture the treasure hunters of the sea who expend a lifetime hunting for the gold hidden under the sands of the sea bottom.

Picture the gold miner who risks his life to find the vein of gold that will bring riches to his life.

Picture the man or the woman who devotes his or her day to suffering or rejoicing along with the fall or rise of the Dow-Jones average.

But the godly father, the father who is a visionary for his son, communicates an urgency to the son in seeking the hid treasures of wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

This is what the father is to communicate rather than an urgency for making money.

Son, wisdom, knowledge and understanding only come to those who study, those who desire to know God and to know the things of God.

God does not reveal himself to the casual, to the indifferent, to the nonchalant.

He reveals himself in the same way he reveals his diamonds, his gold and his silver.

This father has purposed to establish habits of living in his son that include searching the scriptures for himself.

This father desires a son, who after being alone with his earthy father, will come to a time when he desires to be alone with his heavenly father.

Son, I am rearing you to cry after knowledge.

I am rearing you to go, in "seeking" prayer, to the one who will provide knowledge.

I am rearing you to lift up your voice to God for understanding.

My instruction to you is that these things only come to those who diligently search after them as hid treasures.

This is a lifelong adventure and my responsibility is to get you on the road of this adventure of faith.

My responsibility for you is a preparation responsibility.

For this God will hold me accountable.

I will have to stand before God and answer for your preparation.

The question will some day come to me as I stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

"What did you do father to prepare your son to glorify me?

I gave you my word, I gave you my instructions that I expected you to use in the rearing of your son.

Did you carry out your responsibility?

Did you give me a prepared son to use for my glory?

Did you teach him the fear of the Lord that opens up to him knowledge of me that he may serve me?

Did you prepare him in the way he should go that he understands the fear of the LORD, and finds the knowledge of God?

These are questions a Christian father should expect to hear from the Lord.

Does not the Lord give the fathers the tools to carry out this important task?

Does the father lack wisdom for this important work?

Proverbs 2:6,  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Note the readiness of the Lord to give wisdom.

God delights to give wisdom. James told us that in his epistle.

James 1:5,  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

This father communicates to the son a God that delights to give wisdom.

There is no knowledge that is known that did not come from the Lord.

There is no understanding that is understood that did not come from the Lord.

The father insures that this instruction is given the son.

Is not this the instruction that the father is to lay on a son who has been taught the fear of the Lord?

Isn't this instruction designed to lift up the word of God and honor the word of God?

This instruction is to be given to the son by the father himself so that the son knows the importance of God's word to the father.

Many sons know how important football and baseball and golf and the father's job is to their father but how many sons know that God's word is all important to their father?

This importance must be communicated to the son by his testimony and by personal instruction if the son is to be prepared to serve and glorify God.

Communicate anything else and be prepared to have sons that serve anything but God and simply glorify themselves.

The father has just instructed his son in the pursuit of wisdom and he now instructs him in the moral benefits of wisdom.