Mine this. At eight years old, I learned to water ski at Clear Lake in Northern California. I loved it then, still do! At 15, I learned to snow ski ... a different kind of thrill and challenge--you know, a mountain to conquer. While I'm no expert, I have had the privilege of skiing some beautiful mountains--Tahoe, Aspen and Snowbird (California, Colorado and Utah) And then I have had the joy of skiing Park City--beautiful and interesting. Peppered along the ski runs are old buildings from the Utah town's silver mining days. [pictured]. Historic and certainly picturesque.
podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/d07974aa/treasure-of-the-greatest-kind-15-january-2023
Hold that thought for a moment - did you know that the writer of Proverbs links silver with wisdom? Wisdom has been on my mind since writing that wise men still worship God. I actually think about various aspects of wisdom daily and I ask God for it. Indeed the writer of the proverbs has a lot to say about wisdom, most importantly that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. hmm. The Amplified Bible states: The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight. Hmmm. And silver? Yes--silver linked with wisdom. In the second chapter of Proverbs, Solomon said of wisdom, "if you look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:4-5
'If you look. for. it. as. silver...' 'huh,' I thought, 'how is silver mined?' Suffice it to say, that silver is not come by easily. Job chapter 28 states, "There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man . . . He tunnels through the rock..." Interesting. All this talk of metals, recesses and darkness, and yet of course, wisdom is found in God, not in any mine.
But what did Solomon mean 'look for it as silver'? I have been pondering the question from Proverbs chapter two.
First of all, a person only looks for silver because it is of value... so we should highly value wisdom. Second, one should realize that wisdom is not easily obtained. While God is its source, he gives it to his children-------wait a second here--when my children ask me for something, I do whatever I can to give it to them. Our Heavenly Father certainly has a better heart than I do, so.... as his children, when we ASK and have FAITH, he will supply the wisdom we need. (James 1.5) God gives wisdom to his children when they look to his Word to understand and apply it, and God grants wisdom to us when we choose to trust him through the maturing processes of life's storms, knowing that a loving God is shaping us.
Back to the slopes in Park City. Several years ago, I took my youngest son, Danny, to visit his best friend, Cameron, who had moved to the town with his family. We drove by an old snow-covered silver mine, which drew my rapt attention. My friend told me of the time he had taken his children down into the mine on a tour. They took an elevator down, down into the recesses of the earth where it was, of course, pitch black, (save for their 'miner's helmets'), and then took open railcars along the floor of the mine beneath the town of Park City. Wow.
And that was what Solomon was talking about; those miners of yesteryear came to the area for those silver veins, rich in the Utah mountains. Think of it, they risked a lot to tunnel down to get that silver, especially the original pioneers.
I am wondering
~>Do you value wisdom enough to spend the time to mine it? ~>Do you value wisdom enough to dig for it? reading, studying and truly applying the deep treasures of God's Word--the only source that can be trusted for wisdom
~>Do you value wisdom enough to read the writing of great minds who have gone places your mind has never imagined? Think C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, J.I. Packer
~>Do you value wisdom enough to seek out the company of those who value wisdom and have experienced far more of life?
O, the treasure trove of wisdom found in the one living close to the heart of God!
Wisdom - treasure it, look for it like silver.
The wisdom of our God, a song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnzYnOe6kI
Christine
Proverbs 2 is replete with wisdom: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+2&version=ESV