Proverbs 2:7
"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity"
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright
stores up
The word stores up in the Hebrew is the word saphan. It means to treasure up or to conceal with a definite purpose. God declares that if you are willing to search for the wisdom that you need and will not settle for the easy way or the wicked way, He has concealed stores of wisdom for you – in a sense, secret knowledge that others never find and may not comprehend. This could be both in this world and in the next. What will it be like to be invited into the storeroom of God's wisdom in heaven? Are you searching for those bundles of wisdom that God has hidden along the way in your life that bring a new sense of order and understanding to life?
sound wisdom
This word for wisdom is a seldom used word which carries with it the idea of very practical and profitable wisdom. The idea is that living a righteous life is rewarded by God with information that will be very practically helpful. There is practical, profitable information that is stored up for those who search for wisdom with a clean heart.
for the upright
The word literally means to go straight. It means that one does not have deceptiveness about one. It means that they are following the rules of God for life.
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity
He is a shield
The word shield is the Hebrew word magen which is used for the round light shield of the infantryman, not the heavy full frontal shield. Also the words "He is" are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied by the translators. While it is true that God is ultimately the shield, it may be a better translation to see the stored up, sound wisdom as the round shield protecting people who are in the midst of life as they seek to walk in integrity. If one does not find the shield, then one is not protected. If one does not use it, then one is not protected. If one does not have integrity, then one cannot put on this shield. It is often true that one of the greatest shields against destruction is to avoid temptation and sin. When one does not have to remember what they lied about or conceal unfaithfulness or hide what was stolen, then they have a protective shield keeping them from much harm.
walk in integrity
The Hebrew word is tom meaning completeness and wholeness. What you see is what you get. There is not a deceptive hidden part that is different from what you see. God is declaring to those who are willing to hear that it pays to search after God's wisdom. He has a hidden stash of very practical and profitable information for those who are willing to live an upright life. It does, at times, look like those who are cheating and stealing and lying are getting ahead; but they are not. This wisdom from God acts like a shield that protects the person from many of the problems of life.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz