Spiritual Nuggets

9 January 2022 AM – Proverbs 2:1-9 – Bible Study – Scott Childs

Introduction: I went gold prospecting once. I am no expert, but I do know that to be successful in finding gold, you must have the right location, the right equipment, and plenty of perseverance.

Why do people go gold prospecting? While there may be many reasons, one of the main reasons is that gold is valuable.

Did you know that there are many priceless spiritual nuggets in the Bible? God says that they are better than choice silver and fine gold. They are better than rubies. They are more valuable than any hidden treasure. God’s spiritual nuggets never lose their value, and they will help you during every difficulty you will face in 2022. Read Pr 2:1-9.

Transition: The Bible is like a goldfield full of nuggets waiting for you to find them. Keep this in mind as we answer two questions about Proverbs 2:1-9 that will help you find spiritual nuggets this year.

1. What spiritual nuggets are buried in the Bible?

Solomon does not list every nugget, but he does identify three very valuable ones that God wants you to find.

The first spiritual nugget he identifies is in verse 5…

a.         The ability to understand the fear of the Lord.

1)         This is not urging us to fear God. Rather, it is the ability to understand the fear of the Lord. It is the ability to discern the character of God that deserves our fearful respect.

2)         God’s character is revealed in the pages of the Bible. Without the Bible, we could look at creation and realise that a greater being exists who designed and created all things (Rom 1:20), but we would have but a limited understanding of that God.

3)         The Bible reveals that God is infinite. He never changes. He is self-sufficient. He is all-powerful. He knows all things. He is everywhere at the same time. He is all-wise. He is faithful. He is holy. He is loving. He is just. He is merciful. He is forgiving and much more. God longs to have a close personal relationship with you. He made this possible through the sacrificial death of His son. All that the Bible reveals about God is like the tip of an iceberg – there is far more that we cannot yet discern.

4)         Understanding the fearful character of God is a priceless nugget. If you have received this great God as your Saviour and friend, and you stay close to Him every day, you have nothing to fear in 2022.

The second spiritual nugget he identifies is in verse 5…

b.         The ability to find the knowledge of God.

1)         The first nugget, to understand the fear of the Lord, was about God’s character, but I believe this second nugget is about the benefits of knowing God personally.

2)         Solomon describes for us these benefits in the following three verses (Pr 2:6-8). Remember, God is unlimited!

a)         Wisdom (i.e., the God-given ability to make right choices) comes from the Lord (v.6).

b)         Knowledge (i.e., discernment) and understanding (i.e., insight) for choices in life come from the Lord.

c)         God alone can give sound wisdom (i.e., wisdom that leads to practical success) to the righteous (v.7).

d)         God acts as a buckler or a protecting shield from danger to those who walk uprightly.

e)         God keeps or guards the paths of decision-making (v.8)

f)          He preserves or protects the course of life of His saints.

3)         You can only find this second nugget after you find the first nugget of understanding God’s character. Can you see the value of this spiritual nugget in knowing God personally? By this closeness to God, you gain the ability to make right choices, discernment, insight, wisdom that leads to practical success, a shield from danger, aid in making decisions, and protection through life’s journey.

4)         This is exactly what you are going to need during 2022! What a nugget!

The third spiritual nugget he identifies is in verse 9…

c.          The ability to discern God’s mind on life’s issues.

1)         This enables you to discern what is righteous. You will be able to know what is right based on God’s Word.

2)         This equips you to discern what is just or right in difficult choices.

3)         This enables you to discern equity or what is straight or level in this world of crookedness and deceit.

4)         This equips you to discern every good path. There are plenty of bad paths, but God wants to show you the good paths.

5)         You can only find this third nugget after you find the first two. We truly need this spiritual nugget! 2022 will be full of choices and decisions. If you possess this nugget, you will know what is right, what is just, what is straight, and which are the good paths. Without this nugget, you will falter and fail.

Can you see the priceless value of finding these three spiritual nuggets? They can help you immensely this year. This leads to the obvious question…

2.        How can YOU find these spiritual nuggets?

a.         You must have a desire to find them (v.1-2).

1)         Warren Wiersbe explains, “Obtaining spiritual wisdom isn’t a once-a-week hobby, it is the daily discipline of a lifetime. But in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, digests, and numerous ‘made easy’ books, many people are out of the habit of daily investing time and energy in digging deep into Scripture and learning wisdom from the Lord. Thanks to television, their attention span is brief; thanks to religious entertainment that passes for worship, their spiritual appetite is feeble and spiritual knowledge isn’t ‘pleasant to [their] soul’ (Prov. 2:10). It’s no wonder fewer and fewer people ‘take time to be holy’ and more and more people fall prey to the enemies that lurk along the way.” ^{Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, p. 401}

2)         Each of the treasured nuggets are available to you this year. Whether you find them or not depends on your desire. Note the words in verse 1, “if thou wilt”.

a)         If you will receive what God says,

b)         If you will hide God’s commands in your heart,

c)         If you incline your ear to hear God’s wisdom,

d)         If you apply your heart to get God’s understanding,

3)         God is not going to dump any of these spiritual nuggets in your lap. You must see their priceless value and passionately want them for your life. You must be willing to sacrifice and work to find them.

b.         You must spend time searching for them (v.3-4).

1)         Ask God to help you find them. Make this your heart’s passion.

a)         Cry after knowledge (v.3).

b)         Lift up your voice for understanding.

2)         Search the Bible for them.

a)         Seek these nuggets as if seeking silver (v.4).

b)         Search for them as for hid treasures.

3)         Let me suggest some practical tips.

a)         Follow a Bible reading schedule.

b)         Find a consistent time and place to read daily.

c)         Highlight, underline, look up words you do not understand, take notes.

d)         Refer to a quality Bible app or software that will define the original words for you. (See me for suggestions).

e)         Try using an audio Bible and follow along.

f)          Focus on one verse that spoke to your heart in your reading and write down an application from it that you need to work on in your life (use a diary, student diary, an exercise book, or software).

g)         Write down questions you have and let me help you find answers. Beware; YouTube answers may be wrong or misleading.

Conclusion: You are going to need God’s spiritual nuggets this year. You need to get to know God’s character better. If He is not yet your Saviour, that is where you need to begin. You need the benefit of knowing God intimately. You also need the discernment that only God can give you. Each of these is a nugget found in God’s Word. If you will passionately desire them and diligently seek for them, you will find them. If you need help, please come and see me.

Song: Have Thine Own Way – 388