656_Treasures worth keeping (Proverbs 23:23)
Proverbs 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
A famous diamond was displayed in a museum. Visitors would walk past it every day, pausing for a moment before moving on. One day a jeweler came to see it. He stood in front of it for a long time, admiring its brilliance and clarity. When someone asked him why he spent so much time looking at it, he replied, “Most people see only a diamond. I see its true value.”
Those who understood its worth lingered; those who did not walked on.
In many ways, truth is like that diamond. God’s Word shines with the truth of eternal value, yet many pass by without recognizing its worth. Others admire it briefly but move on because the cost of holding on to it seems too high. The book of Proverbs reminds us that truth is not something to be treated casually. It is a treasure that must be pursued, obtained, and guarded with determination. Proverbs 23:23 says, “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”
Of course, the writer is not suggesting that truth can literally be purchased with money. Rather, “buying” truth means making the effort, sacrifice, and commitment necessary to obtain it. Truth often seems like a costly commodity. Discovering what is real and right may require time, study, reflection, and sometimes even personal sacrifice. Yet the journey is worth every effort, because truth ultimately leads to freedom and life.
The Bible consistently warns us that the enemy of our souls aims to keep us from knowing the truth about the most important realities of life: the truth about God, about human nature, about good and evil, and about divine judgment. Satan is described as a liar and the father of lies. His strategy has always been to confuse, deceive, and mislead humanity through futile arguments, distractions, and false ideas.
The pursuit of truth requires effort to read and understand the holy scriptures, to meditate on them day and night, to learn the will of God and realize our own weakness. It requires humility to accept corrections when we are wrong. It may involve giving up comfort, pride, or popularity in cleaving to the right. There are moments when the cost of embracing truth feels heavy. Yet those who truly seek it discover that its value far outweighs the price.
The most fundamental aspect of this pursuit is that we must love the truth. As the Lord said, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Without this love, people will readily fall into deception because they refuse to love the truth and therefore cannot be saved.
It was not information or knowledge that they lacked. Rather, they refused to love the truth. Such people will not be convinced even by the clearest evidence. Therefore the psalmist prayed, “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” God desires truth in the very depths of our hearts, where motive and attitude arise.
Truth is worth infinitely more than material possessions because it is the very stamp of God’s presence, just like love and holiness. It gives lasting meaning to life. A wise person therefore invests energy and time, and gives up much to discover what is right and real.
But the proverb not only tells us to “buy truth”; it also warns us, “do not sell it.” Once truth is gained, it must never be traded away. People “sell the truth” whenever they compromise their convictions for money or power. Others abandon their principles simply to please those around them. Some ignore what they know is right to continue their search for convenience, acceptance, or success. In these moments truth is exchanged for temporary advantages that ultimately prove empty.
Jesus spoke about this danger in very strong terms. He asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” When a person abandons truth in order to gain the world, he loses the chance to live in God’s approval and to enjoy the smile of his love, giving up the eternal welfare of his own soul.
Wisdom is the ability to live according to the truth of God. It is not merely knowing what is right but living according to that knowledge. Wisdom involves discernment when making decisions, moral judgment when facing difficult choices, and the humility to fear God. Knowledge informs the mind, but wisdom directs life. A person may know many facts, yet make foolish choices without wisdom. God therefore invites us to pursue wisdom and be guided by his truth in daily life.
The proverb also tells us to buy instruction. Instruction refers to teaching and training in practical good. This may involve discipline, and correction. None of us naturally enjoys being corrected, yet it is one of the primary ways God shapes our character. Growth requires that we listen to our guides—teachers, mentors, parents, and spiritual leaders. It requires openness to correction and the willingness to develop self-discipline by learning our lesson from uncomfortable experience.
Alongside wisdom and instruction comes understanding. Understanding is the deeper insight that helps us grasp why things matter and how they fit together. It moves beyond facts to seeing meaning, causes, and relationships between ideas. Understanding allows us to see life from God’s perspective.
All of these—truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding—are spiritual riches that shape a person’s character and determine the direction of his life.
The Lord Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Truth is not a concept or a set of ideas; it is the truth about God, fully revealed in Christ Himself.
The apostle Paul understood this when he wrote that he considered everything else as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. For His sake he had suffered the loss of many things, yet he counted them as nothing so that he might gain Christ. Nothing else was worth the price of wisdom gained through Jesus Christ.
Near the end of his ministry he said that he did not consider his life precious to himself if only he might finish his course and the ministry he had received from the Lord—to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. For Paul, the truth of Christ was worth more than comfort, reputation, or even life itself.
In a world where opinions constantly change and values are often traded for convenience, this proverb calls us to love truth deeply, pursue it diligently, and hold on to it courageously.
Let us therefore take this proverb to heart. Let us meditate on His Word, learn and reflect, and accept correction when necessary. This journey leads us closer and closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the embodiment of truth and the true treasure.
And once we have found that treasure, let us never exchange it for anything—not for comfort, not for approval, not even for our own lives. For those who hold firmly to the truth of God will one day rejoice on the right side of eternity.
It is indeed a treasure worth keeping. God bless.
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