Proverbs 23:23 instructs us to “Buy the truth, and do not sell it.”
This is not a verse that just says, “Read your bible” in a more poetic fashion. Rather, it refers to the maelstrom of opinions and theories and “facts” that are being thrown at you as you try to navigate the big scary world. As you are living your life, you are building and furnishing a house and it will either be founded on Christ’s work and commands or on shifting relativism and arbitrary convictions: rock or sand. It can either be filled with treasures that will bless you and your family for generations, or it can be outfitted from Walmart.
You will only know which truth to buy if you have spent a lot of time with truths and truth tellers and truth lovers. So do that. Meditate on the word and find people who love the word and try to be like them. Study the feel and weight of truth in your metaphorical hand, and then take that knowledge and experience with you everywhere you go. And when someone peddling particleboard as quartersawn white oak tries to snooker you, you can just chuckle and keep walking.
And as you begin to learn to recognize truth in its various settings, you will then need to acquire them. This means reading widely and consistently. It means securing education for your children. It means applying the truths you have encountered, wearing them so that they fit your hand. It means diligently submitting to the preached word on the Lord’s Day. Unless you are grounded and submissive to the unerring word of God, your house will wash away and your goods will tarnish and crumble.
You will be pressured constantly to sell the truth or to let it get lost in the mix of facts and opinions. So hold fast to it. Don’t move with the times. Refuse to compromise the truth for the sake of ease or convenience. Here’s a really practical example: tell the truth to your children and to your wife. We are often too lazy to be truthful in our explanations and discipline. Do not sell the truth in exchange for ease.
Joshua Edgren – October 15, 2023
