The Severity of Knowing (2)
Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom, instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23:23 NASB
Buy/ get – The implication might be there, but the verb isn’t. You see, the “get” in this translation has been added. The Hebrew text just reads, “Buy truth, and do not sell it, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.” In other words, wisdom, instruction, and understanding (which we will examine later) are subsumed in buying (acquiring) the Truth. As Yeshua pointed out in a parable, if you buy the field, the pearl buried there is included.
Heschel makes an important observation about the biblical idea of truth. The word, of course, is ʾĕmet. It is not directly connected to “correct, factual representation.” It is about certainty, but not in the Greek sense of mathematical proof:
This very important concept in biblical doctrine gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of “faith” in contradistinction to the many popular concepts of the term. At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. And this is borne out by the nt definition of faith found in Heb 11:1.
The basic root idea is firmness or certainty. In the Qal it expresses the basic concept of support and is used in the sense of the strong arms of the parent supporting the helpless infant. The constancy involved in the verbal idea is further seen in that it occurs in the Qal only as a participle (expressing continuance). The idea of support is also seen in II Kgs 18:16, where it refers to pillars of support.[1]
Certainty in the Bible is an expression of relational reliance. Its focus is on the utter faithfulness of God. It is promise-keeping, not fact collection. This has important implications—and consequences—for our understanding of God and our responsibilities before Him:
In the Hebrew Bible there is no equation of God with any of His attributes, such as love, justice, or compassion. In Jewish liturgy (based on Jeremiah 10:10), however, the equation can be found: God is Truth. Love, justice, compassion are merely expressions of the Divine, not its highest manifestation. Truth is always with God. It is the mystery of being. Therefore, the way that always leads to God is Truth. Yet Truth is buried and remains hidden. In a world full of falsehood, Truth can survive only in concealment, for lies lie in wait everywhere. As soon as Truth is disclosed, it is surrounded by forces seeking to destroy it. Truth is not within man’s reach. It is only in God. It is a peak of insight. One must strain to attain it. There are no proofs to validate ultimate Truth, since perception and reason say one thing and Truth may reveal the opposite. The only alternative is to eliminate the self, to grow in faith. Faith is more perceptive than reason. . . . The test of Truth can take place only through the soul’s confrontation with God, in moments of disregard for self-regard, confronting oneself as one is confronted by God. The result is not an arbitrary private judgment. One is overcome by the certainty that to express God’s existence is like affirming the existence of other human beings.”[2]
If you struggle to find the Truth, you’re in the right place. If you hold on to God despite apparent rational contradictions, you are closer than you think. If you pursue what is hidden, you’re following the right path. But if you’re comfortable with what you believe, oh, I feel sorry for you. Fight it. God is to be found in the wilderness, not in the palace.
Topical Index: Truth, ʾĕmet, reliable, hidden, struggle, Proverbs 23:23
[1] Scott, J. B. (1999). 116 אָמַן. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 51). Moody Press.
[2] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, pp. 164-165.
