Kings Search Out the Matter

Proverbs 25:2 tells us, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” 

There is something significant about the language of this Scripture. Kings search out matters. They seek understanding, investigate, discern, ask questions and pursue wisdom. Spiritual maturity is not passive. God has given us His Word, His Spirit and access to Him through Christ, and we are invited to grow in our understanding of Him and His ways.

Searching begins with hunger. A person who believes they already know everything has little reason to search, but someone who desires to know God more continues to seek Him. We read His Word, study, pray, ask questions and listen. We allow the Holy Spirit to teach us. When we encounter something we do not understand, we do not have to rush to produce an answer. Sometimes wisdom simply acknowledges, I need to search this out.

Our hunger for understanding must remain grounded in truth. We do not search merely because we want to discover something new or unusual. We search because we want to know God and understand His ways. Scripture provides the foundation against which what we hear, believe and receive can be examined. This means learning to read Scripture carefully, considering context, comparing Scripture with Scripture and allowing the Word to challenge our assumptions. Sometimes searching out a matter will require us to reconsider something we previously believed. Truth must matter more to us than being right.

Searching also requires patience.

There can be a temptation to speak before we have understood, react before we have discerned, or declare before we have listened. Spiritual maturity teaches us that we do not have to respond immediately to everything. There are times when wisdom tells us to wait, pray, search Scripture, listen, ask God for understanding and gather what is necessary before responding. Reaction is not the same as discernment.

Discernment itself develops. Hebrews 5:14 describes mature believers whose senses have been trained through practice to discern good and evil. As we walk with God, remain in His Word and respond to His correction, we learn. We become less governed by immediate reactions and increasingly learn to ask better questions:

What is true?

What does Scripture establish?

What is God showing me?

What is my responsibility here? 

Maturity is not demonstrated by having an immediate answer to everything. Sometimes it is demonstrated by knowing when we still need understanding.

What we discover must also be stewarded. Not everything we learn needs to be spoken immediately, and not everything we discern is ours to announce. Sometimes God gives understanding so that we can pray. Sometimes it is so that we can change, prepare or help another person. At other times, what we have learned may eventually become something we are required to teach or speak.

Wisdom therefore asks not only, What do I know? but also, What am I supposed to do with what I know? 

Searching out a matter and faithfully stewarding what we discover belongs together.

Ultimately, our pursuit of truth is not simply about accumulating information. We are pursuing God. We want to know His character, His Word, His ways, His wisdom and His will. Because we are called to represent Him, knowing Him matters. We cannot accurately represent a God we do not know. This is why spiritually mature believers remain teachable. We remain hungry, continue searching Scripture, continue asking and listening, and remain willing to be corrected as our understanding grows.

Proverbs tells us that it is the glory of kings to search out a matter. Royal Priesthood therefore calls us beyond passive Christianity. We draw near to God, submit ourselves to Christ and pursue His wisdom so that we can represent Him faithfully. We do not rush simply because we have something to say. We search, discern, listen and learn. And when understanding comes, we steward it faithfully.

Kings search out the matter.