Thank you for that very interesting question. Proverbs 23:23 instructs us to, “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”  From this verse, we get a sense of the value of truth.  We should seek to attain it at any cost!  It is so vital to the believer to know the Lord and to know about Him.  In fact, the Lord Jesus IS the truth as He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The Bible IS the truth. The Lord Jesus said to His Father in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is TRUTH.” By all means, we should buy, or attain, the truth…and once we have it, we should not let it go. 

Solomon gives us similar words in Proverbs 4:5, “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.”  We read in Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”  We read in Proverbs 16:16, “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”

Many more scripture verses point us to the same truth…we need to acquire truth, wisdom, understanding, and wisdom.  So…what is the price?  How can we pay God for His truth?

To answer that, let’s consider Isaiah 55:1, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk WITHOUT MONEY AND WITHOUT PRICE.”  That which the Lord desires of us cannot be measured in monetary values. In fact, the Lord considers our silver and gold to be of little value as we read in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, SUCH AS SILVER AND GOLD, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”  It is the PRECIOUS BLOOD of His own dear Son that the Lord values so greatly.  It is with the shedding of His blood on Calvary, we can be redeemed through faith in Him.

When we truly value God’s truth, we will be willing to pay for it.  We will be willing to spend time in God’s Word, dependent upon Himself, and give ourselves over to the truths He gives us.  We will be willing to give up the world and its glory so that we might be in the Lord’s presence and seek to glorify Him with our lives.  We will treasure His Word and make it part of our lives.  “I have treasured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11 – NASB).  The truth is worth far more than anything we can give in exchange for it.

Once we have gotten some of God’s precious truths, let us be so careful that we “sell it not” by becoming careless and uninterested in what the Lord says to us.  Value God’s words.  Realize that the Bible is God’s Word.  It is the Lord literally speaking to us in written format.  Proverbs 4:13 instructs us to, “Take fast hold of instruction; LET HER NOT GO: keep her; for she is thy life.”  We are warned in Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” 

The Lord longs for us to know Him more fully.  He longs for us to love and obey Him and His truth.  We read in Psalm 86:11, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”  May this be the song of our hearts.  (CC)  (558.4)