5) Wisdom and knowledge

click the arrow to listen

To really appreciate the bible, we must read it in its historical context. The way they ran their societies was different, especially being patriarchal with arranged marriages and polygamy, for instance. There was no law enforcement body like our Police when crimes occurred. In fact, having a standing army was a late development because of the need to pay for it. Hence, we read about the call for volunteers to fight whenever there was a national crisis. Maybe the overriding influence on what is recorded in the bible is the fact that societies were agricultural. This explains so many of the illustrations which the bible uses and especially the parables of Jesus.

Without doing this, we will fail to appreciate the deeper principles of what the bible is revealing. If we read the bible through the lens of our modern social life, we shall not only misunderstand it, but also be confused or even inclined to reject it because what we read is so alien to our experience. For example, when we read the parable of the Sower, we can think that he wastes about 75% of his seed by sowing it on poor quality soil. But of course, they were not fools and would have been much more careful than that! Or take the exhortation of “husbands love your wives”: that is perhaps a bit ambiguous – is that one wife or multiple wives? But why ask the husband to love his wife when they married because they fell in love? Well, because these were more than likely marriages arranged by the parents, so love was something which had to be learned.

education

With that background in mind, we can think about wisdom and knowledge. The massive change in the West in the last century has been the changeover from an agriculturally based economy to a knowledge based one. This has been the result of technology and the need for employees to be well-trained. When I began school, children could leave when aged 13. This moved to 15; then when I was a teacher to 16, and now children need to be in some form of education until they are 18. So, knowledge dominates our world now. And as an aside, please understand that the people we meet through the bible did not lack intelligence just because they didn’t get a modern education. In fact, in some ways they were more intelligent than we are: the discipline of listening to someone speak for hours on end; the memory skills of recalling facts; and, in terms of this topic, to need to be wise.

Education has made modern people arrogant, especially when they make judgments on people in history. This is the pitfall of knowledge which comes through teaching, as opposed to knowledge which comes through the revelation of God’s wisdom. The apostle Paul had this to say about the pitfall of knowledge:

Now about food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

There are some deep things to understand here. I won’t go into the matter of food offered idols as it no longer applies today. But behind the problem he was seeking to address, is the same problem which we have today: knowledge can produce arrogance, whereas wisdom will produce humility and relationship with God. The knowledge to which Paul referred was responsible for making some Christians despise others. If you happen to be highly educated and intelligent, then do realise that you can easily fall into that trap. A trap which will create division amongst people and lead you away from God: anyone who creates divisions through arrogance, will experience God withdrawing His presence.

Knowledge

Paul could speak with confidence about these matters as he was an extremely well-educated and knowledgeable person. We do not need to despise education; we need to add wisdom to it for in God’s wisdom we come to know Him. There are two kinds of this knowledge of God. There is natural knowledge and there is spiritual knowledge.

Natural knowledge

The bible teaches that everyone can know God to some degree through His creation. Humble meditation upon the universe, our planet and the amazing gifts and abilities of humans will lead people to this natural knowledge. Paul wrote this:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

The arrogance of knowledge without wisdom seems to lead educated people to believe that the whole of creation could create itself from nothing. They are suppressing this natural knowledge in order to indulge in their own wilfulness. In fact, scientists are expected to ignore their natural response of awe as they investigate the creation. They are told this could adversely affect their analysis – but this awe is the instinct in humans to worship God as Creator! And anyone who does acknowledge God as Creator is likely to honour Him as such and discover His purpose through creation. Knowing these invisible qualities of God is the first step to knowing God at this invisible or spiritual level.

One way that arrogant people suppress this natural knowledge of God is by clever arguments. But cleverness is not wisdom. As we saw in the last topic, God’s response is this: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” People who do not embrace wisdom will be taken in by arguments coming from arrogant intelligence. Wisdom as revealed in God’s Word is our protection from such arguments; wisdom has spiritual power, as we read:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

We can defeat this suppression of wisdom by equipping ourselves with the Armour of God as we read in Ephesians 6. It is spiritual armour for spiritual warfare. We are not demolishing arguments by intelligence but by the wisdom found in God's Word.

Spiritual knowledge

Spiritual knowledge takes us further than natural knowledge. Natural knowledge takes us to the place where we believe in God. Spiritual knowledge takes us to the place where we know God intimately and spiritually. This can only happen when we are born again through the power of the Spirit. When we believe in Jesus and ask for Him to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, we can draw near to God and begin to know Him in this intimate way. This was the prayer that Jesus made before being crucified as a sacrifice for our sins:

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

Eternal life is spiritual knowledge of God through Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the wisdom behind creation: God is creating a people for Himself who know Him personally and who will live in His Kingdom with Him intimately for ever.

doxology

Paul was so excited by this truth that at the end of a very intellectually demanding passage of scripture he suddenly burst out in praise to God:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
‘Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counsellor?’
‘Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?’
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory for ever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

That is spiritual life; it is spiritual knowledge; it is eternal life. We were created to know God and to be part of His spiritual Kingdom. He reveals His wisdom to make this possible. On one occasion, Jesus also was carried away in praise like Paul:

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Luke 10:21)

We are born again as little children into the intimate knowledge of a Heavenly Father. The worldly wise are too proud to submit to being born again as little children.

I don’t want to give the impression that study and education are of no value. They can be of great value to the prosperity of God’s Kingdom provided they are in harmony with wisdom. Education will emphasise worldly wisdom and conformity to the world and its values. But by experiencing the renewing of our minds through the wisdom of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, we can avoid this happening. Paul explains:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Seek God’s will and His wisdom and your renewed mind will be able to use education to benefit God’s purposes.

Unspiritual knowledge

This change in the way our minds work must also change how we live our lives. The way of the world’s wisdom imparted knowledge that led us into sin which must be put off in this way:

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV)

The wisdom of God’s Word teaches us how to live a holy life. The key to this is the release of our minds from the world’s knowledge into the righteousness of God’s wisdom. When you are spiritually renewed in your thinking, you can be renewed in your living.

Indeed, there is false knowledge which pretends to be spiritual, but which is dangerously unspiritual and capable of destroying true faith. Paul warned Timothy about this:

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

This kind of false knowledge has come to be known as Gnosticism from the Greek word used here. It pretends to be a secret knowledge which only a few are able to comprehend. It is knowledge which is not open to challenge or reason. It is this secrecy which is so dangerous. The knowledge which wisdom brings is biblically based. It can be read about and reasoned over. It is open to all who will be humble enough to acknowledge their need of it; it is not just for the secret few. God does not wish to hide His wisdom but to reveal it. Jesus lived among us and taught openly so that we might understand. On the cross His arms were spread out to all that all might come to Him and receive. Secrecy is one way in which the truth about God is suppressed. This appeals to the arrogant and is protected by the slogan ‘no debate’! But true wisdom invites us all to receive the spiritual knowledge of God which brings us together in praise of our Creator.

listen

Let’s finish by allowing Proverbs to tell us why wisdom is so important:

for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning (Proverbs 1:2-5)