Proverbs 2.
The quest for the knowledge of God is like none other.
99% of Americans today, if asked, “Do you know God?” Would answer in the affirmative, but if they were asked to list His characteristics, His nature, His history most could not and those that did would most likely be speaking from hearsay or tradition not from any personal experience of their own or revelation from God.
To say that you know God and not know any of His word is a fallacy. To know The Word is to know the creator. For in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So while you can be aware of the fact that there is a God from his creation and you can even feel God at work in your life, you cannot truly know God lest you seek Him in His Word.
There is the knowledge of man and there is the knowledge of God. One can be learned the other can only be received by revelation.
Paul said that we should walk by faith and not by sight. What does it mean to “walk by sight”? To me walking by sight is living your life based on knowledge – the knowledge of man. The knowledge of man is lateral and one-dimensional. It cannot see tomorrow clearly or even remember yesterday unbiased. The knowledge of God is all encompassing for He is all and He is in all.
Knowledge did not have a very auspicious beginning in the Garden of Eden with the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. This is the Hebrew word “da’ath” and it means “perception, skill, discernment, understanding or wisdom”.
It is not that God did not wish for his creation to have knowledge but rather that it was that they reached out and took what was only God’s to give. Because later God said, “And I have filled him with the spirit of God; in wisdom, and in understanding, and in KNOWLEDGE, and in all manner of workmanship”, When knowledge comes from the spirit it is “good” when knowledge comes from flesh it is “evil”.
The Hebrew word “yada” means “to know, learn to know, to perceive, to see, find out and discern, to discriminate, distinguish, to know by experience, to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess, to consider, to be acquainted with, to know a person carnally, to know how, to be skillful in, to be made known, acquaintance, declare, reveal oneself”
It was the Hebrew children that had NO knowledge between good and evil that would go into the promise land and possess it. Because the generation that was supposed to possess the land walked by SIGHT and from what they had LEARNED and what they PRECIEVED, they CONSIDERED it too dangerous to go forth. They chose what they considered to be good over evil. In their human minds their children would be ‘prey’ to the giants of that land. (Deuteronomy 1). Because humans make decisions based on experience, perception, logic and emotion. God alone bases His decision on perfection, because God alone has all the data.
When Balaam prophesied of the coming of the Messiah in Numbers 24 he saw into that far future by the KNOWLEDGE of God – oh so different from the knowledge of man.
Even intelligence can be sought from God, like Solomon (the wisest of all men) did. That Hebrew word is “madda” and it means “knowledge, thought, place of knowledge, or thought.” Solomon specifically asked for the “knowledge” to rule the people and judge them and God granted him that and more.
The “good knowledge of God” according to 2 Chronicles 30:22 is what the Levites taught during the The Feast of Unleavend bread. This Hebrew word “sekel” means “prudence, good sense, insight, understanding, cunning, craft”.
Then there is a knowledge that belongs only to God and it is “too wonderful for me; it is high and I cannot attain it” said the psalmist.
But, in Proverbs we learn that the fear or reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and a fool despises wisdom. For the foolish hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord and would have none of the counsel of God but despised His reproof and when they will call on Him He will not answer, they will seek him but not find him. Proverbs 1.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and those that do His commandments have a good understanding.
If you seek wisdom like it is silver and search for it like a treasure that is hidden, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. The Lord gives wisdom and out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Then you will you understand righteousness, and judgment and equity and yes every good path. When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul discretion will save you and understanding will keep you.
There is an “understanding” that is necessary for true knowledge from God. Proverbs 14 says that a scorner seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easy to him that UNDERSTANDS.
Luke states that one must have his “understanding” opened in order to understand the scriptures. And in Ephesians Paul said that the “eyes” of your understanding need enlightened in order to know what is the hope of God’s calling and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance and when our understanding is darkened we are alienated from the life of God through ignorance and the blindness of our heart. Paul said he continually prayed that the church would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
This is a spiritual knowledge and understanding that can only come from God. The scriptures say that there is a “spirit of wisdom” and revelation - it is the Holy Spirit and without it you cannot have understanding and without understanding there can be no true knowledge. Paul said God gives by His spirit the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. The psalmist said that through the meditation of your heart comes understanding. When we are filled with the spirit of wisdom we can meditate upon that and receive understanding. . The Lord gives wisdom and out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Paul said he didn’t use the words that man’s wisdom teaches but what the Holy Ghost teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
The wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of man is easily distinguished. God’s wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle easily entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partially or hypocrisy, (James 3:17) while the wisdom of man is earthly, sensual, devilish, covetous, strifeful, confusing and evil. (James 3:15)
But, the promise of God is that if any lack wisdom let them ask and God will give liberally.
Solomon said that wisdom is a defense like money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the life of him who has it.
God said that his people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because they have rejected knowledge. But knowledge without God creates pride. Paul taught us to cast down our imaginations, and everything of pride that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
He said to have unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God is to be a perfect (or complete) man and to have reached your capacity of the fullness of Christ in you – the hope of glory. Because in Christ are hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. And when we are born again our new man is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us.
So Eve reached out to take for herself knowledge – of good and evil - when it was never hers to take. But, in the end when we receive the holy spirit of Christ in humility and ask of the Father he will give us knowledge and as we take this teaching to heart partaking of this “strong meat” we come into maturity and using the senses of our spirit we are now able to discern both good and evil.
