The Kids are Back in School!!

You can hear the mothers singing songs of joy all over the city, “The kids are back in school!” With school comes new clothes and new teachers, buses and football games, meeting new friends and seeing old ones again. In all the hubbub, though, it is well to remember that school is about acquiring knowledge. So, I would like to ponder upon “knowledge” for a moment with you.

God has much to say about knowledge. He says in Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The word “fear” in this verse means great respect, and the word “beginning” is translated as the first part or the choicest part of all knowledge, just like the filet mignon is the choicest of all the cuts of meat. A lot of knowledge is available today, even as there was when Proverbs was written. Still, a knowledge of God, who He is, what He has done, and a knowledge of the salvation He has made available to all mankind is the choicest part—cut of all knowledge.

But some would rather eat hot dogs. They will tell you, “We have the best of all.” In Jeremiah 4:22, it says: For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 says: “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge….” They devoured the wisdom of the day and threw the choicest cut to the dogs. Were they destroyed for a lack of knowledge of technology, computers, high-tech medicine, the intricacies of space exploration, or knowing the minute details of atomic structure? NO! They were destroyed for a lack of knowledge of God and His Word. So, the choice is not one to the exclusion of the other, but it is important that each type of knowledge is given its proper emphasis.

Everything has a proper order, also. For instance, first we learn that 2+2=4. Then over a period of time, years maybe, we begin to understand more about why this is so. The learner begins to understand even and odd numbers, number lines, integers, and other fundamental concepts, which leads to a deeper understanding of why 2+2=4. Then comes the development of wisdom—how to rightly use the information you have acquired. The same progression of learning, knowledge to understanding to wisdom, is also available from God.

Since we have God’s spirit born within us, is it possible that God could open our eyes to the knowledge we need to learn, secular or biblical? Could He give us understanding as to how and why things work? Could He show us by His spirit born within us how to rightly use the knowledge we have? Could He cause you to remember what you have been taught while you are taking a test? Might that improve your test scores above those of some of your classmates? Having a knowledge of God and His Word, and having His spirit born within, can be cool to think about.

You can see this in the records in Daniel. In these records, Judah had been carried off into captivity, and the captors, the Babylonians, were picking out the smartest ones to help run their government. Daniel 1:4: “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” They were looking for men with great knowledge of the world–the sciences, math, physics, law, etc. But four of the men had something the rest did not. These four had the choicest cut of knowledge, and they had God’s spirit upon them to give them understanding and wisdom. Verses 17,19, and 20: “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore, stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”

These four men had some excellent knowledge in the secular realm, and they had the choicest cut, the knowledge of God and His Word, close to their hearts. Because they believed God’s Word, He had placed His spirit upon them so that He could talk to them. This gave them a tap straight into the greatest fountain of all knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Knowledge can be a wonderful thing, especially when we keep everything in its proper place. For these men, their knowledge and love for God and His word were primary. In other words, they loved God with all their hearts first, and their knowledge of different fields was second. Then, as they listened to the still, small voice within, they gained the understanding and wisdom they needed to live, to serve, and to bless others in the day and time in which they lived.

Just as we don’t like to see our children miss school for fear they will fall behind their classmates in acquiring the knowledge of the day, it would be a sad thing, too, for anyone to miss an opportunity to acquire more knowledge about God and His Word, the choicest cut of all.