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St. Paul School of Leadership & Discipleship Lesson 228 - THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE (Proverbs: The “Get Smart Book”) By Frank Eiklor and the Shalom Team “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
Knowledge! The 20th century saw the word as a replacement for God. And many of those who loved the Lord did not escape the clutches of that powerful force – “knowledge.” Webster defines knowledge as ‘the act, fact, or state of knowing…all that has been perceived or grasped by the mind.”
But the question remains: knowing what? There is a human knowledge, much of it useful in life, which leads to diplomas, degrees and doctorates. But without that supernatural knowledge that comes from faith in God, human knowledge can be destructive because it takes the place of God. That’s why Paul stated that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (I Corinthians 8:1)
Today’s professors would appear as kindergartners in the face of Solomon’s knowledge. But the wisest of men knew that unless the reverential fear of the Lord was the foundation of life, the house of knowledge would be of no eternal value and would ultimately disintegrate. That’s why God tells us that virtue must precede knowledge, and temperance self-control) must follow. (2 Peter 1:5-7) The glory of God – not the glory of self – must be the motivation behind all learning.
While it is true that today’s Church is worldly smart with the best educated pastor, full circle ministries and highest available technology, we are often spiritually dumb as deception reigns supreme concerning the attributes of real knowledge in morals, in priorities (knowledge of the Word and energy put into the eternal), brevity of life, scriptural literacy, and humility that brings discernment and sound spiritual judgment.
A healthy fear of the Lord will keep your mind humble as you learn, and your courses and books in line with what God approves.
My prayer: “Father, Your Word proves that those who reverently feared You passed the test of life. I want that true knowledge that comes only from You.” "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1) Related Articles · More Articles Jesus said many would come in His name and deceive the hearts of the simple, sinful and proud. Eastern mysticism and meditation is a big thing in the gullible West. And one day a “world leader” will appear on the scene with the persuasion of a god and the heart of a devil. Jesus warns His children to know the Scriptures, live in obedience to the Father’s will, and stay alert to the signs of the times. They laugh no more. Now God’s description of how He will destroy the old earth and create a
new one makes perfect sense. The splitting of the atom turned many skeptics into believers.
After all, look what man himself is capable of doing with the atom and hydrogen bombs. Now
the fear is that nuclear weapons are being placed in the hands of madmen who wish to annihilate
their enemies. God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word “EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all! |
