I feel as though I am a pretty smart fellow. I am an educator and have committed to lifelong learning. I am not satisfied with what I know and strive to not only have information that I can recall, but a depth of understanding that allows me to speak intelligently with others when subjects come up. All of that said, I still do not have the same or anywhere close to the same knowledge or depth of understanding as God.

“³³Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” – Romans 11:33 (ESV)

Back in early 2017 I wrote these words as I was studying the same verses above: “I spend a lot of time thinking about the immediate and how to handle the current adversity, when God is about 900 steps ahead. He has moved on, waiting on me to do my part. He has allowed me to decide for myself how to handle and it is my responsibility to work on catching up with him. Can we ever comprehend the wisdom of God?”

Oh how true they still are today. I will never reach the understanding and comprehension of God. He is so far ahead of me and He leads from there, encouraging me to continue moving forward with the plan to get there. I may have understanding and a depth of knowledge of certain topics, but God, He has a depth of knowledge and understanding of all things. I can only strive to reach that depth and fully know that I never will, and that I am okay with.

How much do you know? Are you one of those that knows it all? What if you surrender the idea of knowing all and accept that God’s knowledge and wisdom far exceeds anything we will reach?

The world is in a shambles. I think that we all know this and are wondering what to do about it and how it will be remedied. Well we should be looking to God’s Word for the answers to those questions.

As I read this morning I am reminded that the world has always been in shambles. But there have always been those that lived righteous lives. In Habakkuk chapter 2 we see in the beginning where the LORD speaks of the righteous and how they “shall live by His faith”. God tells that when we are doing work for and with Him that we will wait for Him and His answers to our prayers and questions as we do His work.

And then, God speaks of those that are less than righteous, which as I know is a large majority of the rest of the world. They will “take up their taunt against him”. They will not do as the LORD commands, in fact they will largely do the opposite and work against Him. Reading in Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 6 through 20 we see that there are the many things that were/are done in direct contradiction to the LORD. But, there are verses that point to the glory of the LORD.

“¹⁴For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. ²⁰But the LORD is in his holey temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” – Habakkuk 2:14 & 20 (ESV)

We are made aware of the glory of the LORD, if we would only look out for it. His glory is all around us. If only we would accept His salvation and live our lives to His glory only, we will be a part of the righteous and “live by his faith”.

I am not saying here that I am a righteous man by any means, as I am still learning and growing in my faith even as I reach 36 years saved. I am working each day to do the will of God and follow His lead in my life. But, I know that the glory of the LORD and how when I seek it out, I will live by faith in Him.

What are living by? Are you seeking the glory of the LORD? What if you read and studied to know and live for the glory of the LORD?

“⁹They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” – Isaiah 11:9 (ESV)

Notice in the verse above that “they shall not hurt or destroy”. I see that written and think of all of those that are against me. I then think of what can be done to make sure that I am protected against such destruction. And then I read the verses above that one and see the whole truth.

“⁶The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷The cow and the bear shall graze; their your shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand of the adder’s den.” – Isaiah 11:6-8 (ESV)

Now I see the whole story being told. We live in harmony with all, even those that want to destroy us. As such we find peace with them and are able to love and live together in this world.

I know that there will always be those out there looking to hurt and destroy me. But, even though they are, that does not mean that I should. I live by the LORD and with that I love all. My knowledge of the LORD provides me with the understanding that all are here for God’s glory, even if they don’t know it. I am the one that drives harmony in the world, knowing that God will protect me against the persecution that is contrary to His plan for me in this world. I am to use my knowledge to drive harmony.

Are you able to live and work with those that are out to “get you”? What have you done to turn the tables and live in harmony? What if you were to use your knowledge of Christ and understand the reasons for their persecution, forgive them and drive the harmony in the world?

Knowledge is for all of me. Not just my head and heart and body, but in my soul as well. I am always looking for ways to increase my knowledge and understanding and the verse I was brought to this morning helps me to understand how.

“²Desire without knowledge is not good,” – Proverbs 19:2a (ESV)

I know what you may be thinking, where is there discussion about knowledge and the soul. Well, where is it that real desire is found, in the soul. In my ESV Bible, there is a note tied to the word desire that indicates the meaning is “a soul”. The soul is where we find the true desire. Deep down it is that we find ourselves wanting for things and it is deep down in the soul that we need to make sure and have the knowledge to make the right decisions and choices related to those wants.

I am grateful to have information beyond what is written in the verses that helps to explain things to me therefore allowing me to gain in knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is where I find the meaning behind things. For me as I continue to grow it is important for me to look out for my desires. I have to think about my soul and are the desires I have truly worth all of the effort I am putting into them. Do I really “need” that new car? What about that new TV, or computer?

It is for me to sift through the desires and use the knowledge of needs that God will provide for. Again I use the word “need” to describe that which I should think about for my soul. When I do, I take the time to dig into understanding and that is where the knowledge comes to the forefront. Knowledge is not just for the head, the body, and the heart, but also for the soul.

What is it that you desire? Are you looking at the depths of your soul for your needs? What if you were to dig into your soul for knowledge?

Over the years I have worked on my emotional intelligence to display a more even demeanor as I interact with others. I have read on the topic and spent time to consciously control my actions.

“²⁷Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. ²⁸Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” – Proverbs 17:27-28 (ESV)

Here I see the introduction of emotional intelligence. This comes way before what is considered its discovery. God’s Word once again proves to be the instruction manual that we should be using to get through this world.

I know that controlling our emotions is not the easiest thing to accomplish. Even with all of the study that I have done and the work that I have put in, I still struggle daily with putting on the right face for others to see. It is important for me to remember where to go for the help needed for control, God’s Word. I am in God’s Word daily and with my time there I have the ability to see and understand what is needed to be in more control.

Here in the verses I was brought to study today, I have found more evidence of the knowledge to get along in this world. Emotional intelligence is there for us all, and even the “fool” can and will demonstrate knowledge and intelligence with the control of emotions.

How is it that you react in those emotional moments? Are you looking to God’s Word for guidance? What if you searched and controlled your emotions, would you demonstrate knowledge and intelligence?

I have been studying the word “knowledge” for a few weeks now and have been drawn to the idea that knowledge is in the head. Whereas that is true and we use our brains to demonstrate knowledge in the eyes of those around us, it is in the heart that knowledge is really manifest.

“¹⁴The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. ⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. ²⁸The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” – Proverbs 15:14, 7, & 28 (ESV)

Yes, these verses seem to be out of order in the scheme of things, but really look at how I have captured them. First there is the heart seeking knowledge, then I see that the heart of fools does not work in knowledge, and finally that heart with knowledge, chooses carefully the words to speak to others. With this approach, it seems to me to be more in the right order for my understanding. And as noted in verse 14, my understanding of heart seeks knowledge.

I am not smarter than you, I only seek to understand and that gives me a bit more depth of insight and knowledge. I hope that my words drive you to the Word of God so that you are able to dive in and gain more depth of understanding.

When you are looking at learning, are you looking at your heart for understanding? Are you seeking to know with your heart and not just your head? What if you were to have the heart of understanding and knowledge and not just the head for it?

We live in a world where information is at our fingertips, and frankly I believe that information availability has contributed to a lack of real knowledge in the world.

I am, as I have mentioned many times, a proponent of gaining true knowledge and that comes from the study of and depth of understanding related to what it is you are looking at. Just taking the first bit of information as that which is correct is irresponsible. Aarron, my youngest son is currently taking a statistics class and is learning how something can be manipulated to tell the story wanted. With information, the ability to include and exclude information allows the story you want to be told so as to demonstrate your “intelligence” with regard to the subject. The problem is that your “intelligence” is based on limited or select information.

“¹⁶In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.” – Proverbs 13:16 (ESV)

Knowledge is based on depth of understanding and not simply on the information you have at your fingertips. Anyone can look up data that will tell the story they are wanting to see. It takes a true man/woman of understanding to put their own biases aside and look for the truth. The idea that one person is right and another is wrong is likely way too far from the truth. The reality is that both are correct based on the information they have. Where the real truth is revealed is when the two get together, share their information with one another and dissect that information to find the real truth, which is likely somewhere in the middle of all of the information.

I have been in education for some time now and in that time have not been afraid of learning and understanding the full story. During my time I have asked for and accepted other perspectives and on a number of occasions have pressed to get something changed based on new information that was gathered and learned. It is important to put my own biases aside to learn the truth and get to the root of the information so as to be well informed with true knowledge in everything.

What information have you accepted blindly as being correct? Are you willing to look at other information that may challenge what you know? What if you were to look at everything with a curiosity to gain real knowledge?

“¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” – Proverbs 12:1 (ESV)

I studied the word “discipline” back in 2019 and in that time was reminded that discipline is not really punishment that we seem to attribute it to. It is more about dedication and stick-to-itiveness than being “punished”. It is the self accountability to learn and grow.

This morning I got back to my bible study. The reason for my 2 week hiatus is not the focus here, but the fact that I am back to the learning and growing through discipline is. I want to learn from God and for that I will be rewarded with the knowledge He has for me. I cannot and will not expect more than He has for me, but I have to remain disciplined to gain from Him what it is He has for me.

Sticking with it is where we get the bulk of our knowledge. We cannot expect to read something and know all about it. It will take time to experience the information to truly gain in the knowledge category. It is that experience and the self accountability to dig in and know that makes all the difference.

What does it look like in your gaining of knowledge? Are you dedicated to digging in or just with capturing the information? What if you were to really focus on your discipline to gain knowledge?

Knowledge starts with God as I have written about. That knowledge starts as something that is much more simple than just implanting of it in the heart and mind.

“⁸The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” – Proverbs 10:8 (ESV)

There is a beginning where information or commandment is presented and then it is my duty to receive it. At the time, the information or commandment is presented, I may not know where it will apply or if it is even for the now. God provides what we need, when we need it, and that is why it is important for me to receive it and store it away for use when needed.

“¹⁴The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool brings ruin near.” – Proverbs 10:14 (ESV)

Thanks to God for providing that which I need and giving me the wisdom to know where to store it for future use. I know that I may not always be able to recall that which I received, however, I have it and upon later reflection will realize that knowledge was there all along.

It is my job to receive and then store away all of the information and study it to understand. As I more deeply understand, I will be more able to recall and use the knowledge given.

When you receive information, what are you doing with it? Are you using it now and forgetting about it later? What if you were to store it up and study it to understand so that you could more easily recall when needed?

“⁷The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

It is pretty clear here in Proverbs where knowledge starts. I have studied wisdom, fear, and beginning and during those studies was brought to this verse. “Fear of the LORD” is our reverence and commitment to Him. Having reverence and commitment to the Lord is the place to start in our knowledge quest. I am not able to proceed and gain the knowledge that I am looking for without first fearing the LORD.

In the commentary from my ESV Bible this is what is written relating to knowledge and wisdom: “’knowledge’ tends to focus on correct understanding of the world and oneself as creatures of the magnificent and loving God, while ‘wisdom’ is the acquired skill of applying that knowledge rightly,”. So they are related to one another and not one and the same thing, but later in the commentary for the same verse 7 I find the beginning or start of knowledge and wisdom attainment: “submission to the Lord is foundational to the attainment of real understanding.”

I continue to strive to gain knowledge and wisdom each day and as such work to remember where to start, well Trevor, it start with the “fear of the LORD”.

Where are you looking to find knowledge? Are you finding real understanding? What if you started with having that reverence for God and the “fear of the LORD” as you begin your search?