BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

One end time prophecy runs through my mind every time I travel to the airport, or pick up a newspaper and read the latest advance in information technology. "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel:12:4).

Anyone who travels often has to marvel at the mass of people traveling to every corner of the world every day of the week. One meets all most the same congestion be it at airport or bus terminals. "Many shall run to and fro."

Man's Desire for Knowledge

Man seems to have been created with an indiscriminate desire to know, and then given the challenge by God of channeling that desire as one of the character-building opportunities of life. God placed in the midst of the garden of Eden a tree which would impart knowledge-good and evil knowledge. You cannot help but wonder if its placement in the garden was to test man. After all, did not God say, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis:2:16-17

)? It is interesting to note that God never said the tree would make one wise, only that it was a tree of knowledge of good and evil. There is quite a difference.

Knowledge Not Equal to Wisdom

Solomon observed that an increase of knowledge was synonymous with an increase of sorrow (Ecclesiastes:1:18). I can attest to that as can most of you. If you follow the course of man's experience and God's instruction, you will find that knowledge comes in a poor third place to two greater acquisitions-understanding and wisdom (Proverbs:4:5,7; 16:16). All of us have seen someone somewhere that seems to be a walking encyclopedia, yet hasn't the common sense necessary to live a balanced and productive life, or the skills to get along with people. Raw academic knowledge, apart from understanding or wisdom, is of questionable value.

 

In studying the Bible one will notice that God was actually instructing the ancient Israel in their forty year period in the wilderness. God's words to Israel during this time period are often foundational, expressing the spirit or intent of His instruction to man. Notice the words God inspired Moses to speak to Israel in Deuteronomy:4:5-6
: "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'" The law of God is our wisdom and understanding. God's law defines conduct toward God and man, thereby giving instruction on how to use knowledge wisely.

David wrote in Psalm:111:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments." You will notice its praise is not for those who "know" (in the sense we use the term today) His commandments, but those who "do" His commandments. Knowing the way of God does not impart wisdom; doing the way of God imparts wisdom. This is so simple, yet so few grasp it!

What Is the Evidence of True Wisdom?

Knowledge is made evident by the outpouring of information. Watch any of the television quiz shows, you will see an endless parade of men and women who have knowledge, proven by their quick answers to a wide range of questions.

We have seen it once by direct statement,  how wisdom is made evident (Psalm:111:10) and once by inference (Deuteronomy:4:5-6

). We saw that doing the laws of God and living His teachings is wisdom. Have you ever considered that at times knowledge and wisdom actually war against each other? Sometimes a man or woman can be so consumed with their own pride in what they know that they become foolish. Paul spoke to this fact in more that one of his letters (Romans:1:21-22

, I Corinthians 1:20-27, 3:18-19). Wisdom is manifest not only in the doing of God's ways, but in a spirit or attitude of mind. Paul spent the better part of his writing to the church at Corinth letting them know he was not coming to them with this spirit of feigned wisdom.

The Wisdom of a Christian

The book of James contains one of the most profound descriptions of wisdom seen in New Testament teaching. It appears at the end of the chapter dealing with the control of the tongue. Through the tongue we transmit knowledge-good and evil, as has happened since the days of our parents Adam and Eve. James observes, "With it [the tongue] we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James:3:9-10

).

Following his comments about the tongue, James describes true wisdom: "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom" (James:3:13). Notice that practice, not knowledge, is still the true yardstick of godly wisdom.

So my dear friends, as you pray to God ask of understanding and wisdom.