The Bible’s Testimony about Knowledge

Getting knowledge: The Bible teaches us that it’s important to get knowledge, to store up knowledge, to seek for it with more interest than we do the riches of the world. David and Solomon both prized knowledge, and God honored their requests. The job of teachers is to impart knowledge to their students. Only fools hate knowledge and avoid the divinely-appointed methods of getting it. Israel rejected knowledge to her own hurt, and the Pharisees took away the key to knowledge from those under their spiritual care and were condemned for it.

Benefits of knowledge: Knowledge leads to salvation; it gives us the information we need to know God, to know ourselves, to know the truth about our spiritual need, to know the way to Christ and how to take hold of him in faith. Knowledge also brings benefits to one’s life such as prudence, discernment, new life, the treasures of Heaven, justification, grace and peace, and godliness.

Disasters from a lack of knowledge: Israel turned away from the knowledge of God and suffered punishment many times, including defeat from her enemies, spiritual darkness, internal warfare, even rejection from God himself. A man without knowledge is a fool; a person who rejects knowledge is headed for trouble. Ignorant watchmen will unknowingly allow the enemy to come in and destroy the city. The Jews were destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. The Pharisees had the Jews bound up in blind legalism; they were so blind that they could not see the glory and hope in Jesus Christ — who was their God come in the flesh. Even Peter came dangerously close to serving the purposes of the devil in his ignorance; only by the prayer of Christ was he preserved from destruction.

Warnings about despising knowledge: Many people simply aren’t interested in getting knowledge, but a few actually despise knowledge and do their best to prevent others from getting knowledge. The Pharisees barred the gate to knowledge; false prophets led the Israelites away from the truth; the Devil misled Eve with a lie, and so all mankind fell into sin and death. Paul condemned the legalizers who deliberately led people away from the truth of the Gospel. Israel constantly rejected the knowledge that the Prophets proclaimed to her, and so brought upon her head a severe punishment in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Exile. The Jews crucified Christ to get him out of the way, even though he brought them knowledge that would save them — and so they brought upon themselves a terrible destruction at the hands of the Romans.