Lack of Knowledge
I don’t profess to be immensely intelligent. Why, I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to having smarts, I’m not “the sharpest knife in the drawer,” “the fastest car on the track,” or “the brightest bulb in the chandelier.”
As a matter of fact, most of these days when I have to deal mentally with my teenage son, I often feel like I’m the idiot some village has been missing.
Though I may not be very smart in many areas requiring a significantly large capacity of intellectual prowess, I am grateful for the fact that I do not have a “lack of knowledge.”
Now, if what I just said which you just read sounded somewhat contradictory…if what I penned herein appears to be a conundrum or an enigma…if what I, an admittedly “not very smart” individual just confused you via my rhetorical renderings; please know and understand that I did it intentionally…I wanted to get you thinking…
In the Biblical Old Testament book of Hosea, God tells the title prophet that His chosen people (the Israelite nation) “are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6, KJV)
Throughout much of my new life as a Christian, I had heard this particular verse preached and taught from primarily from a perspective that concentrated solely on the word “knowledge.” In light of this, these preaching and teaching sessions I experienced related that the verse meant that God’s people (today) are in “destroyed” (ruined, in peril, and just in all-around bad shape) because we aren’t smart.
But in my ongoing study of God’s Holy Word, I’ve learned that the word “knowledge” in Hosea 4:6 doesn’t have the same meaning associated with intellect, mental acuity, smarts, etc. When God tells the prophet that His people are destroyed for “lack of knowledge,” God is actually conveying that His people are completely ruined due to a lack of a relationship with Him.
When the Bible states that “Adam knew his wife…” (Genesis 4:1, KJV) and conveys that Joseph “knew her (Mary) not till she had brought forth her firstborn son (Jesus)…” (Matthew 1:25, KJV), informational awareness and research was not what was being referenced there. On the contrary, what was being referenced in these passages of Scripture were relationships of intimacy, not mental “knowledge.” I can identify because when I finally got to “know” my wife, we had kids shortly afterward…
God wants His creation of all mankind to have a relationship with Him. In the fullness of disclosure, God wants all of mankind to have an intimate relationship with Him. He wants all to “know” Him in a way that supersedes mere head knowledge.
I’m not implying that He doesn’t want people to know Him with our understanding and intellect by studying His Word, but when we know Him intimately and up close and personal-like, mind-smarts about Him is gravy on the potatoes.
So, God and I invite you to begin and develop a relationship with your Creator. Get to know Him intimately.
There’s no guarantee you’ll be a whole lot smarter, but you most assuredly will not “be destroyed” because of a “lack of knowledge.”
Copyright © Paul Schneidmill 2008 All Rights Reserved