Proverbs 19:8 “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.”
Relate: “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” While the premise of this is true, there are few Christian clichés as annoying to me as this one. I don’t know how often I have seen it used as a license for idiocy. Another one that is right up there is, “The only book I need to read is the Bible.” The way I see it, if I’m really reading the Bible, it would compel me to read other books as well. After all, I would want to be just like the heroes of faith I find in there, right? Moses had a sharp legal mind and had been trained by the best tutors the world could offer. David was a literary genius and his poems and songs are still very widely read and appreciated today. The above proverb is one of the many collected and shared by his son. Many of the old Testament prophets were also historians whose historical works have survived to this day. They didn’t just write, though, they also read and referenced the works of others that have not survived. The writer of most of the New Testament had a classical education, and used it to good effect not just in his writing, but also in his witnessing. John was well versed in the contemporary social issues of his day. These men knew God first and foremost, but they also knew the world around them.
The whole umbrella of the law is summed up in two commandments: Love God. Love others. If I love God, wouldn’t I want to know everything about Him? Wouldn’t one of the ways I can do that be to learn everything about what he has made? And if I love others wouldn’t I try to strive to know everything about the world they are a part of and that has made them a part of who they are? It is not knowledge vs. faith. It isn’t even science vs. religion. Part of our faith is seeking out knowledge. Part of religion is an understanding of science. To say something like “God said it, I believe it, that settles it” as an excuse to keep your head buried in the sand is, in my opinion, proof that you really only love yourself.
Request: God help me to know you more. Help me to know your world and your children better. Help me to seek out wisdom and understanding and not run from it.
