Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

(CSB)

Many years ago, I had a job that required visiting mine sites and conducting inventory.  On one such trip I visited a gold mine in Nevada that had a vain of gold so rich, visitors like myself could not even take a rock lying on the ground for the chances were, it contained Gold.  In fact, they had a practice of sifting through the slag pile of discarded rock and sand to insure they were not throwing away any of the precious ore. 

The craziness of this world that is on display daily on cable and network news, and the internet has one thing in common, it lacks wisdom and knowledge, leaving us lacking understanding of how things have gotten so out of hand.  Just acquiring knowledge is useless unless accompanied with understanding and wisdom in the application of knowledge in our daily lives.  Proverbs 9:10 provides biblical insight into this important process.

1)      Knowledge – According to Proverbs 9:10, knowledge is knowledge of the Holy One.  This knowledge begins with accepting Jesus as our savior.  However, this is the beginning of our knowledge of the Holy One and after our salvation, must continue with our learning more about Him through study of the Bible.  Jesus is our gateway to knowing God (John 14:6) for Jesus is God (John 1:1).  As Jesus reminded Philip in John 14:8-9, to see Him is to see God the Father. 

2)      Understanding – The very thought that God would come down to sinful humanity and not only live with them but also take on the death penalty for their sins is beyond our human understanding.  Agnosticism, derived from the Greek agnostos, believes understanding of God is impossible for humanity.  (1)  Left in this state, humanity would have no hope after the ascension of Christ for our source of knowledge and truth has left.  However, God does not want us to lack understanding of Him and His ways and is why God the Father sent the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascension (John 14:26, Acts 2:4).  This is a demonstration of the Trinity in action as God the Father becomes relatable to humanity through Jesus who cleanses us from sin, allowing individuals to have the Spirit of God with them and inside them (John 14:17).  However, focusing on the tongues part of Acts 2:4 causes us to miss the entire purpose of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, providing understanding. 

3)      Wisdom – Proverbs 9:10 teaches us that the gateway to wisdom is the fear of the Lord.  For those that do now know Jesus as their savior, this is a fear of judgment for sin (Romans 6:23).  However, once we accept Jesus as our savior, we no longer live under this fear of death in our sins for Jesus death has saved us and we have eternal life (Romans 10:9-10, John 3:16).  The fear spoken of in Proverbs 9:10 is a fear based upon the Holy One (Jesus) and understanding through the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom is practical application of this knowledge and understanding in our daily lives. 

Theology or learning abut God is not something reserved for those with degrees in theology but is something powerful when it occurs with ordinary people living in real circumstances.  (2)  Acquisition of theological knowledge through teaching and study coupled with understanding through the Holy Spirit opens the gateway to wise application of theology in one’s daily life.  Not only will this wise application enrich our lives but serves to demonstrate the power of God in our lives to those that have not accepted Jesus as their savior, creating a desire to know God through acceptance of Jesus as Savior. 

If you are reading this and have not accepted Jesus as your savior I invite you to do so now.  Romans 10:9-10 tells us that salvation comes through confession of Jesus as Lord coupled with the belief that God raised Him from the dead.  I invite you to pray with me now and make this confession,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I now encourage those that just accepted Jesus as their savior and those that already know Jesus as lord and Savior to diligently gain knowledge of God through teaching and study of the Bible, ask for understanding from the Holy Spirit that lives in us because of forgiveness of our sins through Jesus, wisely applying this knowledge in our daily lives.  This is our greatest treasure and one, unlike my restriction from taking a rock from the mine, available to all of us.  May God bless those reading this posting. 

1. Flew, Anthony Garrard Newton. Agnosticism. www.britannica.com. [Online] Encyclopedia Britannica. [Cited: June 9, 2018.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/agnosticism.

2. Doster, Richard. Practical Theology. byfaithonline.com. [Online] ByFaith, January 14, 2013. [Cited: June 9, 2018.] http://byfaithonline.com/practical-theology/.