Knowledge is a good thing. It is good to know how thing work, ro understand physics and electricity,to study biology and ecology, to know history etc. Everyone loves a knowledgeable person….sometimes.
Adam and Eve saw a tree that would give them knowledge, and for whatever reason, even though they weren’t ready for knowledge, they chose to eat that apple. Whether it was an actual apple or a metaphor, the aftermath is the same. They thought they had a better path than God. The first thing they did… make clothes.which is why Men flinch at the sight of a clothing store, My guess is that Eve made several outfits and a handbag to go with each, Adam just grabbed a large leaf.
Knowledge empowers us. It emboldens us. It makes us feel like we are better. We treat knowledge as if we have moved forward toward some goal. When in fact all we are doing is understanding a bit more of how God created. We discover things that already exist, we understand things that are already in motion. We do so using brains that we didn’t create and still don’t understand.
Yet with each new breakthrough we think we are closer to being God. We think.. we can create life in a test tube, and we can cure sickness, we can grow better plants and harness the energy of the natural world. Once we do we will not.need God. People who are sick and helpless, they call to God. People with knowledge find there own solution.
From the Garden to the Cross, mankind amassed enough knowledge that they could organize a large society. Jesus brought something that knowledge doesn’t teach, wisdom.Wisdom says you can heal and God can heal, you are not God. You don’t know if healing is the right path. Wisdom says yes you can cut down a forest and build houses but wisdom says why do it in an area that floods. Wisdom says yes poor people cost society but Charity and Generosity make our world better place and are necessary to understand God. Wisdom says you are smart, but God is infinitely smarter.
I once was part of a team gathering donations for a food bank. A group of people would spend all day breaking down donated bags of food, organizing them and loading them into a truck. They were than driven to the food bank where they were carried again into a building and reorganized. It was not efficient. It was time consuming. I suggested that we just a accept money, purchase the food online and have it delivered to the food bank. No more Saturday work, no loading and sorting, no carrying. The older gentleman running the show just smiled. He than explained. When people go to the store, they picture a poor family in their mind and they buy food for that family. As they do so, they feel compassion and respond with Charity. When they drop that bag off they feel accomplished. When the volunteers who come here see the food they picture the family getting that food. They get encouraged by the Charity and now they are part of a group who has turned aside from their own lives and made the lives of the poor more important than some other cherished activity. Everyone involved is imitating God. Our God who has plenty to do turns aside and makes us feel special with a personal touch. When you pray and God hears your prayers, which He does regularly, He makes you feel special and loved. When people receive this food, they know that the people involved love them. Thatbis the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
Be warned though. Wisdom is learned through experience if you are not willing to accept it in writing. You can read the scripture Turn the other cheek, but when, given the opportunity to actually do so, you see the blessings that come from actuallybdoing it, you gain wisdom. Without the opportunity you are just moving on Faith and your Faith gives you Hope that God will bless your cheek turning. Wisdom is an action sport, Now I am sure God could make you wise. Solomon was wise, and he turned away from God. He ignored Wisdom for Lust. So even when you have Wisdom, your emotions will still tempt you to turn away.
Knowledge is great when used wisely. Knowledge is evil when used unwisely.
The musings of Peter 