Day 103, Year 1

Do You Accumulate or Forget Knowledge?

“Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.” (Proverbs 10:14 NASB)

The word “knowledge” in the above in Hebrew, da’ath, also denotes “understanding, discernment, or skill.” Accumulating knowledge is one of the essential requirements for becoming a wise person. If we carefully examine the Israelites’ perspective on knowledge, there are two other characteristics in addition to understanding divine knowledge: discernment and skills.

First, Israelites pursue knowledge that can discern good from evil, right from wrong, noble from disgraceful, and precious from worthless, etc. From a young age, people start learning to distinguish various things. After believing in the Lord Jesus, believers, regardless of age, need to use the Bible’s teachings to discern our beliefs and values, as what we previously thought was right might now be wrong. This process of examining our inner values and judgements of right and wrong based on the scriptures is a must for genuine repentance. The more comprehensive and thorough this examination is, the deeper our repentance will be. Without deep repentance, people are prone to give up halfway, as the evil in them will seize the opportunity to attack and shatter their initial faith. Thus, naturally, everything we see as important and at the core of our lives must be scrutinized and even changed by God’s words.

Second, the knowledge emphasized in the Bible is practical and often skill-oriented. This practical knowledge facilitates effective and efficient work, extending to the excellence of Christian faith. In reality, your life is a testing ground—when the knowledge of faith reaches your heart, see if you can put it into practice and observe the results. Of course, some knowledge might not be immediately applicable, not necessarily because it is problematic. Still, perhaps the timing is not correct, or it might not be suitable only for you personally. For example, the Bible discusses the criteria of being a leader. But if you are a new believer, this knowledge is not likely for you at the moment. Anyway, biblical knowledge empowers you to find and resolve various problems more effectively. 

“With the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand,” as mistakes or harmful knowledge of the fools spew to their own destruction. In other words, they are ruining themselves by accumulating and using bad knowledge. Anyone who has experienced harm caused by others could attest to this truth. In contrast, readers could note how God’s abundant blessings are on the wise who accumulate and practice His knowledge.

Reflection questions:

1) Have you ever used the Bible to discern and adjust your inner values? If so, how do you feel?

2) Over the past hundred-plus days of studying different verses, have you simply read and forgotten them or borne them in mind and applied them? If you are forgetful, how would you rely on the Lord to overcome it?