Wednesday Bible Study- the add-tos, part 3

 

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

We are at the knowledge part of the equation, and I'm taking my usual 'different path' here.  I mean, the easy path is to examine the Bereans of Acts 17, or even go back to the admonitions of Moses in Deuteronomy 6 and 11.  But for me inspiration came in the form of the idea Proverbs has drilled into me: Father equals Knowledge, Jesus equals Understanding, Spirit equals Wisdom.  And when I pondered that, I felt God tell me, "Look at the first four times 'Knowledge' is used in Proverbs."  So here they are:

Pro 1:2  To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 

Pro 1:3  to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 

Pro 1:4  to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth-- 

Pro 1:5  Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance...

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 

Pro 1:20  Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 

Pro 1:21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 

Pro 1:22  "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? 

Pro 1:28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 

Pro 1:29  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 

Pro 1:30  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 

Pro 1:31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. 

So let's dig into this a bit.  First thing you notice is pretty clear: Some will seek knowledge, and some will hate it.  Look at that a bit closer.  It's not just that they won't SEEK it; they actively hate it, because Knowledge is God, and they apparently hate Him.  

At this point, I need to bring up the three kinds of unbelievers, mentioned here in 1:22.  The simple, who just don't know and can be turned by the Spirit;  The fool, who says in his heart, there is no God (Psalm 14:1), but truly knows somewhere deep that there IS a God, but despises the implications; and the scoffer, who just blows it off, like he does everything else.  The Spirit constantly calls out to the simple, and the scoffer can be turned by observing the stripes of the fool, but the fool... his self-interest, his psychological makeup, depends on telling himself AND everyone else there IS no God; hence, the 'Freedom From Religion Foundation' and their constant attacks on believers who mean them no harm.

Next thing I want to dig at are the 2 positives of the four, which I quickly simplified into the easy, "Hear and Fear."  Verse five says, "Let the wise HEAR and increase in Knowledge".  Verse 20 says the Spirit cries out on every street corner.  Knowledge of God IS available, and it is beneficial for "wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity", as well as prudence- all the things necessary to live a peaceful, productive, and happy life on earth are rolled up in knowing God.

But see, you have to FEAR the Lord first.  What does it mean to fear Him?  In the context, it's a step beyond respect; it's tied firmly to love; it's realizing the need for Him.  You cannot gain knowledge of God without this!  How many atheists I've argued with never get this:  You cannot read the Bible with a heart that hates God, and expect it to be anything but a book.  You have to have the relationship FIRST, and that means this type of fear.  Then it becomes a book that lives, and every reading is a chance to learn something you didn't see the time before.

One last thing on the subject before I close:  Verse 31.  Rejecting the word, hating God, can only lead one way.  When you make that choice in your heart, the Spirit will CUT YOU OFF.  You won't get that second chance.

Finally, I want to note a pattern I see growing here in this series of add-tos.  First was faith, a gift from God.  Then Came virtue, which we found you have to work on.  Next comes knowledge, which is another gift from God to those who are open to it.  Next up will be self-control- the ultimate in "You have to do this".  God gifts, we use.  Another simple way to look at this whole thing.