We are living in a time when knowledge is easy to find and much easier to acquire. Technology has brought knowledge of every kind closer to man than ever. Surely we do not need all this vast body of knowledge. So it calls for discernment. We need to be selective while approaching knowledge. Daniel has prophesied about a time of knowledge explosion. ‘Many shall be running back and forth, and knowledge shall increase’ (Dan 12:4). Then people will consider knowledge as the most precious wealth on earth and they will sacrifice anything in its pursuit.
But what is knowledge? The Holy Bible says that it starts with the fear of the Lord ( Prov 1:7). It needs an intelligent mind to acquire knowledge (Pro 18:15). Too much of anything is bad and it is true in the case of knowledge also. Those who increase knowledge increase sorrow’ (Eccle.1:18) says the Scripture. So a line needs to be drawn. We don’t need all the knowledge in this world. Be content with the minimum level of knowledge that would sustain us. And selection of that knowledge is a work to be done diligently because once our selection goes wrong, it will be difficult to change track.
Knowing the Ultimate is the ultimate knowledge. And the wise yearned for this knowledge. They sacrificed everything in exchange for this precious treasure. Paul the apostle writes; ‘More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’ (Phil 3:8). He did not hesitate to regard everything else as mere rubbish when compared to the knowledge about Christ. He was a man of knowledge, a man educated strictly according to Jewish ancestral law by none other than Gamaliel (Acts 22:2). He had many things to boast of. Circumcised on the eighth day, belonging to the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin (one of the two tribes that remained in faith), a Hebrew born of Hebrews (as against Hellenist Jews who were influenced by Greek culture). He was a Pharisee, a strict adherent of Mosaic Law. A man consumed by zeal and blameless before law!
Yet he sacrificed all its benefits because he considered knowledge about Christ more valuable than them. His textbook has only one page and only one lesson and in it was written the name of Jesus Christ. When Paul started reading the textbook called Jesus Christ, he wrote: ‘For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified ( 1 Cor 2:2).
Paul, and many others like him, knew the value of knowing the Holy One (Pro 9:10). They were wise and it is wise to follow the wise. It is time to stop running here and there for knowledge. Remember that in Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 12:4) the word knowledge can also be translated as evil. So it is better to be satisfied with that knowledge which is truly essential for our life. Anything beyond that comes from evil, because too much knowledge is something that would surely drain the channels of grace flowing into our heart.
Let us pray for the Lord’s blessing to sacrifice our quest for this world’s knowledge in exchange for the divine knowledge of the Holy One.
