Knowledge is a wonderful thing. I've never heard anyone complain that they have too much of it. In fact, just the opposite is true...we often wish we had gone further in school, or taken up a better-paying job, or had known more about investing and finances. We may even have a deep admiration for the doctor or lawyer or teacher because they are thought to have so much knowledge. But there can be a problem with having too much knowledge as well. For example, way back in the Garden of Eden, the Lord Himself wisely advised the first humans to avoid the tree in the center of the Garden, known as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In fact, He made it clear that to gain the knowledge that it offered would lead to spiritual death. And of course, we know how that turned out...and it's been a downer ever since! So it's critical for us to understand that knowledge is recommended to us so long as it's tempered...with wisdom.
Here's what we read in 1 Kings concerning Solomon and his wealth of knowledge...
Read 3.5-14...
But as we know, even Solomon couldn't handle the responsibility that comes with the gift of wisdom. In fact, we read the result of his arrogance in 11.9-12...(read). And we read in Is. 13.11 the judgement of God on such an attitude...”And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their sin; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the pride of the terrible.”
Humility is getting to be a lost art...so much so, that a truly humble person is hard to come by. A brother once told me of how he had mentioned to someone that he only knew three really humble people, and that someone wanted to know if he (the someone) was one of them. Humility is a rare commodity indeed! That same Solomon, in all his wisdom, recorded in Prov. 15.33 that...”The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” So, as always, we learn that absolute humility is absolutely required if we expect ever to have an absolute relationship with God.
Well let's see what James has to say on the matter...
Read 3.13-18...
Here we have James' thesis, and to begin with, he says in vs. 13 that wisdom and meekness are inseparable if one is to walk God's walk. And to further his argument, he states the obvious in vss. 14-16. And exactly what is James' point? Note that in vs. 15 he brings someone else into the equation. But what is the anti-thesis?
Read vss. 17,18...
Just look at the fruit that's borne on that God-vine...it's pure, peaceful, considerate, submissive, merciful and fruitful, impartial and sincere. And to top it off...”righteousness is the fruit produced in the one who sows peace”, the wisest and the most humble one of all...the peacemaker! But let's take a closer look at that other “one” whose shadow we detected in vs. 15. In the next chapter we can see his fingerprints all up and down the page, and a sticky lot they are, too...no humility to be found here...
-Read 4.1-5...
-fights and quarrels, the battle of self-will...vs. 1
-lust and covetousness, murder, fighting, poverty and ignorance of the grace of God, or even of the existence of God...vs. 2
-selfishness and self-fulfillment...vs. 3
-unfaithfulness to God...vs. 4
-poverty and disobedience of the scriptures...vs. 5
But...you know, there's always a “but”...God has His ways, and more often than not, it involves His grace, because as we read in vs. 6, we need more and more of that precious gifting every day! And if you really want to experience it at that rate, you need to brush up on your humility. But it doesn't stop there, either. In the next few vss. we have a list of seven recommendations from God through James, to help us along the way...
-first of all, humility requires submission to God, vs. 7(a);
-and submission to God requires resisting the devil, vs. 7(b);
-thirdly, get closer to God and you'll find He's closer to you, vs. 8(a);
-then if you sin, confess it and purify your heart, vs. 8(b);
-fifth, repent with tears rather than laugh it off, vs. 9;
-next, put your pride to death along with the rest of your sinful ways, and God will bless you for it, vs. 10;
-and finally, stop judging one another, because there is only one Judge, and He has the power to save or to destroy, according to His own righteous judgements, vss. 11-12!
Remember...”Who is a wise man and gifted with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good life his works with humility and wisdom.”
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