UNDERSTANDING – THE UNDER-RATED EMERALD

  
It is said, “We cannot have knowledge and understanding of what is really important?” If so, then faith is blind, but not according to the Bible: 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true.

This verse is not saying, “We can only guess about God but rather to know Him. This enables us to boast about our precious Savior: Jeremiah 9:23–24 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Worship also require truth:  John 4:21-24 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

In contrast to the skeptics, the Bible affirms the reality of the assurance of the truth: Colossians 2:2–4 [Paul labored] that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 

For the Christian, these assurances are treasures: 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him…

What treasures?—the assured knowledge that we are beloved, forgiven, and freed from the self-deceptions and sins that have held us captive. These are also packaged together with meaning, purpose, wisdom, and humility. They are a package-deal: Daniel 10:11-12 And he [Angel Gabriel] said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” 

We also find that the knowledge the truth penetrates into spiritual matters. It is also wed to the wisdom and faith of a Roman who had asked Jesus to heal his servant: Matthew 8:8–12 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” 

How startling to find such faith and humility joined with the wisdom of a Roman commander! We find the same in the life of a Canaanite woman who was willing to suffer humiliation in the eyes of Jesus’ disciples for the deliverance of her daughter: Matthew 15:21–28 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered [her], “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus wasn’t surprised by the woman’s apparent wisdom, faith, and humility, but his racist disciples certainly were. However the wicked deny the possibility of truth in spiritual matters: Daniel 12:10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 

Why will the wicked not understand? They are gladly self-deceived by the darkness within them (John 3:19-20). But those who come to Jesus are enabled to see the truth: John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Having earthly wisdom, while hardened to God’s truth, is to be blind. King Solomon had become self-deceived as he continued to worship many other gods: Ecclesiastes 2:16–17 “For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! So I hated life because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity [un-graspable] and a striving after wind.” 

Why would he say such things?  1 Kings 11:4–11 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 

What blinds us? Turning away from God! When we turn away from his Truth, we turn away we from all deeper truths and conveniently conclude that if they exist, they are unknowable. Instead, we suppress what can be knowable—the knowledge of ourselves and of God:

Proverbs 1:20–23 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.