WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 22, 2024
TOPIC: THE DANGERS OF KNOWLEDGE (2)
BY T. O. BANSO
“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief” (Ecclesiastes 1:18 New International Version).
I started this topic yesterday and discussed four dangers of knowledge, namely:
1. Knowledge puffs up.
2. Knowledge can make you feel you know it all.
3. Knowledge can make you not walk in love.
4. Knowledge can increase your sorrow, pain, grief, and anxiety.
I want to conclude the topic today by discussing other dangers of knowledge.
5. Knowledge can make you lean on your understanding rather than trust in the Lord with all your heart and acknowledge Him in all your ways. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version).
There is the temptation for knowledgeable people to depend on their knowledge rather than God. They make decisions based on their knowledge without considering the will of God. Their knowledge becomes their god! They could, most times, make God their last resort. In other words, they would only turn to God when their knowledge has failed them or when they’ve come to their wit’s end. This is unlike those who easily admit their weaknesses and don’t find it difficult to turn to God for help.
Thank God for your knowledge! However, it is wise not to depend on it because it can fail you. It’s safer and better to trust in the Lord who does not fail; He knows His will for your life and the path you should follow. Your knowledge can be inadequate and mislead you. Put your trust in the Lord and let Him lead you in the path that will lead to the realization of His purpose for your life.
6. Knowledge of sin or the wrong you’ve committed can lead to guilt, fear, and even death. This happens when the person concerned considers the gravity or consequences of his action. Adam and Eve are good examples. The knowledge that they had sinned made them run away from God; they went to hide in fear. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid’” (Genesis 3:6-10 New International Version).
If they had no knowledge that they had sinned, they would not have reacted the way they did. It is often difficult to act contrary to the truth that you know and still feel all right; you will not feel comfortable. You will lose your peace, except your conscience is seared or dead (1 Timothy 4:2). Under normal circumstances, your conscience will condemn you; your mind will not be at rest. You know that your sin will find you out or catch up with you, or the consequences of your sin will overtake you (Numbers 32:23).
Judas Iscariot committed suicide after he betrayed his Master; there was no way life could have been the same with him again. He felt the only option left for him was suicide, which was a wrong action. “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ And they said, ‘What is that to us? You see to it!’ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:3-5 New King James Version). Acts 1:18, explaining his death, says Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery and falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines.
Jesus said in John 8:32 that you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. But it is not to make you free to do what you like; it is to make you free to do what is right. As a child of God, make sure your actions agree with the knowledge of the truth you have. A violation of the knowledge will rob you of your joy and peace. David prayed to God in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (New King James Version).
7. Knowledge of the possible exposure of your wrongdoing can lead you to take steps to cover up and escape indictment and punishment. While the Israelites were in Egypt, Moses thought nobody knew he had killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. However, the moment his crime was known, and Pharaoh wanted to kill him, he fled. “The man said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and thought, ‘What I did must have become known.’ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:14-15 New International Version).
That you didn’t see anyone when you sinned does not mean nobody saw you. Don’t deceive yourself. Run from sin. As it has been rightly said, sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. Knowledge of the possible exposure of your wrongdoing can lead you to take steps to cover up and escape indictment and punishment.
In 2 Samuel 11, David killed Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband and one of his thirty-seven mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39), as a cover-up for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and impregnating her. Until Bathsheba sent a word to him that she was pregnant, David had no problem. In reaction, he quickly moved to cover up by recalling Uriah from the battlefront. He tried everything to make him go home, hoping he would sleep with his wife. If he had done so, Uriah would have had no reason to suspect that the pregnancy was not his.
However, David’s scheme failed because twice Uriah refused to go home, even after David got him drunk. David eventually resorted to murder. Uriah was set up to be killed by enemy soldiers on the battlefront after David had sent him back with the letter of his death sentence! Uriah didn’t know the content of the letter.
David, Uriah’s Commander-in-chief, and Joab, his commander, betrayed him. Uriah the Hittite died for the sin of David and Bathsheba! But God sent the Prophet Nathan to David to confront him with his sin.
Don’t try to cover up your sin; own up, repent, and forsake your sin. Proverbs 28:13 says whoever covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
8. A prior knowledge of what is going to happen to you or somebody else can cause fear or other emotional reactions. Ignorance sometimes has its blessing! That is why God does not reveal everything to us. He keeps some things away from us for our good. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29 New King James Version). The New Living Translation says, “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.”
Don’t seek to know what God has decided not to tell you or show you. If God thinks you should know, He will tell you when you ask. If He decides not to tell you, trust that everything is under His control, everything will work together for your good and your future is secure in Him. With God, you’re in safe hands.
The knowledge of what God wants to keep away from you will only create anxiety for you if you procure it outside of God. It will also expose you to needless danger. Don’t patronize false prophets, soothsayers, diviners, fortune-tellers, or star-gazers. God told the Israelites, “The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things” (Deuteronomy 18:14 New Living Translation). Many times, in the Bible, God condemned the false prophets and warned His people not to listen to them because He didn’t send them. Listen to God.
Conclusion: It is not enough to overcome ignorance, it’s also necessary to understand the dangers knowledge poses. Proverbs 10:14a says the wise store up knowledge. Knowledge is important but not every knowledge is beneficial. You should seek knowledge the right way and only the right knowledge, and use it positively, obeying the Word of God.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me not to depend on my knowledge instead of God. My knowledge will not become my god. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I shall pursue only the right knowledge and use it to help and not hurt others.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
