Knowledge not built upon God's Word - the Bible - will ultimately fail and disappear.
Who is the source of all right knowledge?
"For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6, New International Version).
God is the great Educator! In a real sense salvation is largely a matter of education. The world is filled with false values, so there is an obvious need to recapture biblical values. Reliable knowledge of these true values comes from only one source—God's Word, the Holy Bible. God communicates His standards to us through the Scriptures.
Yet it must be said here that, although God's Revelation, the Holy Bible, is the foundation of all right knowledge, it does not contain all knowledge. Other useful fields of human knowledge may be built upon that sure and sound foundation.
All deceptive knowledge—knowledge not built upon God's Word—will ultimately fail and disappear.
What is one vital key to obtaining the knowledge of God?
"My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God" (verses 1-5).
To treasure and earnestly seek God's way sums up the essence of this passage. Jesus Christ echoed this sublime principle in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). The New Testament is built on the Old Testament, which in turn points forward to the New. The one is incomplete and inadequate without the other. King David wrote that "all Your commandments are righteousness" (Psalm 119:172). Obedience and righteousness complement each other.
To obey God, what other quality do we desperately need?
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge . . ." (Proverbs 1:7).
The fear of God is not the fear of the world or the fear of man, which "brings a snare" (Proverbs 29:25).
A major aspect of the fear of God is to trust and place your confidence in Him.
So often our fears are unnecessary. God tells us: "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth" (Isaiah 51:12-13).
God is our Creator. He made us and our environment. We owe our very existence to Him. We should fear the consequences of ignoring His teachings, instructions and commandments revealed through His Word.
What group of people especially needs the fear of God?
"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion" (Proverbs 1:1-4).
Our young men and women—the next generation—will soon shape the future. Only the sure knowledge of the Bible can help them cope with the challenges of the new millennium. How thankful we should be that we and they have a reliable spiritual guide that was "written down for future generations" (Psalm 102:18, Revised English Bible).
