December 2, 2025

So then, what IS “knowledge?” If we look at a dictionary or do an internet search, knowledge seems to be defined something like this:

“Knowledge is the understanding or information about a subject that is gained through experience or study. It can also refer to the state of being aware of facts or having familiarity with individuals and situations.”  This causes me to ask, what if the source of your study or experiences come from a corrupted source? The Psalmist says: “The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.” ps 12:6 nkjv

Take note that it was Adam’s [Eve’s] failure to heed the “pure words” of Yahweh and selfishly seek profane words that the serpent [devil] told them that would make them wise and “be like God.” How did that work out…?

What is the second part really saying,“But fools despise wisdom and instruction?” I think the conjunction “but” is saying [except for the fact]. I understand the fool here is not ready to consider wisdom and instruction [from Yahweh, it seems]. Real wisdom and instruction both come from authority, that is if you want to get it right. Our society and culture is overrun with rebuke of authority’s “wisdom and instruction.” For the intellectually confused, and those philosophically congested with their own self-centered and egotistically constructed “self,” not recognizing their blinded affliction of such, and their spawning of their own kind, prevents them from being delivered by Yahweh's wisdom and instruction. It is what most of mankind’s history is about… Humanity has always shook its fist in Yahweh's face and stayed determined to “do their own thing.” So then, we have the answer: “The fear of the LORD, is the beginning of knowledge.”

“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.” ps 14:1-3 nkjv

It seems that I took the long way around this thought to make a point. When I taught adult Christian Sunday School for many years, I normally began my class in the fall, which usually had a good number of new people in attendance. We had a typical Sunday attendance in our church of 700 to 800 people in two, and sometimes three morning services, because of the limited seating of our main auditorium. We had a fairly broad cross-section of people with many mixed religious backgrounds. Most new people in a group like my class had not, nor did they expect, to encounter a dogmatic person [Biblically speaking] like me… I usually began with shock treatment… “please turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis 1:1… I read it and said, if you do not believe this, then you probably will not like this class.” When I read the part about Yahweh “speaking” everything into existence… well it really caused them to take pause when I declared the absolute consequences of this. This is about faith.

You may be surprised to find how many people simply can’t read Genesis 1:1  and say, “sure, LORD, you said it, so its true and I will believe it.” People read many things in the Bible and pass along without internalizing the seriousness of the facts it challenges them with… they prefer to take the Greko/Roman position… “yes I read it, and now I know it.” However, knowing is not always equated to believing… The Bible is a Hebrew concept, even the part said to be written in Greek (NT, by some), has Hebrew authorship. Now the Hebrew mindset is not just to “know” but to “do” if you say you believe; as to believe is to obey. This opens a can of religious worms in most modern churches. People have been trained to consider obeying and doing as “works.” We are called to works [doing/obedience], but not for salvation, as it is Yahweh’s free gift all who repent and believe in Yeshua/Jesus.

I have studied the Exodus narrative many times and in detail in some ways… for example, taking a long look into the logistics of such and event as proposed by the writings of Moses… If you try to figure this out, unless you can simply says “yes Yahweh,” you had Moses record this and I believe it… otherwise it is one of the most preposterous tales ever told. How does the “fear of the LORD,” help us in this type understanding? I think Yahweh exhibits these fantastic stories and records to teach us faith, and also it “sizes” His capacity and power so that we can trust His provision for us in our insane and upside-down culture that in itself is just as unbelievable... that is, if you try to analyze our times and society with common sense and factual truth… objectively, not with fantasized subjective nonsense the corrupted “science” and demonic news and ungodly twisted educational programs pump out to “program” people’s minds and indoctrinate them with what to think [not how] and that there are no absolutes, as its all relative… you think? You would have been institutionalized 70-80 years ago if you proposed such insanity. Of course, they have closed the mental institutions now since the inmates are in free fall.

Let me conclude with this, we are in a deadly conflict with the powers of evil and deception. I could post many Bible verses on this subject. In a nutshell, Dr. Gavin Finley’s comment was that all spiritual warfare is an information war… to come back around to complete the circle, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Knowledge here must be from the “Tree of Life/Torah;” NOT from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” We know how the wrong choice worked out for the first couple. Now there is this “but” part, “But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” If you want to make it out of this trap that is so cunningly set and personalized to each one of us… You have to start saying, well LORD, if you said it, I believe it… I will accept no substitutes.

Shalom, John