THE FOUNDATION · THE ORIGINAL STUDY, SET IN THE ANCIENT ORDER
Knowledge — Foundational Biblical Doctrine
OPENING WORD
Listen to the way of a wise person: he stores up knowledge. He gathers it into his mind and into his heart, the way a man stores up goods in his house, and it protects him in the day of trouble. The old Hebrew word for it is daath (H1847, knowledge) — knowing that is kept, not knowing that is lost. But a fool keeps nothing, and his own mouth brings him close to ruin. And listen to what happens to a whole people when they refuse to know: they go into captivity, and they perish — not from a lack of zeal, but from a lack of knowing. Whoever turns knowledge away is himself turned away. Yet God has not left the captive without help. The Anointed One came to set the prisoner free, to give the blind their sight, and to lead people by the truth into repentance. And how does this knowledge come? Not all at once. It comes the way a child is fed: first milk, then solid food; a little here, a little there, one line laid on top of another. And it comes only to the humble. The person who is full of his own wisdom has no room to be taught by God; because no one ever taught the Lord anything. So lay down your own thoughts, and take his. The goal of it all is not to be wise in this world: it is to know God himself, and to grow in that knowing all your days. Search it out.
THREE QUESTIONS THIS STUDY ANSWERS:
1. What does a wise person do with knowledge?
2. What comes upon a people who have no knowledge — and what is the remedy?
3. How does knowledge come to a person, and for what purpose?
(My personal thoughts — daath (H1847, knowledge) comes from yada (H3045, to know). In Hebrew, knowledge is not a pile of words stacked together; it is the fruit of knowing. What you know flows from who you know — and that is why this study ends at the knowledge of God.)
OPENING ANCHOR
Proverbs 10:14Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
WISE MEN LAY UP KNOWLEDGE.
(My personal thoughts — wise people store up knowledge in the mind and in the heart. It is stored like goods in a house, ready for the day it is needed. The foolish man stores up nothing, and his own mouth is close to destruction.)
1. THE PROVERBS — WISE MEN LAY UP KNOWLEDGE
1.Proverbs 11:9Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
THROUGH KNOWLEDGE SHALL THE JUST BE DELIVERED.
(My personal thoughts — you are rescued from destruction through knowledge. The mouth of the hypocrite destroys; the knowledge of the truth rescues.)
2.Proverbs 12:1Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
WHOSO LOVETH INSTRUCTION LOVETH KNOWLEDGE.
3.Proverbs 15:14Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
THE HEART OF HIM THAT HATH UNDERSTANDING SEEKETH KNOWLEDGE.
4.Proverbs 18:15Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
THE HEART GETTETH KNOWLEDGE + THE EAR SEEKETH KNOWLEDGE.
5.Proverbs 24:4Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
BY KNOWLEDGE SHALL THE CHAMBERS BE FILLED WITH ALL PRECIOUS AND PLEASANT RICHES.
1.Isaiah 5:13Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
MY PEOPLE ARE GONE INTO CAPTIVITY, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE.
2.Hosea 4:6Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE + REJECTED KNOWLEDGE → I WILL ALSO REJECT THEE.
(My personal thoughts — destruction comes from a lack of knowledge. And notice the order of it: if you reject knowledge, the LORD will also reject you. The people perish not from a lack of zeal, but from a lack of knowing.)
3. THE REMEDY — LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES
1.Luke 4:18Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance [G859 aphesis] to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES + RECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND + LIBERTY TO THEM THAT ARE BRUISED.
2.2 Timothy 2:25Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
REPENTANCE TO THE ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH.
(My personal thoughts — repentance comes by acknowledging the truth. The word is epignosis (G1922, acknowledging) — a full knowing. A person cannot turn away from what he does not know; so knowledge comes before repentance, and the gentle teacher comes before them both.)
4. LINE UPON LINE — MILK, THEN STRONG MEAT
1.Isaiah 28:9Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
WHOM SHALL HE TEACH KNOWLEDGE? THEM THAT ARE WEANED FROM THE MILK.
2.Isaiah 28:10Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line [H6957 qav] upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT + LINE UPON LINE + HERE A LITTLE, AND THERE A LITTLE.
3.1 Corinthians 3:1Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes [G3516 nepios] in Christ.
NOT AS UNTO SPIRITUAL, BUT AS UNTO CARNAL = BABES IN CHRIST.
4.1 Corinthians 3:2Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗I have fed you with milk [G1051 gala], and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
FED YOU WITH MILK, AND NOT WITH MEAT → NOT YET ABLE TO BEAR IT.
5.Hebrews 5:14Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗But strong meat [G5160 trophe] belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
STRONG MEAT BELONGETH TO THEM THAT ARE OF FULL AGE → SENSES EXERCISED TO DISCERN BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.
(My personal thoughts — milk comes before solid food; that is the way God teaches, line upon line, a little here and a little there. But whoever stays on milk stays a baby. To be taught knowledge and to understand doctrine, a person has to be weaned — fed a little at a time, until his senses are trained to tell the difference between good and evil.)
5. HUMILITY OPENETH KNOWLEDGE
1.Isaiah 40:13Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Who hath directed the Spirit [H7307 ruach] of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
WHO HATH DIRECTED THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, OR BEING HIS COUNSELLOR HATH TAUGHT HIM?
2.Isaiah 40:14Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
WHO INSTRUCTED HIM, AND TAUGHT HIM KNOWLEDGE?
(My personal thoughts — no one taught the LORD anything. It is hard to receive the knowledge of God if you are full of your own; humility is admitting how little we know. The person who realizes how little he knows is ready to be taught by God.)
3.Romans 10:2Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
A ZEAL OF GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.
(My personal thoughts — zeal is not enough without knowledge. A person can run hard and run in the wrong direction. Let your zeal be guided by knowledge.)
CLOSING
2 Peter 3:18Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
GROW IN GRACE + IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.
Proverbs 2:5Modern Bible↗Share↗Strong's↗Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
UNDERSTAND THE FEAR OF THE LORD + FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
(My personal thoughts — here is the whole study in one line: knowledge, daath (H1847, knowledge), is stored up by the wise, and the lack of it destroys; it comes line upon line, milk before solid food, to the humble and not to the self-satisfied; and the goal of it is not to know many things, but to know God, ginosko (G1097, to know). The righteous are rescued by it, the captive is set free by it, the baby grows by it. Store it up, and grow in it, until the day of his glory.)
GREEK KEYWORDS
These are the keywords for this study. Tap any dotted word in the verses above to see its meaning here.
“knowledge” — G1108 gnosis — knowing, knowledge
grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
“acknowledging” — G1922 epignosis — recognition, full discernment, acknowledgement
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth
“know” — G1097 ginosko — to know
the end of knowledge — to know God
HEBREW KEYWORDS
“knowledge” — H1847 daath — knowledge, perception
wise men lay up knowledge
“know” — H3045 yada — to know, to ascertain by seeing
follow on to know the LORD
“understanding” — H998 biynah — understanding
get wisdom, get understanding
PRACTICE QUIZ
1. Proverbs 10:14 — Wise men lay up:
a) riches
b) knowledge
c) words
2. Hosea 4:6 — My people are destroyed for lack of:
a) knowledge
b) strength
c) instruction
3. Proverbs 11:9 — Through knowledge shall be delivered:
a) the wise
b) the prudent
c) the just
4. Isaiah 5:13 — My people are gone into captivity, because:
a) they have no knowledge
b) thou hast forgotten the law of thy God
c) their honourable men are famished
5. 2 Timothy 2:25 — God peradventure will give them repentance to:
a) the recovering of sight
b) the fear of the LORD
c) the acknowledging of the truth
6. Isaiah 28:9 — He shall teach knowledge to:
a) babes in Christ
b) them that are weaned from the milk
c) them that walk as men
7. Romans 10:2 — They have a zeal of God, but not according to:
a) knowledge
b) righteousness
c) the law
ANSWER KEY: 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-a, 5-c, 6-b, 7-a
HOW THIS STUDY BRANCHES
→ How milk becomes meat: milk and strong meat lead on to the first principles of the oracles of God (Hebrews 5:12) — the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow by it (1 Peter 2:2).
→ How the captive goes free: deliverance to the captives leads on to the acceptable year of the Lord — the year of jubile, when liberty is proclaimed through all the land (Leviticus 25:10 → Luke 4:19).
→ How acknowledging ends: the acknowledging of the truth leads on to repentance to life (Acts 11:18) and the escape out of the snare (2 Timothy 2:26).
→ How the word is built: line upon line, here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:10) — precept joined to precept, the whole word set in order.
→ How the priest keeps it: the priest's lips should keep knowledge (Malachi 2:7), and he that rejects knowledge shall be no priest (Hosea 4:6) — to lay up knowledge is a priest's charge; and you are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).
