During the days of Hosea, an age-old problem plagued the people, and it continues to loom still over the church and the land today! “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). Knowledge is priceless! The Word of God places special emphasis on knowledge. “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold” (Proverbs 8:10). “…fools hate knowledge” (Proverbs 1:22b), but “Wise men lay up knowledge…” (Proverbs 10:14a; cf. Proverbs 1:5). God intended for knowledge to play a crucial role in the lives of His people. We are to abound in knowledge (2 Corinthians 8:7) and to “grow in knowledge” (2 Peter 3:18). Knowledge is one of the necessary “Christian graces” that must abound in our daily lives (2 Peter 1:5-9). God placed such a premium on knowledge that He told Israel of old He “desired knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Knowledge is priceless!
The Condition
If one doubts that the lack of knowledge is an age-old problem that still exists today, conduct a survey in the local congregation where you attend. Ask such questions as: “Can you prove on what day the church was established?”; “Who was the first Gentile convert, and where is the account found in Scripture?”; “Who accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey?” Possibly even sadder still is to ask many “seasoned” Christians to recite the books of the Bible, and see them stumble. Obviously, these are just a few random questions, but many others could be asked with similar results. With Bible ignorance prevailing in the church of our Lord as it does, each member should be trembling at our sure destruction (Hosea 4:6)!
The Curses
The often recited phrase “ignorance is bliss” is a maxim of the devil! Throughout Holy Writ the curses of ignorance are clearly seen. Ignorance was one of the sins that crucified Jesus (Acts 3:17; 1 Corinthians 2:8). Ignorance isolates us from “the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18). Ignorance leads a person to “wrest” the Scriptures to destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Saddest of all, ignorance will cause a person to be eternally lost (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)!
The Cure
What can be done? Is all hope lost? Hope can be revived if two things take place. Firstly, we must do better individually! We must recognize our deficiency of knowing the Word of God. “And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). We must rededicate our desire in knowing the Word of God! “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Secondly, we must do better congregationally! Sadly, what often passes for Bible class is no more than a surface discussion group, where far too often a Bible text is not even dissected and explained. I have personally witnessed my children who were supposed to be in a Bible class, color an American flag, draw a snowman or some other “time taking” activity. Our Bible classes must be dynamic. Bible class comes as a result of preplanning and preparing passionate, Scripture-filled lessons that challenge each student, regardless of age, to grow, mature and want more. We have lived by the proverbial saying, “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink” far too long! As Bible class teachers, our motto should be to make the students thirsty! When a teacher is serious about the lesson, he or she can ignite a passion for learning. However, the opposite is true as well.
This article flows from a concerned heart. If things do not change in many congregations and homes, each generation will wax worse and worse – being filled with ignorance. May God hasten the day when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14)! “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
