For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6 NIV)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)
So, I was scrolling social media the other day….
…Yes, I know that I need to not do that. But I was.
I skimmed an article that felt so far removed from my everyday life—one that described such extreme evil—that I found myself wondering, could this really be true? It was difficult to comprehend the level of depravity and suffering it portrayed. And with so many “conspiracies” from the past decade later proving to have truth, I couldn’t help but ask: could this be true, too?
As I started to let my mind wander down that road, God stopped me with a very pointed question: WHY do I need to know whether it is true?
After all, what happened to Adam and Eve when they wanted to know like God knows?
Yikes. That didn’t go well.
The word “knowledge” appears 130 times in the NIV Bible, yet Scripture never encourages us to seek knowledge apart from God. Instead, it teaches that true knowledge is rooted in God and closely connected to the fear of the Lord, wisdom, and understanding.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy… rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8 NIV)
Scripture doesn’t tell us to stop learning. Rather, it calls us to begin with reverence for God, to seek wisdom from him, and to be careful that what we learn does not pull us away from his Truth.
Notice that it is knowledge of God that brings true understanding. Knowledge begins with him—not apart from God. Because our human reasoning has limits, our pursuit of knowledge must be guided by our trust in him. The Bible also warns that knowledge pursued independently of God can become empty, misleading, or even prideful. If we seek knowledge simply to “know more,” it can lead to pride or fear.
So whether or not an internet story is factually true, our desire for knowledge should be guided by the Holy Spirit. When we seek knowledge in order to know God more deeply—that is truly good.
All-Knowing God,
Thank you that you are the source of all Truth, Wisdom, and Knowledge. Forgive us when we desire knowledge that is not rooted in you. Help us to have greater discernment about the “news” in the world, so we can know what you see as true. Help us to be men and women who trust that because your ways and thoughts are higher than ours, we can trust you even when we don’t understand. We ask these things in Jesus’s name. AMEN.