Last week on July 30, 2021, I posted the “Seek Wisdom, But Find Understanding?” regarding the spiritual gift of wisdom that is manifested through the Holy Spirit. I also wrote about needing the ability for understanding which compliments the spiritual gift of wisdom as well. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Today, (August 7, 2021), I will focus on the gift of knowledge. But first, what is knowledge?
According to Genesis 2, Adam was living in the Garden of Eden that God had planted. (For those of who may not know who Adam is, he was the first person that God created from the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7.) God taught Adam about the river that flowed out of Eden, the other rivers in the region, and what the names of these rivers were. God also taught Adam about what the land had to offer. He instructed Adam “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV). Also, in Proverbs 1:29, the beginning of knowledge is fearing God. Therefore, knowledge begins when you fear God, and biblically speaking, knowledge is to know the difference of good and evil.
To understand why knowledge is important, you need to go back to Genesis and the fall of man. Let’s pick up in Genesis, where we left off. Adam was instructed not to eat from one tree or he would die, so what happened?
Well, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and God made Eve. The Holy Bible says that they were naked and that they were not ashamed. Why? Because they had no knowledge, (of good and evil things) yet. Then, we learn that man was tempted. Who or what tempts man? We know it is not God for the Holy Bible says, “Let no man say when he is tempted,’I am tempted of God’: for God cannot be tempted by evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13 KJV). In Matthew 4:1 we learn that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So who or what tempts us? Satan (otherwise known as the devil).
The Holy Bible says that the serpent was more cunning than any other beast (Genesis 3:1), and that he asks Eve if God has said that “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). Eve tells the serpent (Satan) that they can eat the fruit of the garden “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God Has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” The serpent tells Eve that, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5 NKJV). Eve was tempted, and she gave in. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam. The Holy Bible says that their eyes were opened and they sewed fig leaves together because they now knew that they were naked (Genesis 3:7).
God returns to Eden
When God returns to Eden, Adam and Eve hide themselves. When God calls for Adam, Adam said that they hid themselves from God because they knew that they were naked. God asks them how they knew that they were naked. Adam tells God that Eve gave him the fruit, and he ate it. God confronts Eve and asks what she has done. Eve tells God that she was fooled by the serpent.
After this discussion in Genesis 3:8-13, God curses the serpent to crawl on its belly. He also curses Eve so that conception would be painful and that her desire will be for her husband, and that he will rule over her. Finally, God curses the ground to allow thorns and thistles to grow on the land, and tells Adam that “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). These curses can be read in Genesis 3:14-19.
Ultimately, this move is the beginning of mankind to have the knowledge to determine the difference between good and evil, and sin begins. It was also the beginning of a mortal life for mankind as well. The second part of Genesis 3:19 makes this clear when God says, “till thou return unto the ground: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Adam and Eve did not die when they ate the fruit, but before this period in time, no one died. Suddenly, Adam and Eve had mortality. Adam died when he was 930 years old (Genesis 4:5). The Holy Bible does not mention Eve’s death, at least not that I could find. The lesson here is that if God tells you something and says, He will do it, sit back and wait: just because it doesn’t happen on your watch, does not mean that He has forgotten you or will not do it. Hallelujah!
Why knowledge?
Wow. But why would I want knowledge if it cursed Adam and Eve? Wisdom (to fear God) is the beginning of your understanding (to depart from evil) and knowledge (of good and evil) completes that circle. If you ask for knowledge, your spiritual eyes will be opened just like Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened. You will see the evils of this world, and trust me my brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many. At the same time, you will also see the good in this world,to which there are few.
If you are reading this, pray to God for the spiritual gifts of wisdom and knowledge. Also, pray to God to receive His understanding. Finally, pray for the spiritual gift of knowledge. If you want to check out the other spiritual gifts, you can read Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, and 1 Peter 4:11. In the name of Jesus, may God bless your path, and give you knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. May He guide you with the Holy Spirit, the truth of the Lord, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Amen!
(ANNOUNCEMENT: I am planning to post an article on the spiritual gift of faith. I am not sure when I will post it, but I am trying to have it posted on August 15. Please come back to this website then. You can also subscribe to get weekly emails about the anticipated articles by scrolling toward the bottom of the homepage, sending an email to coffee.with.the.cross@gmail.com, or checking the facebook page.)
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