When Knowledge Is Hated!

“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD" (Proverbs 1:28,29 NIV).

How many people look back at their lives and reflect upon what happened to them when they were in school--elementary, middle school, high school, or college?

During my five-year tenure in jail ministry, most of the inmates admitted they wish they had paid attention to their teachers. They finally realized that not having sufficient knowledge on an academic level hindered their progress in society as adults, but they also realized that not listening to authority could only end in disaster. A number of the inmates witnessed their friends being shot or killed during the commission of a crime. They attended far too many funerals of those they had grown up with during their early years. Since my assignment for the jail ministry was the psychiatric ward, many had difficulties sorting out reality and understanding rational thinking. When faced with the inevitability of their actions, they were finally able to conclude that most of their problems stemmed from  the "hating knowledge" that either teachers had tried to impart or from others in authority.

When children rebel against parents because they don't know think their parents know anything, discovery is soon made about the consequences of rebellion and it is usually not a pretty sight.

When those whom God loves choose to ignore Him and rebel against Him, the consequences  can be severe enough to sever a right relationship with Him, forever.

Hating knowledge and ignoring the wisdom of those in authority can only lead to paths of destruction, and some people never find the path back to right relationship.

The admonition Solomon gave to his son is still relevant today--if we continue to hate knowledge, wisdom will show us how God responds--when He's not responding to us, or hearing us. Even when we look for Him, we will not find Him. A severed relationship with God can only lead to disaster which is why we must revere The Word of God and honor Him in all that we do.

Parents and other adults in authority should heed The Word of God in all their teachings to their children. Children should pay attention to the voices of authority in their lives and learn from the wisdom exhibited from God. Everyone should embrace wisdom and knowledge as God's inherent love for us and His desire for us to succeed in life.

Remember, the reverential fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom and we should heed wisdom's call in all things, learning as we go, accepting the fact that all knowledge from God is good.