Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. ~Proverbs 20:15
When Jesus had finished speaking these things, the crowds were amazed at His teachings, because He taught as one who had authority, not as their teachers of the law. ~Matthew 7:28-29
Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him. To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “if you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:30-32
“Lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” Would we know it if we heard it? I’m impressed with the people who listened to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and recognized a rare jewel for what it was when they heard it. They knew that Jesus was the real thing. They recognized Jesus’ words for what they were, full of real understanding, different from what they heard every Sabbath from their Rabbis and different from the other religious authorities that they met at the temple.
I wonder if what they experienced when they heard Jesus was something like this. Suppose you wanted to take a computer course. When you get to the class, your teacher proceeds to read from an instructor’s manual a prepared lesson that was written by someone else. Perhaps the instructor at least put enough effort into the presentation to memorize the lecture so that he could make eye contact. Now it comes to the question and answer period. You raise your hand and ask a question. Your instructor tries to find it in the prepared lecture, but the answer to your question isn’t there. So, the instructor has to just move on without answering your question. He doesn’t know the answer.
Now, at your next class, Bill Gates walks in and proceeds to talk, from what he knows about computers and can deviate from the prepared material to answer questions with nuances and gives the impression of being thoroughly comfortable with the subject matter. The question and answer period goes on and on because you, along with the rest of the students, can tell that this guy really knows his stuff! You see now that the hired instructor was really pretty clueless, but this Bill Gates character, wow! He talks as though he has understanding!
Why wouldn’t Jesus have understanding? He was at the creation. He authored the Ten Commandments. He knows the truth because He knows about what He has created and how He has designed it to work. In contrast, the religious leadership was like the original professor. They had spent many years memorizing the law, not just the ten commandments, but the 603 extra laws that had been created, by the priests, to further buffer the Jewish people from breaking the original ten. They knew what they had memorized, but, in many cases, they couldn’t explain the heart of the law, meaning the reason it was given in the first place. If a commoner dared to ask “why,” they might simply be told, “because,” but deeper explanation would not be given because it was no longer exactly known. So, the knowledge that they could hand out was more like imitation, rules, but little in the way of relationship or understanding.
But we are in an even worse situation than trying to understand what we think should be true. Satan, has done a good job of providing counterfeits, spreading falsehoods, fake bling and fake jewelry that sparkles and catches our attention. So, there are those times when we have to sift through a lot of junk jewelry and fool’s gold to find the precious gems amongst the debris.
When we find His truth, and recognize it for what it is, we are blessed and even more so when we obey. How does one spot fool’s gold from real gold? How does a jeweler know when a diamond is fake? Study. By becoming familiar with the characteristics of the real thing, the deception becomes much easier to spot. When we study God’s Word, we become familiar with His characteristics and principles. When we hear the false doctrines, we know them for what they are and know not to waste our time with them. The Holy Spirit helps a lot too. His sheep know His voice.
So much of why the church is weak today is because its members are not in His Word to study Him and His story and principles. Have you heard the recent news that 30 percent of people who call themselves evangelical do not believe that Jesus is God? People are easily set adrift because someone can make false doctrine sound good and what we hear appeals to our human senses. Too many in the church do not know what to say “No,” to because they do not know the truth that is in His Word. They are accepting fake diamond rings for their engagement and are unaware of the fact that they are being cheated.
God’s true knowledge is more precious than anything else we can learn. “Wisdom is supreme. Therefore, get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7) “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding, for, she is more profitable than silver and yields a better return than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” (Proverbs 3:13-15) And the lips that share of this precious knowledge and understanding may also be rare, but they are also beautiful because they tell of the real thing, the real truth that sets those cheated free. When they are free for real, they are free indeed.
Prayer: Father thank You for the truth and light of knowledge that blesses me with freedom in Christ. I admit that I only know these things because You told me and I believe You, not because I’m so smart. But now I cling to Your Word and seek to understand more and more, so that I can help others escape from the falsehoods and lies that keep them trapped in death, not because they’re dumb, just deceived. Use me to help them Jesus, by Your love and Truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Spirit of Truth
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