TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE - PART 2

WEDNESDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2022

My brothers and sisters, Paul is testifying about the unsearchable riches of the mystery, namely Christ, owing to the spiritual relation and union we have with Him. He is, in other words, declaring the great esteem he has for Christ, and the high opinion of the treasures of His wisdom and knowledge. However, by appropriating part of Pauline desires, my personal goal is that we may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that we may have the full riches of complete understanding of today's truth.

Reference: Colossians 2:3 New Living Translation (NLT) "In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Paul is displaying Christ as the real source of all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures associated with wisdom and knowledge. He is informing us that Christ is where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are concealed. So what do we do with such information? It's simple! Treasures are meant to be desired and acquired; Seek the treasures! To seek something is to desire to obtain or attain it. And in this context, it is a godly aspiration, desire, and passion. In order to seek the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ, we must first of all, love divine wisdom and knowledge by developing our interest in studying the Word so we can have an illumination of their understanding. Therefore, let your heart be totally engrossed by the wisdom and knowledge of the Divine.

I shared about the treasures of wisdom in part one of this topic. Today, we are going to consider the treasures of knowledge. The Bible says, "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might" (Proverbs 24:3-5 ESV). Now watch this: By wisdom a house is built, meaning that there is always a tangible reality in wisdom; it's not just mental excellence. Then by understanding, the house is established, meaning that every significant reality settles by understanding. Moreover, by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. This should get our attention because without knowledge, you can't furnish a room with fine furniture and beautiful draperies, in a literal sense.

Knowledge empowers us to fall under the rain of divine blessings and enjoy them. It is the bond that unites us with great and beautiful treasures or riches. No wonder Paul prayed an important and significant prayer for the Ephesians saying: "I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:16-18 NKJV). According to this prayer, what does the knowledge of God afford you? The hope of His calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Apparently, we cannot know them without bonding with God through His knowledge.

The knowledge of God makes you intelligent and discerning in identifying with the treasures or riches of His glory, since they lie hidden in Christ. The knowledge unveils or brings them to your fixed and exact awareness. In a nutshell, spiritual knowledge relating to God, speaks of the beauty of assorted treasures in Christ, expresses the images and descriptions of all that God has freely given to us in Christ and enlarges the grace of acquiring them - for real - in our lives. For this reason, Paul wrote, "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for Himself" (Acts 20:32 NLT). Paul is simply encouraging us to go for the knowledge of the Word, because through such knowledge, we are built up to access the treasures and inheritance in Christ Jesus, just as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 119:66; Proverbs 18:15; Isaiah 11:2.

Exuberant Declaration: The knowledge of Christ forms my meditations and fills my heart with decisive divine possibilities. Therefore, I acknowledge that Christ Jesus is the storehouse full of all that I require for life and for godliness. He is my anchor of hope in obtaining all the treasured benefits of the Kingdom as a heir of God. Thankfully, the Word of God's grace is my daily nutrient, symbolizing my living and active contact with Christ. Glory to God!