The Importance of Having Knowledge of God’s Word

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.   -Hosea 4:6 (KJV) 

I have a theory that at some point in their lives all men have the irrepressible desire to restore a classic car.  This desire is in no way dependent upon the knowledge or required skills for such an undertaking.  I have observed men who possessed little mechanical skills of any kind all of a sudden purchase an old car in need of total restoration.  Then after years of tinkering and kicking at flat tires they sell the wreck to anyone willing to take it off their hands. 

I understand these forces perfectly, for I have been experiencing them myself lately.  I was thinking recently how great it would be to have my old 1974 Plymouth Satellite back, a car I drove through my late teen years and sold when I was 24.  The problem is any of this model in existence is in need of such extensive restoration as to be far beyond anything I might undertake.  A hobby such as restoring old cars requires knowledge and skill I simply do not possess.  

God told His people in Hosea 6 that a large part of their problems stemmed from a lack of knowledge of His Word.  The people had become complacent to the point of believing that the outward practice of religion would suffice.  They had forgotten that God desires a changed heart far above going through the motions.  If they had taken time to delve into God’s Word they would have gathered the crucial knowledge of what God required of them. 

Anyone can go through the motions of religion, yet God expects a transformed heart.  Anyone can mutter prayers or even verses of the Bible, yet God expects His followers to have hearts of compassion and mercy.  Most anyone can look fine on the outside, yet a relationship with Jesus Christ changes us from the inside out.  People can easily give lip service to matters of faith, yet Christ has called us to love one another, pray for our enemies, turn the other cheek, forgive those who have wronged us, and practice grace every day.  Such dedicated lives of faith require hearts which have been touch and then changed by the power of God. 

God’s Word is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge on how to live lives which honor God and bring peace to the heart.  Should we reject this vital knowledge we miss out on the blessings the Lord intends for us to have.  Look to God’s Word and begin experiencing the blessings of growing in the knowledge of God.