“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6, NIV).
Growing up in church, I heard this verse mentioned now and then in the context of discipleship teachings. Such strong wording is an effective impetus in the direction of learning the Bible. Of course we all want to avoid being destroyed!
Today I want to pause, though, and consider what all God might mean here by “knowledge.” No doubt, memorizing and understanding Scripture is an enormous part of it. I could write a whole post (or a bunch of posts) about that unspeakably vital part of our foundation in Jesus.
Yes, that. However, what I sense Holy Spirit emphasizing today is the knowledge that we learn about just two chapters later in this same book, Hosea. That is, the personal knowledge of God.
(Hosea 6:3, ESV).
Reading and studying about God in the Bible is irreplaceable. However, we cannot be satisfied with only head knowledge about Him. I could read and study all about the life of Franklin Graham. But I have never met him. I do not know him.
You could read and study all about God and never meet Him personally. In fact, there are a good number of people alive on earth today that have done just that. Such unfortunate souls fit this description: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40, ESV).
We need both. We need a rich life of study in the Word, and we need a deeply personal relationship with Jesus. We need to press in to know Him. When everything inside of us reaches out for Him, this is His guarantee: as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, He will come to our encounter. His personal, intimate presence will refresh us “us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” He will reveal Himself to us, and we will come to truly know Him.
Without this, we are destroyed.
Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord!
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How can a lack of intimate, personal knowledge of God destroy us?
How do today’s Scriptures from Hosea complement the following verse? “But knowledge puffs up…” (1 Cor. 8:1, NIV).
Feeding On Jesus 
Without that loving relationship with Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit, Bible study is pretty fruitless. But with Jesus and the Truth-revealing Spirit, the Scripture is a deep and refreshing well! Thank you for a truth-filled post!
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That inspired a grateful, joyful sigh in me. Yes, yes, and yes! How rich and glorious is time in HIs Word when we really do walk with Him and know Him! Thank you, Jon 🙂
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I’ve discovered that knowledge also comes from being humble enough to listen to other people. It can be all too easy for me to read into the Bible whatever I want it to say, and my spiritual director or other people in a Bible study group can help hold us accountable when we do that.
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SUCH an important consideration, Debi Sue! We really do need the Body of Christ, to get the fullness of what He wants to say to us. I read an article where a minister pointed out that Scripture says “WE have the mind of Christ”; not “I” have the mind of Christ. I was so struck by the wisdom in that.
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