How We Think

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding." Psalm 111:10

A number of scriptures reiterate these principles, some almost verbatim, others in principle. Beneath the initial “good understanding” we can derive from this verse, lies even deeper meaning that must be considered. I recently read a great devotion by Os Hillman, and I would love to expand on what his thoughts inspired me to consider.

Education is an essential part of advancing societies. We should encourage it, and promote it, but unless it is paired with faith and obedience it can only lead to a programmatic type religion. In the early Hebrew influenced church, wisdom was gained by obedience. Hebrews learned that wisdom gained by knowing and doing the will of God, and that didn’t always line up with logic. Education that is limited, be an exclusively academic orientation, is often lacking in deeper understandings of what wisdom opposed to intelligence really is.

It seems the church, in part, early on, began being influenced by Greek culture, thinking, and academia. Philosophers such as Socrates and Aristotle, and the knowledge based systems they promoted has had a profound effect on us since, with knowledge derived exclusively from reason and analysis.

Consider Joshua walking around the walls of Jericho seven times, blowing trumpets. He made decisions based on obedience, not logic, or, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego willingly entering the fiery furnace, obedience not logic. How about Elisha instructing the army general to go wash in the lake to be healed of leprosy? Intellect was superseded by faith rooted in obedience, the Hebrew way of thinking. Modern thinking, even post-modern thinking is knowledge-based, with logic and reason taking precedence over faith and obedience. Even in mainstream evangelical, Bible teaching Christian churches we are inclined to advance the kingdom with programmatic solutions and slick marketing, anything from western styles of promotion to entice people to church.

Ultimately God wants us to return to a more Hebraic way of gaining wisdom and knowing His will. That way is obedience by faith. We should make decisions not so based on democratic votes, or analysis and reason, but on faithful obedience to Him and His word.
Our hearts desire is to follow Him. Be cautious of the world’s systems and thinking, its ways and reasoning.

Seeking Him,
Pastor Fred

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