PRÉCIS ON THE BURDEN OF KNOWING: WHERE HAVE ALL THE LEADERS GONE, BELOVED?

SCRIPTURE. “For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and

exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow.” – ECCLESIASTES 1:18, AMP

KEY TERM: “WISDOM.” ‘Chokmah’ [חָכְמָה]: “The skillful application of knowledge; the ability to make wise choices and decisions; cunning; wit; shrewdness; understanding of God’s created order; skill in warfare and administration [leadership]; prudence in religious affairs; a Divine attribute beginning with the fear of God; i.e., the right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice.”

QUOTATION. “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the Next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the Other World that they have become so ineffective in this.” – C.S. LEWIS, The Joyful Christian, 1977; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘For in much wisdom is much grief.’ In getting it and losing it when it is gotten: Or ‘indignation,’ at himself and others; being more sensible of the follies and weakness of human nature.

‘And he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.’ For, the more he knows, the more he would know, and is more eager after it, and puts himself to more pains and trouble to acquire it; and hereby becomes more and more sensible of his own ignorance; and of the difficulty of attaining the knowledge he would come at; and of the insufficiency of it to make him easy and happy: And besides, the more knowledge he has, the more envy it draws upon him from others, who set themselves to oppose him, and detract from his character; in short, this is the sum of all human knowledge and wisdom, attained to in the highest degree; instead of making men comfortable and happy, it is found to be mere vanity, to cause vexation and disquietude of mind, and to promote grief and sorrow.

‘There is indeed wisdom and knowledge opposite to this.’ And infinitely more excellent, and which, the more it is increased, the more joy and comfort it brings; and this is ‘Wisdom in the Hidden Part;’ a Spiritual and Experimental knowledge of Christ, and of God in Christ, and of Divine and Evangelical Truths; but short of this knowledge there is no true peace, comfort, and happiness.

The Targum is, ‘For a man who multiplies wisdom, when he sins and does not turn by repentance, he multiplies indignation from the Lord; and he who increases knowledge, and dies in his youth, increases grief of heart to those who are near akin to him.’”– JOHN GILL, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, 9 vols., 1746-1763; edited

DK. Beloved, I am greatly and increasingly burdened (as are you all) with the knowledge that Pastors of Wisdom and Courage have virtually vanished from the American Pulpit. While I see a few wonderful men in the much smaller churches preaching the True Gospel, the larger and Mega Venues are suffocatingly atrocious, having bartered away Truth for Political, Monetary, and Entertainment value!

‘But for a Remnant’ of largely unknown men who appear on social media to call out their misanthropic colleagues, there would be a blanketing out of God’s Truth in America. But as Mr. Gill reassures: There is a ‘Higher Wisdom, a Greater Light’ in the midst of all this Darkness. And that is the Grail toward which we must all labor, beloved!

As the Scriptures Warn: “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. ‘For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required;’ and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Luke 12:47-48, New King James Version. SELAH.