Knowledge is Power?

Job 11-12

To read Zophar's first response to Job you might think that knowledge is power, but closer scrutiny reveals the flaws in that logic. Zophar talks a good game, but his ignorance becomes more glaring as he proclaims that if only Job would become more righteous, then God's favor would shine upon him. The funny thing about knowledge is that you can only know what you know... you can't have knowledge of what you don't know. It is exactly that blind spot that allows us to think more of ourselves than we ought.

I am reminded of the book Flatland in which a humble square who lives in flatland has a dream about a visit to a one-dimensional world (Lineland) which is inhabited by "lustrous points." He attempts to convince the realm's ignorant monarch of a second dimension but finds that it is essentially impossible to make him see outside of his eternally straight line. The Square exhibits similar thoughts when visited by a sphere, whom he cannot comprehend. Likewise the sphere is troubled by the thoughts of other higher dimensions. In each case, the inhabitants of a world find they cannot fathom that which is foreign to them.

Likewise, we have similar blind spots... areas of thought that we cannot imagine. In many cases, we have become so conditioned by our environment that we cannot think outside of it. Think about personal finances for example, many in the church today would proclaim retirement savings or emergency savings to be a prudent habit consistent with scripture... being responsible stewards of the resources God has given us. But consider this... when young children are forced into sexual slavery... when thousands die of hunger each day... when millions have never heard the gospel... what exactly does it take to constitute an emergency? Is it only an emergency when it happens to me?

Knowledge is power in an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God, but it is only a source of pride for Zophar... and for us.