Useful or Useless

Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. [Psalm 60.11]

Here is an interesting statement made by David that has everything to do with the knowledge of God versus the knowledge of man.

To see God as He really is, is to see that human help is the epitome of uselessness. This includes human reasoning and all the arguments resultant to it.

And yet we persist to advance and to improve the knowledge of man...

The Apostle Paul had much to say about human knowledge. He defined human reasoning and its false arguments as "strongholds" to be overcome - proud obstacles that prevent people from knowing God:

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. [2 Corinthians 10.4-5]

In addition to what we see Paul explained to the Church in Corinth, we see he recognized the need for instruction to the Church at Colosse:

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. [Colossians 2.8]

Hmm: Paul defined human reasoning as a "stronghold" to the folks in Corinth and further defined it to the people of Colosse as a trap used to "capture" the unwary. And, it comes back to David's acknowledgement that human help is useless.

It's great that we would recognize what is said here. However, recognizing that human reasoning/help is a useless trap and avoiding human reasoning/help are two different things.

It occurs to me that we have given lip service to the the knowledge of God over the knowledge of man, but have fleshed-out a dependence on the knowledge of man over the knowledge of God. I don't need anyone's agreement on this point - the Word of God is clear about it.

It is time that God's people know Him. Really know Him. It is time God's people consciously protect themselves from the captivating stronghold of human reasoning that effectively prevents them from knowing God.

Am I putting a premium here on ignorance? That depends on what one chooses to believe ignorance is! Is ignorance the absence of human reasoning or the absence of the knowledge of God? David and Paul have both gone on record to say that human knowledge/reasoning/help is not only useless, but serves to prevent one from knowing God.

The revelation of this should make a person mindful regarding the knowledge he or she acquires - studies - reads - learns: the knowledge of God or the knowledge of man (human reasoning).

Father, help us to release our grip on human reasoning and instead hold firmly to You and Your Word for all our help and sustenance.