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Only the Holy Spirit of God can reveal the knowledge of God
I heard a story about a scientist using the “inductive method” to observe the basic actions of a flea. Using a pair of tweezers, the scientist carefully plucked off one of the flea’s legs and said, “Jump!”
The flea jumped.
The scientist repeated this process on another leg of the flea. Again he said, “Jump!”
The flea jumped again.
The scientist continued this experiment until he came to the flea’s sixth leg. By this time it was becoming more and more difficult for the flea to jump; but it was still trying.
After pulling off the final leg, once again the scientist said, “Jump!” But this time the flea did not move.
The scientist raised his voice and said, “Jump!” The flea did not respond.
The scientist tried again, and again each time raising his voice louder, and louder, until on the third time he was shouting, “Jump!!!” The flea still did not respond.
The scientist then recorded this observation in his notebook: “ When you remove all the legs from a flea, it loses its sense of hearing.”
Our verse of scripture today was the Apostle Paul’s instruction for the Ephesians to recognize that their understanding of God’s word would only be possible if God’s Spirit gave them wisdom and understanding. This is true for believers today as well.
When we consider that we are finite beings the only way that we can begin to understand the infinite God would be for Him to reveal Himself to us. When God sends us His Holy Spirit, God is giving us all the wisdom and revelation we will need to begin to understand His word. All of our study, knowledge, observation, and reason are never adequate. Without the Holy Spirit, we come to faulty conclusions much like the scientist did in my story, when he observed the flea. God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we may know Him better. Isn’t it glorious that the eternal, all powerful, all knowing, loving, merciful, patient, infinitely good God wants us to know Him better?
If you are struggling with trying to understand the Bible, or how to grow in your faith, why not stop right now wherever you are and pray. Pray as Paul prayed asking that your “glorious Father” may give you His Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him better.
Ya know, Jim, I had heard that joke applied to researchers belonging to my college’s rival, but never used in the context you put it in. I may have trouble telling the joke now.
I know for a fact that what you say is true because I have done exactly that. Knowledge is a dangerous thing without the Spirit.
Jim, thanks for the reminder to continually ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that God’s Word may be revealed to me and that I may be transformed by it. In the busyness of life, I can so easily forget this and dive into the Word without this invitation. As you said, we are finite, God is infinite, why would I want to try to grow in my knowledge without the help of the Spirit? I need all the help I can get.
Thanks Jim…love it…so true. Thanks for the challenge…needed to hear it, not only when studying the Bible, but simply when I start my day…and throughout the day…that I have His Spirit to see people (close to me and strangers) and things and circumstances as He does…He’s there NO MATTER WHAT, it’s just a matter of our seeing it. I pray for the grace to see it…see Him. Thanks again brother Jim!