When you and I use the word 'understanding,' we almost always use it in a way that refers to knowledge of something. We have an understanding of how our cars work, or how to make cookies. We also use this word in relation to other people. We say that John was very understanding of Susan's problems. This is more than an intellectual knowledge, this is an emotional awareness. What does the Bible mean when it talks about understanding?
Biblical Understanding: More Than Just Knowledge
In the Bible, the word understanding also refers to morals. In Job 28:28, Job tells us that to depart from evil is understanding. We are told in Proverbs 3:5-7:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil."
The author of Proverbs tells us that we can't understand the world around us like God does. To acknowledge this, to recognize that we can't be wise unless we are directed by God, requires us to trust Him. We seek His understanding, not our own.
Proverbs 2:2 says to apply our heart to understanding and then we will understand the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:5). This is not just bookish knowledge of what the Bible teaches, but a deep inner conviction, one that guides us and eventually helps us to know how to respect, honor, and glorify God.
Seeking God’s Wisdom, Not Our Own
Daniel 2:21 tells us that understanding comes from God. In this verse Daniel says that God gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those with understanding. In the modern world these three words: wisdom, knowledge, and understanding seem to get jumbled all together. However, Daniel means different things by these words.
The Difference Between Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding
Just as the Pharisees in Jesus' time had much knowledge of the Law, they had little wisdom because they did not recognize the Savior standing before them. Knowledge is simply knowing facts but wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge correctly. I may know how to catch a fish, but knowing not to catch them out of my neighbor's koi pond is wisdom. Knowledge likes to talk, but wisdom likes to listen. Knowledge is full of pride but wisdom is not.
Proverbs 9:10 explains understanding this way. The author says that knowledge of the truth of the Holy One is understanding. Understanding means to perceive and be able to distinguish between things. What is truth and what is not? Understanding helps us determine that. As a child I had to learn to distinguish between a red hot burner on a stove and a red pot holder lying on the counter. Understanding and wisdom go hand in hand. We grow in understanding as we grow in knowledge and wisdom. Ultimately, it is God who makes us wise and helps us to understand things.
We trust that God will direct our paths because our own understanding or ability to distinguish between truth and not truth is woefully inadequate. We are influenced by sin, by the world we live in, and by our own pride, so to judge rightfully we have to remove ourselves from the equation.
We trust and believe that God has more wisdom, understanding and knowledge of a situation than we do because we have faith. We seek His will because it is perfect, even if we don't understand it always. We remember the many times that God has acted on our behalf when we didn't even realize it.
A Cautionary Tale: King Hezekiah’s Costly Mistake
Many of us know first hand how badly things can go when we "lean on our own understanding" and not God's. The Old Testament gives us an example of this in King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah was faithful to God. He was a good King who trusted God. He had seen the hand of God working in His own life when he was healed by Isaiah and given fifteen more years to live and yet, even King Hezekiah made the mistake of trusting his own understanding.
In 2 Kings 20:12-19, Hezekiah is approached by envoys from the King of Babylon. Having heard he had been sick, they brought letters and a present from the King. In response, Hezekiah proceeds to show them all his wealth and might. He showed them everything, his silver, gold and his armaments. Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked what the envoys had seen and the King replied, everything. Isaiah then prophesied that in time the Babylonians will take everything he has, even his own sons, and carry them off to their homeland.
What had King Hezekiah done wrong? We are given indications of this in 2 Chronicles 32:24-31. We are told that, regarding the envoys, God withdrew from King Hezekiah to test him. God knew what was in Hezekiah's heart, but He wanted Hezekiah to know as well. Hezekiah did wrong, not so much in showing off his great wealth and resources, but in not giving God the glory for his healing and for providing these riches to him. He could have witnessed to them of God's glory but chose not to.
In verse 25, we read that Hezekiah's heart was "lifted up." Hezekiah had been so greatly blessed by God with healing, wealth, and many other things. It would be easy to imagine that Hezekiah may have thought that God had blessed him because of his righteousness. Perhaps Hezekiah felt like he was beyond temptation, but then the envoys arrived. In Hezekiah's moment of weakness, when he relied on his own understanding and not God's, he made a huge error in judgment. He forgot God.
Then in verse 26 we read that Hezekiah humbled himself before God. Because of this God spared his kingdom during his lifetime, but the fate of his children would be very different. When we recognize our sin, our response should be the same as Hezekiah's—humility.
Leaning on Our Own Understanding: A Costly Mistake
When the Babylonians returned to their home there is little doubt that they remembered well the riches they had seen in Hezekiah's kingdom. Within approximately a hundred years the Babylonians would return and carry away the Jews into exile. In Hezekiah's own understanding he probably felt like showing them his wealth and his power would intimidate them and cause them to think twice about trying to overtake his nation. How wrong he was. Leaning on our own understanding is always a costly mistake. Our decisions have consequences.
Trusting in God's Understanding, Not Ours
Perhaps you can think of a time when you also made an error in judgment. A time when you made a decision, believing it to be the right one, but forgetting to ask God. Maybe you had an opportunity to show a lost soul the blessings that you have received and yet forgot to give the glory to God. How easy it is for us to forget! If someone whom God described as doing "what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20) could fail God's test, then we must be extraordinarily careful. God knows our hearts just as He did Hezekiah's.
Have You Ever Leaned on Your Own Understanding?
Has God ever left you alone as He did Hezekiah? Have you ever failed a test so that you were able to see your heart as God does? The closer we walk with our Lord the easier it is to see ourselves as holy and righteous and deserving of every good thing God has provided to us. Be watchful, trust in Him alone, and make sure that your understanding comes from Him and not yourself.
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