Week 7 - Learn
This week in summary| Day 1 : The Thirst for Learning | Psalm 1 |
| Day 2 : The Act of Learning | Proverbs 1-3 |
| Day 3 : The Use of Learning | 2 Timothy 1-2 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | 2 Timothy 3-4 |
| Day 5 : Special Study | Psalm 119 |
| Day 1 : The Thirst for Learning | Psalm 1 |
| Day 2 : The Act of Learning | Proverbs 1-3 |
| Day 3 : The Use of Learning | 2 Timothy 1-2 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | 2 Timothy 3-4 |
| Day 5 : Special Study | Psalm 119 |
We have all heard that you should read your Bible, join a study group, listen to sermons whether in person or podcast (depending on your preference) or just sit back and listen to God teach you. We hear that doing these things every day are your "disciplines" and that by doing these actions, your relationship with God will be stronger. What does God have to say about learning from Him and through His people and stories? Well, we have to start by really looking at why we want to learn, how we learn and what the learning does for us and others.
Look for "Learning" in the Bible and you will quickly find yourself in the David's Psalms or Solomon's Proverbs. David constantly speaks about his knowledge of God's laws being his strength and that he relies on it to live. Solomon speaks of wisdom as if it is a treasure in the world rather than something to be taken for granted. Specifically, in Proverbs 16:16, Solomon says, "How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." In 2 John 1, John speaks of those who abide in the teaching of Christ will have both the Father and the Son and those without do not have God.
Throughout the Bible you will find references to people having a closer relationship to God when they are learning from Him, meditating on His words and learning with His people. Some people ask themselves the "What's in it for me?" question right about now and that is a fair question. In order to answer that, let's take a look at the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. If anyone has something to say about being joyous while being taught and having a thirst for learning from God, it is David. Here are just a few of the phrases that David uses in Psalm 119:
"Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart..."
"I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules."
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!"
"Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors."
"Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments."
"I have more understanding then all of my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation."
"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple."
"Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes."
"Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live."
Just from these 9 passages, we see how much learning God's laws, statutes and commands mean to David and how he depends on them. This is the same David that was king and struggled for years with skirmishes from other countries or his own family, problems with his people, or his sexual immorality and he relied on his knowledge of/from God to get him through it.
We could spend time describing the types of learners as the world calls it, Audio (I learn by listening), Visual (I learn by watching) or Kinesthetic-Tactile (I learn hands-on) but that is not what we are exploring because it is on our teachers to cater to these. No matter how you learn, we need to know who our teachers are or how we are going to get the content that our brain will store as "knowledge".
Here are our teachers, as the Bible tells us:
Psalm 25:4-5, 27:11 and all of 119 - David asks God to be his Teacher
Matthew 11:29: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given him."
Joshua 1:8 - God commands Joshua that "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth..."
1 Timothy 4: 6-8 - Training in the way of godliness and being trained in the words of faith and of the good doctrine.
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness"
Psalm 78 - Teaching of a father to the coming generation
Proverbs 4, 7:1-3 and 22:6 - These are all examples of a father training his family in the commands and wisdom of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4 - Command for father to, "bring (your children) up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
Proverbs 13:20 - Walk with the wise and you too will become wise.
2 Timothy 4: 1-5 - Paul charges all other believers with this, "Preach the word..." He calls all to teach others according to the Word and commands of God. If Paul calls us all to teach, that means that we must be prepared to learn from them.
Ultimately, no matter our teacher or situation, all knowledge ties itself back to God and it comes from Him. In Proverbs 1, Solomon makes the statement that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."
God has set Himself at the center and made Himself the cornerstone of learning. All wisdom and knowledge comes from Him. He possessed Wisdom from the beginning. (Proverbs 8:22)
God's construct of learning is baffling. He shows us a way that is against what the world views learning to be. In the world, we start learning from a very young age and we (hopefully) never stop. We go through grades K-12 and learn everything from colors and shapes to advanced mathematics, language arts, linguistics, History of the world, our country, our state, our culture and Earth science all the way to molecular biology and particle physics. We do this so that WE know more. We do this so that WE can be educated. So that WE can be smarter, get a better job, get paid more, get recognition from peers and stand above others.
In God's kingdom, however, there seems to be some disconnect. I go back to Paul's command in 2 Timothy 4 to, "Preach the Word". When reading about God's kingdom and His citizens, learning doesn't seem to be nearly as self-serving as the world's view. God calls us to teach others. He calls us to hold others accountable according to His commands and laws. He calls for an outward outpouring of knowledge. Knowledge of Him is not meant to be kept inside just for your own benefit. He wants you to learn more about Him and His heart so that you can turn around and share that same knowledge. His structure is quite cyclical. Learning starts with one person's thirst for learning. That thirst drives us to the word to commit the act of learning. The act of learning causes us to grow closer to Him, draw nearer to His path and become more dependent on Him.
Lastly, those who draw nearer to God, and have more knowledge of His ways, understand that they are called to use this learning and preach His Word. When others hear His Word, a thirst for knowledge starts in them. God has created a self-fulfilling and sustainable system in His kingdom that relies on Him and causes continued thirst for, act of and use of learning.
It's no surprise that all wisdom comes from Him.
Psalm 119 is one of the most amazing passages in the Bible. We can miss a lot of the beauty and structure of Psalm 119 if we do not look at it in the original language it was written, Hebrew.
This psalm is divided into 22 sections: one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section is composed of 8 verses and each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter. It is likely that this was for both aesthetics and as a memorization aid. This kind of poem is known as an acrostic.
Each verse contains a special word pertaining to YAHWEH's law, ordinances, word, commandments, statutes, precepts and decrees. In most cases, each verse contains a single instance of the special word; except in 6 cases where the verse contains two special words; and in 1 case (verse 122), where no special word occurs. The usual verse structure is AB, except in 3 verses with an A structure and 1 verse that adds a cry for help at the end of an AB structure.
The Name of the Creator God is used in interesting ways in Psalm 119. In all cases except one, the Personal Name of the Creator God (YAHWEH) is used, appearing 24 times. Multiples of twelve are frequently used in the Bible. In the remaining case, the Hebrew word ELOHIM is used, which means Creator God.
Psalm 119 is telling us that to know the Creator God you must know His law, ordinances, word, commandments, statutes, precepts, decrees, testimonies, ways, and faithfulness.
See Basics of the Bible for reference