SHALL ANY TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE? (JOB 21:22)
Does God need any tutor or master? to teach Him how to order the affairs of the world, what to do with the wicked and the godly ones? Surely He doesn't need anyone to teach nor instruct Him.
GOD CANNOT BE TAUGHT
Some men are so foolish that they cannot be taught and not capable to be taught, they are shallow in understanding; but God is so wise and great in understanding that He cannot be taught. He is definitely beyond the school; "who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor has taught Him?" (Isaiah 40:13-14). God is wise and sees more than many counsellors of men and even the Angel, because He created all being.
1. "WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, or who has been His counsellor?" O the depth of the riches, both of His wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable are His Judgments, and His ways past finding out" (Romans 11:33-34). There is a mind of God which is known to man, the revelation mind that he has made known, about what He wants us to do, what to believe, and the way of life and salvation. Besides that revealed mind of the lord, He has a secret mind, a close counsel locked up in His own breast, which was never opened to the creature.
We know the mind of God for our own instruction, but we don't know the mind of the Lord for His instruction , or that we might instruct Him.
2. GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS, He is infinitely and perfectly wise and knowledgeable. Nothing can be added to His treasure of Knowledge and nothing can be taken from it. There are some men that think they need no teaching from anyone; usually they are under a dearth and fear of knowledge, they see themselves being beyond the school, beyond the church, beyond teaching and counsel. In reality, they are poor in knowledge.
The Almighty God knows the nature, usefulness of all things. He knows all men and don't need any testimony of men, because He knows what is in man. "Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart." (Psalm 44:21). He knows man's outward actions and internal motions of his heart. God doesn't only knows what man does, but knows all their aims and secret intendments in doing it.
"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:10)
SHALL ANY MAN HAVE THE BOLDNESS TO TEACH GOD?
You may ask that "Shall any man have the boldness to teach God?" or Probably say, "Surely, no man ever attempted to teach God, we are indeed taught of God" Yes, some may not have the boldness to teach God directly but there are many people, who say as much implicitly, and by way of interpretation; that is, they speak, hold , or do that which plainly implies teaching of the Almighty God or taking upon them to direct His counsels.
1. SOME WOULD TEACH GOD HOW TO SPEAK,
By adding to , and diminishing from the word which he has spoken. "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you "(Deuteronomy 4:2), "Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar." (Proverbs 30:6). Though we may add a COMMENT to explain the word of God where it is hard, yet we must not add a SUPPLEMENT to the word of God, as if it were defective. One of the first things to be believed unto salvation is , that the word of God is sufficient and contains all things needful to salvation.
There are many preachers and ministers of God who meddle with God's word by way of addition and subtraction, openly or closely. Every carnal man does this closely; the man that would set up his lusts for a law would surely blot out the law of God; he would make the commandments of God void, and rescind the statutes of Heaven, who has no mind to obey and submit unto them. Sometimes, they say that the scriptures are obscure, therefore they would teach God to speak more clearly. Other times, they say that the language of the scripture is homely and bare, they want God to speak more eloquently; others complain that there are contradictions and dangerous expressions in scriptures and they would teach God to speak more truly and warily.
"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."(Revelation 22:18-19)
2. THEY WOULD TEACH GOD ABOUT HIS WORK OF CREATION
The Naturalists complained that man was sent forth naked and helpless into the world, that other creatures had the advantage of man having natural armor and defenses which man wants.
Man and woman were created to live together, but some homosexual activists believe that same - sex (man and man, woman and woman) can marry themselves as against God's work of creation. They want to teach God how to create.
3. SOME PEOPLE COMPLAINED ABOUT GOD'S WORKS OF MERCY
" I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion"(Romans 9:15). They believe affirmatively that God should be merciful to humans based on their works, rather than selecting those that deserve to receive the mercy of God. "Yes, it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy" (Romans 9:16)
Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why have you made us this? Shall the clay teach the potter how to make it, or in what form to cast it?
“Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? (Isaiah 45:9)
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him" (Luke 1:50)
4. SOME WOULD TEACH GOD ABOUT HIS WORKS OF PROVIDENCE.
How many people see themselves wiser than God; or that they could direct a better way for the government of the world , than God is doing. They believe that if they have the power, things should be in a fairer state than they are. They insinuate against the government of God much like Absalom against the government of his father (David); "O that I were judge in the Land, you should see what I would do, I will make a great world. I would set all things rightly. Such vain thoughts lodge in the spirits of vain men about the providences of God.
Some do murmur through discontent and are unsatisfied with His doings. When a man is displeased with what another does, he thinks he could do it better. All those who are displeased with or murmur at what God does, say plainly in their hearts that they could do things better than God, they could teach God Knowledge.
IT IS A GREAT SIN TO GO ABOUT TO TEACH GOD
As it is a great condescension in God to teach man knowledge, and to turn tutor to the poor creature; so it is highest presumption in man to teach God knowledge, and to turn tutor to his creator. Also, as any attempt to teach God about anything is sinful and presumptuous, so to teach Him about His distribution of rewards and punishments is also sinful. To teach God whom He shall reward or punish, when He shall reward/punish, the time and manner in distributing rewards and punishments. There is an intruding upon the prerogative of God in all these.
It is sinful to teach God:
1. Because it is an abasing of God and a heightening of man. This sets ignorance above knowledge, and folly above wisdom. This sets darkness above the light. Man is not only in the dark, in the darkness of ignorance, but he is darkness. God has not only light in Him, but He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). What an indignation is for darkness to go about to teach light? for ignorance to teach knowledge? for a fool to teach the oracle of wisdom?
2. Man receives all his knowledge from God, and shall man teach God with his own knowledge? Man has no knowledge of his own to teach God. All our gifts, graces and skills are received from God. "He is the father of all lights from whom is every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17), and shall we be giving light to him from whom we receive it? In your light we see light (Psalm 36:9). Shall any man bring water or make a conduit to supply the sea(which is the great feeder of all water fountains)?
3. When man has conceived as much light of knowledge from God as he is capable of, he is filled up to capacity. This abundance and fullness in man is an emptiness compared with that abundance and fullness which is in God. There is no shadow of comparison between the light of knowledge which shines out from God unto the most comprehensive man or Angel, to that which is in God. Shall any teach God knowledge?
"We know but in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9), what we don't know of God and His ways is far more than what we know. The vastness of God and His ways is not yet discovered to us, and shall they teach God knowledge, who know so little of God? Again, that part which we see, or know is being seen darkly and reflectively, and shall we teach God that sees all things immediately, directly and intuitively in their own nature?
When Job had spoken much of God, he concludes , " these are part of His ways, but little portion is heard of him? Who can understand the thunder of His power? (Job 26:14). What we have received from the utmost knowledge of God is a little portion, so little that it is scarcely discernable. "Knowledge shall vanish away" (1 Corinthians 13:8), the knowledge we have here shall be swallowed up in the knowledge that we shall have in heaven, like a drop of water in the ocean; yet that knowledge which glorified saints shall have in heaven , will be as a drop to the vast ocean of the knowledge of God. The knowledge we have here is little to that we shall have above.
4. It is sinful to teach God knowledge about His ways, because His ways cannot be known. Shall they direct God which way to go, who cannot find out the ways which God has gone? "How unsearchable are His judgments? and His ways past finding out? (Romans 11:33). If the ways of the Lord is past finding out, then we must not find fault with His ways. If we cannot find out their perfection, we must not say there is imperfection in them. O the depth and riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God? The well is deep, and we have nothing to draw; we don't have enough rope to let down our bucket into the deeps of divine wisdom and knowledge. "The Judgments of God are a great deep" (Psalms 36:6) while the judgment of man is a shallow one.
5. There is no any better way to govern the affairs of mankind than the ways of Almighty God. All His works are done in truth. "The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness." (Psalm 111:7- 8).
His works are the image of His word. Every changes that God makes in the world fulfils what has been spoken or written in prophesy. He smites man with judgments or corrections according to His threatening's. All mercies are promised, and every work of mercy is the fulfilling of some promise. Now seeing that all the works of God are traceable to prophecies, promises and threatening's; they are done in truth and what can be better done than that which is done in truth? "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and Holy in all His works" (Psalm 145:17). Many people may quarrel with the ways of God as unequal, unjust and unrighteous, yet the conscience of every man shall give testimony to God in the day of the revelation of His righteous Judgment, that all His ways are righteous; and what can be better done than that which is done in righteousness?
CONCLUSION
1. Submit quietly to the will of God, let us imprison our own reason, that the will and power of God may have its liberty in our lives. Mere human reason is not competent to survey or draw the direction of the ways of the Almighty God. The ways of God are ordered by the quintessence of reason, and that is not to be found under any mans'. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, says the Lord"(Isaiah 55:8). Shall any man reduce and shrink up the thoughts and ways of God to their narrow and straitened model? Don't dispute the ways of God again, submit quietly to His will.
Submit to the rule of His word. Submit to what he has done, or to the righteousness of His works. Aaron held his peace, and submitted when God has slayed his two sons (Leviticus 10 :3). When that sad message was brought to Eli, that God would do such things to his house as should make the ears of them that heard the report to tingle, he only said, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” (1 Samuel 3:18). David was dumb with silence when God rebuked him, "I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it." (Psalm 39:9).
There is no contesting with God; our plans, ideas and decisions should be submitted into the will of God, and it is our duty to say, "NOT OUR WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE "(Luke 22:42). We may want to query, why are nations shaken with war and disease? Why is COVID-19 (CORONA VIRUS) troubling many countries? Why do we have climatic changes(Global warming, drought and excess rainfall) in the earth? Why do the wicked ones regularly persecute the innocent souls? The Lord, instead of answering these questions, commands our silence; "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD?(Psalms 46:10). That's enough to quiet the thoughts of man. If He shake the frame of Heaven and Earth, we must be still. He does whatsoever pleases Him in Heaven and in Earth. Can the clay query the potter?
Shall any teach God Knowledge? No one can teach God knowledge, not even the Angels. God is infinite in knowledge, the source of all god things, knowledge, wisdom and understanding. He established the Heavens in His wisdom.
Shall any teach God Knowledge? He is the most High, and therefore must not be taught; He is the judge of those that are high, "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Proverbs 21:1), "He removes kings and promotes kings" (Daniel 2 :21). He determines the Presidents and rulers of every country in the world, God can use a wicked president to achieve His will and purpose for any particular nation , and remove him whenever He wants; He is the Lord of Hosts, that rules over the affairs of men.
God judges the high in place and power, the Kings and Rulers of the world. The highest on earth are below God.
Let all the high and mighty ones in the world of men remember , that , "THERE IS ONE HIGHER THAN THE HIGHEST" (Ecclesiastes 5:8), ONE HIGHER THAN THE KINGS OF THE EARTH (PSALM 89:16). KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
"Shall any teach God knowledge, seeing that He judges those that are high?" (JOB 21:22)
WORK CITED
1. "An Exposition with Practical Observations on the Book of Job" by Joseph Caryl.
James Dina
jodina5@gmail.com
8th November 2020
https://www.blessministries.org/james-dina
