Pitfall

I think that the most awesome thing on earth is the Word of God. After many years, I'm still exploring the scriptures in amazement and joy. There is always something new to discover, and examine. Even if I memorized the Bible from cover to cover, and continued to study it for decades more, there would still be something new to be revealed- something new that the Lord is speaking through the scriptures. This quality is just one of many that makes the Bible a "living" Word. That very fact brings me to a cautious place, however. It means that at any given moment, my knowledge and understanding of the Word is imperfect, and incomplete. There is a saying, "He knows just enough to be dangerous." That idea comes from a quote by the English poet, Alexander Pope, who said, in part, "A little learning is a dangerous thing."
The scriptures are a wonderful gift to us from God. They are life, and wisdom, and Jesus, Himself. The washing of the Word transforms us, and renews us. However, the minute we think we are "expert" in the Word, or even "knowledgeable" in the Word, we really only know just enough to be in danger, and dangerous, on the edge of a pitfall. The Word is not the danger, only our own confidence, or self-assurance, in our knowledge and understanding of the Word is the danger. We could study scripture all of our lives, and we would have only scratched the very top-most surface of the riches found in its depths. If we seem to know and understand one level, there are infinitely more levels underneath waiting for us to explore for the first time:
"Great is our LORD, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."  Ps. 147:5
However, the Word is so powerful, that even the limited knowledge that we may possess at a given time can save, heal, and deliver to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25). We are called to know, and understand the Word of God. It is God's will for us to know the deepest things (1 Cor. 2:9-10), but this is a process that will continue throughout our lives. Because of this, the conclusion we must come to in all of our study is "the more I know, the more I find out how much I don't know." Every new revelation also reveals what we didn't know the day before. As I judge or evaluate situations, myself, and, God help me, other people, according to the Word of God, I do so with an imperfect understanding and an incomplete knowledge. It must be so. It is this that can also be dangerous.
The Apostle Paul talks about his "abundance of revelation" (2 Cor. 12:7), and his years of study under the most eminent rabbis (Acts 22:3), yet he also tells us that however much we may know, it is partial knowledge at best:
"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (complete, of full age, uttermost, ending, purpose) has come, that which is in part will be done away....Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."   1 Cor. 13:8-12
I think there is a powerful example of this in the story of Job. He was a man whom scripture describes as blameless and upright (Job 1:1). As we know, Job became greatly afflicted, and in the midst of the affliction, he struggled with his knowledge of God. Job describes his love for the Word and ways of God: "I have not departed from the commandments of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."  Job 23:12    
Job also had great revelation from God, only one of which was about His Savior. Job spoke of his yearning and love for his Redeemer, Whom Job knew lives, Whom Job knew would walk on the earth, Whom Job knew he would see even after his death (Job 19:23-27). Like Paul, Job walked in revelation that he did not receive from men, but that he could only have received from God (Gal. 1:12). 
In Chapter 29, Job talks about his life before he was afflicted, when God's "lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light, I walked through darkness." The Almighty was with him, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for him. With the esteem of other men, Job sat in the gate of the city, and in the open square, because of his great knowledge of God. Job was so knowledgeable, that princes and nobles sat quietly to hear him. By his Godly wisdom and knowledge, he delivered many poor and fatherless. Righteousness and justice clothed him. He said, "I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out the case that I did not know...Men listened to me and waited, and kept silence for my counsel...They waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain...I chose the way for them, and sat as chief..."
Not only was Job learned in the commandments of God, and filled with His knowledge and wisdom, he was also anointed and did works of deliverance. All who knew him recognized that Job was a man of God, full of wisdom and counsel. None had more knowledge and understanding than Job. Most of us, even after the Cross, do not walk in the kind of understanding and anointing in which Job walked before the Cross.
Yet the LORD, when He finally speaks to Job in the middle of his affliction, starts by saying of Job, "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"   Job. 38:1-2
God continued to challenge Job in his ignorance, asking Job, "Where were you when...?", and "Do you know...?". He tells Job all that Job doesn't know. God reveals things in chapters 38-41 that even our modern science, to which the world gives so much honor, belief, and dependence, has only just recently discovered a small portion. 
Job's friends, who came to try to reason out with Job why he was afflicted, couldn't tell Job anything he didn't already know, hadn't already considered, and eliminated. Job's deliverance did not come from the great store of knowledge and understanding that he had. It came in the moment when he bowed his head before the even greater that he didn't know, and didn't understand:
"I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from You. You asked, "Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?" Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know....I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."   Job 42:1-6 (Jn. 14:9, Lk. 5:8)
Job was brought to a deeper understanding through a very difficult path. It is a testimony to the greatness and kindness of God, Who, though He corrected Job, gave an even greater revelation to Job. Before this, Job knew of the Redeemer, Jesus, by revelation. Now, he saw his Redeemer with his eyes. Seeing his Redeemer brought Job to a place of deliverance through repentance.
The one thing Job hadn't considered, because he was so confident, and had been so honored by men for his great knowledge and wisdom, was that before God, he was really quite ignorant, as are we all.
Every time I open the Word of God, I want to do so with the understanding and acknowledgement of all that I don't know. When I speak to others, I want to keep in mind that I do so with a partial knowledge and understanding at best, keeping my head bowed before all that I do not know, nor understand. If I forget this, then I teeter at the edge of a great pitfall, and may even pull in others after me.

Our Father is all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

"Teach Me, Lord"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30y4zQWyEo
                                                                                       

Cities

To borrow an expression, this is a tale of two cities. It is also a tale of two men, both called "righteous" in Scripture, who are on two different journeys, with two very different destinations in mind, even though for part of the way, over 1,000 miles, they walked side by side. The fact that their destinations were different, affected their futures.
The two who walked together for a time were Abraham and his nephew, Lot.
As they walked together they prospered. Because each of their flocks and herds had increased so greatly, they could no longer graze and water the two flocks together. Disputes and arguments developed because of the close proximity of the flocks and shepherds (Gen. 13:6-7).
Abraham told Lot to separate himself from him and he offered his nephew first choice of where he would like to move and settle his flock. Perhaps Abraham began to suspect that he and Lot were not looking for the same thing. Lot saw the distant green valley which looked like the best location, and made his decision (Gen. 13:10-13). Abraham went in the opposite direction. Abraham did not depend on the greenness of a location in order to prosper. He depended upon God. Lot was looking for a place of increase, and Abraham was looking for a place where he could continue to hear and see God, continue to be in His presence, which also happens to be a place of increase.
In this green valley that Lot chose, stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Others coveted this valley, and these prosperous cities as well, and war between kings broke out over them. In this large war between multiple kings, Lot was taken captive with many others, and their possessions were taken as well (Gen. 14:11-12). Abraham, with the help of God, rescued Lot, and all of his possessions. After this miraculous deliverance, Abraham came face to face with the supernatural priest, Melchizedek ("King of Righteousness"), King of Salem ("Peace"), a manifestation before His birth as Christ, the King of Righteousness, and Prince of Peace, Himself. Lot, on the other hand, had returned to Sodom ("burning, conflagration").
We know what happened in God's judgment of sinful Sodom and Gomorrah ("ruined heap, treat as a slave, tyranny"). Angels had to physically pull Lot and his family out of Sodom, in order to rescue them out of the judgment that was about to fall (Gen. 19:16).
Lot begged the angels to let him go to nearby Zoar, rather than into the mountain as the angels had instructed. From Zoar, Lot's wife looked back at the destruction of Sodom, and became a pillar of salt. The word "Zoar" means insignificance, to grow small, to become despised, mean. This place was Lot's preference.
Abraham also looked upon the destruction of Sodom, but he looked from the place where he had previously stood before the LORD in intercession: the plain, or terebinths, of Mamre.
The word "plain" or "terebinth" means great tree, oak grove. The root meaning is the word for the ram of sacrifice, the ram from whose skin the tabernacle of God would be constructed in the future, the strength of the ram, chief, mighty man. The root word also means pillar, door post, door jambs (imagery of Passover). "Mamre" means strength, also, and fatness. It means to flap the wings in order to hasten, lift up, and rise.
Ultimately, the difference between the two men was that Lot was looking for Sodom and Zoar. Abraham was looking for a city built by God, the place of his inheritance:
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations ("principles, system of truth established, set forth, ordained"), whose builder ("founder, bring forth, travail, be born, produce fruit from seed") and maker ("author, work, undertaking for a mass of people knitted together") is God."    Heb. 11:10
Two righteous men, two cities, two outcomes. Abraham became the father of nations and the father of faith in God. Lot became the father of Moab ("seed of his father"), a son from incest (Gen. 19:36-37), and a nation that was a frequent opponent of Israel.
Though both men knew God, and were accounted righteous, their lives turned out very differently. Their lives were determined, in part, upon the spiritual city for which they searched. Lot's choices were based on the outward appearance of wealth and success. Perhaps he sought a life of comfort and convenience that these cities represented. Even though his choice resulted in his captivity, he went back to it. Although his soul was vexed deeply by the sin he saw daily in this city (2 Pet. 2:7-8), he remained until he was forced out by angels. His family, and his future generations, were threatened and ultimately destroyed by his choice. We look at Lot's life and we see the errors, and the fruit of the errors. We face the same choices everyday. We live in the midst of Sodom, ourselves. What will make our choices different from Lot's? Perhaps we need to keep Abraham in mind:
Abraham travelled to and remained in places where he stood before God, and interceded before God. His reliance was upon the covenant, provision, prophetic promises and strength of God. His generations were numbered as many as the stars in the sky, and the grains of sand by the sea. His life continues to teach us about faith, dedication, and obedience to God. Scripture tells us that he continually sought the City of God.
God allows us the ability to make choices, but once He has put the knowledge and direction of His City into our hearts, all of our choices should lead us there. All else is built upon sinking sand.
This is a tale of two men and two cities.

Our Father teaches us to look for His City.