Worldview Bible Commentary: Proverbs 19:2
The context of chapter 19 consists of the author explaining what the moral and ethical life should be for those who follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Can I know anything? The first part of verse 2 says that “it is not good for a person to be without knowledge.” This implies that knowledge and understanding can be obtained otherwise it would be acceptable for one to be without knowledge because knowledge would not exist. Of course this begs the following question: If knowledge cannot be obtained (as some postmodern philosophers argue) then how would they know that knowledge of objective truth doesn't exist?
In this context the knowledge the author is referring to would be knowledge of God’s objective moral standard.
How do I know what I know? We know what we know because the “All Knowing Knower” knows all things and by His grace He has given us the ability to know what He chooses to reveal to us through general revelation (nature) and special revelation (Scripture).
Is truth relative or must truth be the same for all rational beings? Do objective moral values exist? In verse 2 you find a statement indicating a relationship between knowledge and ethics. In this passage one needs knowledge in order to live a godly (ethical) life. Two points are implied here. We dealt with the first in question one. The second implication in this text is the reality of there being an absolute moral(truth) and ethical standard that is not relative to the knower. If it were the case that there was no such thing as this absolute moral standard then there would be no way an individual could hurry “his footsteps” into “error” literally referring to sins. There would be no error or sin without the standard. The one without knowledge of moral and ethical truth (God’s standard) will get in a hurry and commit his steps of life to sin and error.
Can I know anything? The first part of verse 2 says that “it is not good for a person to be without knowledge.” This implies that knowledge and understanding can be obtained otherwise it would be acceptable for one to be without knowledge because knowledge would not exist. Of course this begs the following question: If knowledge cannot be obtained (as some postmodern philosophers argue) then how would they know that knowledge of objective truth doesn't exist?
In this context the knowledge the author is referring to would be knowledge of God’s objective moral standard.
How do I know what I know? We know what we know because the “All Knowing Knower” knows all things and by His grace He has given us the ability to know what He chooses to reveal to us through general revelation (nature) and special revelation (Scripture).
Is truth relative or must truth be the same for all rational beings? Do objective moral values exist? In verse 2 you find a statement indicating a relationship between knowledge and ethics. In this passage one needs knowledge in order to live a godly (ethical) life. Two points are implied here. We dealt with the first in question one. The second implication in this text is the reality of there being an absolute moral(truth) and ethical standard that is not relative to the knower. If it were the case that there was no such thing as this absolute moral standard then there would be no way an individual could hurry “his footsteps” into “error” literally referring to sins. There would be no error or sin without the standard. The one without knowledge of moral and ethical truth (God’s standard) will get in a hurry and commit his steps of life to sin and error.
posted by Craig W. | 9:30 PM
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