Established sources of knowledge in Philosophy include experience, appeal to authority, intuition, rational induction, and scientific experiments. While a child of God is not limited to these sources, anyone can benefit from them. Other sources of knowledge open to a believer can put him or her at an advantage. For example, the scripture is a profound source of knowledge. The psalmist describes it as a lamp to the feet and light to the path. Paul, writing to Timothy, describes the scriptures as having the power to make one wise unto salvation. In addition to scriptures is the revelation of God that can come in various forms and shapes. The Spirit of God is a revealer. Sometimes, we can receive knowledge through night visions or trances in broad daylight. Knowledge can also come by word of prophecy, word of knowledge, or word of wisdom. These should be bonuses for the people of God.
How did Noah know that the waters were receding from the earth? It wasn’t through the scriptures. There was none in his time. The record also did not point to the revelation of the Spirit. He gained knowledge through experimentation and rational induction. He sent out a dove from the ark the first time, but it returned because it could not find a resting place. Seven days later, he sent out the dove again. On this second occasion, the dove returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its mouth. Sending the dove a couple of times was like experimenting. The leaf in the dove’s mouth made him conclude that the water was receding. Here is the main thrust of our meditation today: we will access certain knowledge in ways other than the spiritual method. As long as they do not contradict the word of God, believers should be open to all channels of wisdom.