Curse of the Knowledge
In the penultimate chapter of the Infinity Saga, Infinity War, super villain Thanos is on a quest to collect all six Infinity stones.
While trying to acquire the Time Infinity Stone Thanos encounters resistance from Dr. Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and most notably Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man.
During the battle the following exchange takes place between Thanos and Stark:
Thanos: Stark!
Stark: You know me?
Thanos: I do. You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.
In the case of Tony Stark his knowledge had previously led him to build Ultron, an interplanetary defense system, which malfunctioned and nearly destroyed the earth.
For Thanos, his knowledge has led him to believe that by eradicating half of the world’s population he can restore universal balance.
In Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 Solomon talks about the futility, or curse, of pursuing knowledge without divine guidance:
I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Pursuing knowledge without the guidance of the Holy Spirit is an exercise in futility.
Prayer: Lord please grant me the wisdom to pursue the knowledge that the Holy Spirit provides. Any other pursuit of knowledge outside of Your Will is pointless and will not bear fruit.
Action: Is your pursuit of knowledge for your own gain or divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit? Ask God for the wisdom to pursue the knowledge that builds up His Kingdom and fulfills His purpose in your life.
Frank Turner
Frank Turner is the founder of Break Bread, Break Chains and is the co-host of the following podcasts: Defund The Church, Relative Currency, Politically Entertaining, and Christ over Crypto. He is also the founder and creator of the op-ed site Fake News Syndicate.