The Bad Record of Curious Malcontents in the Bible
Curiosity killed the cat, and it has not served man well, either. The quest of the curious is to see behind the veil. Lacking something, or so it seems to their inquiring minds, the curious embark upon the journey to know the hidden things. The curious have an insatiable lust for secret knowledge.
The Bible teaches, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons, forever, that we may observe all the words of this law (Dt 29:29).” God has revealed the essential things for humanity to know. Man, however, is agitated by the limits of divine revelation, and the devil makes men curious, “Did God say…” This was true for Adam and Eve, and it is true for us. Curiosity is driven by unbelief.
Men name their spaceships, “Discovery,” and dedicate television channels to that same name. Men want to boldly go where no man has gone before. Why? In their curiosity, they prove their discontent with the Word of God. God has spoken, but man is not listening. This has been true for humanity since the Garden of Eden, but it is true in American Christianity, too.
Charlatan peddlers of newfangled philosophy, method, or practical gimmicks lead indiscriminate pastors and congregations on wild goose chases to discover, “…what is working in the church, today.” They shun their critics, or as they call us, “the negative prophetic,” for lack of numerical results.
The tower builders of Babel needed a better view of God than they had received, so they built a tower in their curiosity. The Philistines could not resist the ark of the Lord as a curio. When King Saul lost his seer, at the death of Samuel (the negative prophet for Saul), the lunatic king visited the witch of Endor, on a rather curious night. David was curious about Bathsheba. In the New Testament, Simon the magician (a wannabe prosperity preacher), lusted for the power of the Holy Spirit, as an irresistible curiosity of the apostolic ministry.
The sin of curiosity is the lust to know good and evil, but it is a snare, like the seducing woman of Proverbs. The curious are always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, which, ironically, God has put in plain sight for them to see and hear. The disquisitive suffer allure to the mystery of superstition, “We so excited to see what God is gonna do in the house, tonight!” Really, how about the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection…and…sin?
The cure for curiosity is Christ Jesus, our Lord. No more hypnotic ventures to meet your inner child. No more pilgrimages to see the cinnamon bun that looks like Mother Theresa, and which cries tears of blood. No more conspiracy theories about the end of the world. No more fear of missing the church gathering, replete with the duplicitous solicitation for a possible move of the spirit. Folks, Jesus Christ has turned over the tables, in the curiosity shop of superstitious religion, and exposed its pecuniary ambitions.
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, sent from heaven, as the revelation and personification of God’s salvation of His elect people, is no longer a mystery. Christianity has the full revelation of God in the Bible. We do have the answers, and sadly, that is an irritant to the curious. Jesus, the sole Savior of men’s souls, is not what these people want. They want light shows, loud music, hip pastors, and weird philosophies and psychologies. They call themselves, “authentic” and “real,” which I suppose is a bit curious.
In Christ, we have the knowledge of the truth, which is what we desperately need. The curious Gentile could not just mosey his way into the Temple precincts. This would defy the holiness of God and deny the prohibitive word of the Law. If he dared the venture, his curiosity was punishable by immediate execution.
In Christ, the wall of separation has been torn down. The veil of the most inner sanctum has been rent from top to bottom. God’s elect people have access to the Most High God, the mystery of mysteries, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The curiosity is no more. The blood of the Lamb on the mercy seat is revealed to be His precious blood. The Law is fulfilled. The rod of Aaron buds with new life, and that life is the elect Son of God, who is Himself, eternal manna from heaven, the bread of life. Welcome to the holiest of holies!
All of this proves, once again, that God is not withholding from man, which was Satan’s lie to Adam and Eve. Still, the curious want something else, or something more. They repeat the unbelief of the first man (Adam). The curious want to find another way into the communion banquet. They want to put on something other than Christ, as their holy attire.
A final word to the curious: friend, on your journey through vanity fair, resist the spirit of curiosity and flee from the temptations of curiosity’s endless exhibits. Rather, hear the voice of Christ, calling you out of the dark night, the wide promenade, the flashing false lights, and the show men with their snake oil religion.
Leave your bizarre philosophies, your mind-numbing psychologies, and seek truth in Christ alone. Resist not the rebuke of your ways, as mere cynicism. Rather, embrace the Christ of Scripture, who judges rightly in these matters. He is the mystery of God, unveiled in the Gospel of God, and apprehended by the obedience of faith. Listen to Him.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
November 20, 2021
