To each his suff’rings: all are men,
Condemn’d alike to groan,
The tender for another’s pain;
Th’ unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
‘Tis folly to be wise (emphasis added).
Thomas Gray (Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, Stanza 10)
In 1742, Thomas Gray coined the phrase “Ignorance is bliss,” referring to the notion that we can’t worry about what we don’t know. While this notion may be appealing on some levels, the truth is that ignorance, like curiosity, can get us killed and is most definitely a troublesome root. Consider this passage from 1 Chronicles 19.
In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him. David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.
1 Chronicles 19:1-4 (NIV)
Since Hanun didn’t know why David had sent me to him, he believed his commanders and insulted David’s men. However, once Hanun realizes his error, how does he respond?
When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah and Zobah.
1 Chronicles 19:6 (NIV)
Hanun spends a thousand talents of silver to hire soldiers from Aram Naharaim. What happens next? Hanun goes to war with Israel, and no less than 47,000 men die on his side before they make peace with Israel (1 Chronicles 19:18). Now, that’s a heavy price for ignorance, but it’s one that Hanun didn’t have to pay.
Indeed, consider if Hanun had, instead, sent David those 1,000 talents of silver with his own envoys and a written apology for how he treated David’s men. While their relationship might not have been what it once was, all of those men who died wouldn’t have had to die. Yet, Hanun chose not to apologize. Why? Because of his pride. That was Hanun’s big mistake; he was too prideful to acknowledge his error.
While ignorance can and often does lead us down the wrong path, once we realize we’re going the wrong way or have already gone the wrong way, we have some choices. We can continue, no longer in ignorance but in pride, or we can own up to our mistakes in humility and turn away to follow the best path. While there are costs to our mistakes, continuing in them only makes things worse.
This leads me to the idea of salvation. Perhaps you’ve heard of Jesus, and maybe you’ve even made fun of people who call themselves “Born again.” I was once like you. When I was a very young man, I scoffed at people who said they were born again, and when I did that, I did it out of ignorance. For years after that, I lived a life of ignorance, not knowing what lay behind the door of Christianity. Yet, one day, God opened my eyes, and I embraced Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
If you’re reading this today and you don’t know God, then you can make a choice to get to know him, not because of anything I’ve said here, because I’ve said nothing profound that would steer someone one way or another, but because God knows you better than anyone else. Indeed, he knows you and loves you because he sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that anyone who believes in him will have eternal life and not perish. If you want to know God and be saved from your sins, then pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:
Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I sincerely repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe you died on the cross and were buried, and God the Father raised you from the dead on the third day. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.
