Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; - 1Cor 12:4-8
Word of Knowledge
As was discussed in the topic Word of Wisdom, knowledge is also something that can be obtained through education and experience. I have knowledge of computers through my education. I have knowledge of troubleshooting computers through experience. Knowing how a computer is supposed to act and determining why it doesn’t act that way comes from experience. While God has given me the ability to learn these things this is not the gift of the Word of Knowledge.
In the study of the gift Word of Wisdom I gave several examples that showed where someone was given the spirit of wisdom to complete a task that God had given them, along with the spirit of wisdom was the spirit of knowledge. Often you will find these gifts are given together because one needs wisdom to know what to do with the knowledge that they have.
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. Ex 31:1-5
But again, as was the case with the Word of Wisdom, this gift is not just knowledge. The text tells us that it is the gift of the Word of Knowledge. This implies that it is more than knowing something but that it is also being able to convey that which the person knows. The gift Word of Knowledge is a supernatural knowledge of God, His word, and at times his purposes.
You will normally find this gift accompanies that of the gift of prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, and was given to the apostles, and is sometimes given to preachers and teachers but not always. One can have the gift of preaching and teaching and gain the knowledge needed through study and experience, but we’ll look further into that when I discuss those gifts.
A few examples of this gift are:
He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, and the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. – Num 24:15-16
Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. “Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 2 Chr 1:8-10
Moreover, the LORD made it known to me and I knew it; then You showed me their deeds. – Jer 11:18
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; - Eph 3:3-5
Each of these verses shows that knowledge was given by revelation from God. The Lord gave them special insight for a specific reason. As I mentioned earlier this gift is found especially in the prophets and the apostles.
