the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child:
even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all"
Ecclesiastes 11:5
How does a bush burn without being consumed? How does an iron ax head float in the water? How can man be givien a renewed body after being dead for three days? I don't know! There you have it. The pastor said, "I don't know!" of God who makes everything" ( Eccl.11:5). The principle is that the pastor is not God.
The pastor's call must be accompanied by preparation, wisdom, discernment, and resolve. Wisdom and discernment are necessary to make decisions that will affect the A PASTOR'S PERSPECTIVE.
It is sure it's hard for a pastor to say "I don't know." Think of how you would feel if you went to the doctor with symptoms that resembled those of a heart attack and the doctor simply said, "I don't know what's wrong with you." Think of how you would feel if you asked your mechanic why your car would not start and he replied, "I don't know." You expect an answer based on your doctor's or your mechanic's expertise, and they certainly want to give you one. Although incompetency is more common than most of us like to admit, people who are educated, have skills in a particular field, and have matured with wisdom are rarely ready to say "I don't know."
The preacher in Ecclesiastic has a word for the preacher in your town who doesn't like to say "I don't know": "As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb her who is with child, so you do not know the works spiritual warefare of church members. Resolve is necessary to apply those decisions for the spiritual benefit of the church members. However, there are times when understanding the virtue of humility and admitting "I don't know" will serve the best interest of the congregation.
Church members should have confidence in the pastor's analysis, explaination, and application of God's word to their individual lives and the culture in which they. Every pastor should have his "Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other hand" if he expects to honor his sheperdly call to guide and guard the sheep under his care. However, all too often the pastor thinks he must have an answer for everything because he thinks the church member expect it.
For instance, a young single male might ask, "pastor, should I get married? I really need a wife." The young man may need a wife, and the Bible commands God's people to be fruitful and mutltiply, so the principle of marriage shoukd prevail. But can the psator say for certain that the young man should marry? The pastor should counsel the church member with all wisdom and humility may be able to give wisdom in the matter, but he may well have to say honesty, "I don't know" because of various ambiguous and uncertain factors held in consideration.
Question in relation to reality that are more difficult to understand are the question that may cause the pastor to confess his lack of omniscience more often. If the pastor's understanding, reasoning, and discernment are such that there is no "gray" area, no adiaphorous matters, then the pastor has become as God with all knowledge. For the sake of the pastor and his congregation, he must be prepared to acknowledge his inability to assert acknowlege.
Don't follow me, I'm lost" was the acute message on a bumper sticker. I say "acute" because it cuts to the nerve of evangelical Christianity's lack of respect for the pastor's work in this massive Information age. I can't recall the number of times a church member has greeted me after church, quickly reminding me that I should have vidited during the week before the Lord's Day because of the member's upset stomach, ingrown toenail, coughing spell, ad infinitu'. My recorded message was, "How was I supposed to know? The message from the pew is loud and clear the pastor should know everything.
We need to come to grips with the notion that the pastor cannot know everything, or, should I say the pastor should not know everything. The pastor is a mere man. He cannot know what he doesn't know. The principle applies to everything from mundane matters of everyday life to the most complex theological or philosophical questions. The serious question n life require thoughtful inquiry, but in final analysis the answer may not be forthcoming. It may be "I don't know."
I remember Dr. John Gerstner preaching a difficult passage he came to a point where he said, "other theologians don't have an answer and neither do I, but I'll give you my opinion for what it's worth or maybe for what it's not worth." Even with all his preparation, gifts, and abilities, the pastor must be a humble man before the God who knows all things, including the heart of His anointed.
It is with a sense and attitude of humility like that of the prophets of the old that pastor should strive to be effective shepherds. The prophets Jeremiah was quik and judicious to say, "'Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am youth"' ( Jer.1:6 ). The prophet demonstrated the kind of humility that is conpicuously absent in the contemporary church. Slomon is another example of one admitting to his insufficiency to lead a nation. Solomon said, "'Now, O Lord my God, havd made Your servant king instead of my father David, but i am a little child; I do not know how to go out or cole in'" (1Kings3:7). He knew enough to say, "I don't know."
The pastor has something to say to his congregation, but he is not "Ask Jeeves" and he is not the answer man. As the congregation looks to the pastor for instruction, protection, and discipline, they also should expect him to demonstrate the integrity that may require him to say, "I don't know."
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