Knowledge Revisited
First of all, why would we want to discover the knowledge of God? The Lord had a complaint that He made perfectly clear to those who thought they knew Him. In the book of Jeremiah, God said:
Jeremiah 4:21-22 (NASB)
[21] How long must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet?
[22] “For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
The problem here was that the Israelites had an outward form of reverence for the Lord. But they did not take the time to really know the Lord. The blaring of the trumpet was the call to worship at the Temple. But the people did not take the time to really know the Lord. That is also one of the biggest problems in the Church today. We really do not know the Lord. Nor, do we take time out of our "busy lives" to try and take stock of our lack of knowledge about Him. We give Him as it were the leftovers. Whatever little time we have left we give to Him and expect Him to be at our beck and call to do whatever our hearts desire. God is not like that, nor does He bend to the calling of such people. In the United States we have all but abandoned Him.
What does it take to discover the knowledge of God? Proverbs chapter two gives us some insights:
Proverbs 2:1-9 (NASB)
CHAPTER 2
The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
[2:1] My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
[2] Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
[3] For if you cry for discernment,
*Lift your voice for understanding;
[4] If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
[5] Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God.
[6] For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
[7] He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
[8] Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
[9] Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
This is a fairly long passage and full of information about finding the knowledge of God. Notice in verse 5 above that after doing a lot of things we will discern the knowledge of God. But it takes work on our part to find it. This is something that modern man just is not willing to do on his own. Notice that there are a number of "Ifs" in this passage. The steps are as follows:
(1) receive God's word
(2) treasure His commandments within you
(3) listen for wisdom
(4) devote your innermost being to understanding
(5) pray for discernment in a matter
(6) cry to God for understanding if you are having trouble finding it
(7) seek and search for wisdom as a very precious thing
It says that then you will discern the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. There is effort here, the Lord does not just drop His knowledge in our laps without our first demonstrating that we really want to know. This goes against everything that we have learned in this culture. In our culture we have a "fast food" mentality. I want it now, there is a complete lack of discipline and patience in the way that we handle things. This passage reveals that it may take time. It may cause us to come back again and again. It's almost as if it is a test of our faithfulness to Him before He is willing to grant us our request. You remember that Jesus taught about coming back again and again to the Lord and to not loose heart (in the parable of the persistent friend).
Luke 11:8-10 (NASB)
[8] “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his *persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
[9] “So I say to you, *ask, and it will be given to you; *seek, and you will find; *knock, and it will be opened to you.[10] “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
So I am not out of line in insisting that the passage from Proverbs is applicable for today. We study the Word of God because it is profitable and leads us to the knowledge of God. Notice the following:
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NASB)
[14] You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,[15] and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is *inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for *training in righteousness; [17] so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
We need to know the mind of God in any matter with which we come in contact if we are to do the right thing at the right time. When our knowledge is weak we can be lead astray from the path that the Lord has for us in life. We cannot just accept Jesus and then live our lives as though He were not the Lord of our lives. That is not repentance from our sin. That is not turning and accepting what the Lord has done for us. How much more do we need to know God, to seek His council, and to seek His way? Quite a bit. But it takes more than just sitting in the pew on a Sunday morning as absorbing, only to leave it behind after the service is over. The Lord has a right to demand of us our attention. We really should know Him and understand Him. By the way, that is the only thing by which we would have reason to boast in this world.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)
[23] Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; [24] but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.
The time is now to get our act together for the Lord. The Holy Spirit lives within us if we are known by Him. He comes upon us when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will teach us all things. We have only to desire and to act upon that desire. Notice that in the book of Hebrews the Word of God indicates that in the new covenant we will really know Him.
Hebrews 8:8-13 (NASB)
[8] For finding fault with them, He says,
“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
*WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
[9] NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS
ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND
TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT;
FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT,
AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
[10] “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
*I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
[11] “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,
AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’
FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,
FROM *THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
[12] “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,
AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”
[13] *When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is *ready to disappear.
So why are we not willing to take advantage of this? Seek the Lord while He may be found.
Jeremiah 4:21-22 (NASB)
[21] How long must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet?
[22] “For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
The problem here was that the Israelites had an outward form of reverence for the Lord. But they did not take the time to really know the Lord. The blaring of the trumpet was the call to worship at the Temple. But the people did not take the time to really know the Lord. That is also one of the biggest problems in the Church today. We really do not know the Lord. Nor, do we take time out of our "busy lives" to try and take stock of our lack of knowledge about Him. We give Him as it were the leftovers. Whatever little time we have left we give to Him and expect Him to be at our beck and call to do whatever our hearts desire. God is not like that, nor does He bend to the calling of such people. In the United States we have all but abandoned Him.
What does it take to discover the knowledge of God? Proverbs chapter two gives us some insights:
Proverbs 2:1-9 (NASB)
CHAPTER 2
The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
[2:1] My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
[2] Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
[3] For if you cry for discernment,
*Lift your voice for understanding;
[4] If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
[5] Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God.
[6] For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
[7] He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
[8] Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
[9] Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
This is a fairly long passage and full of information about finding the knowledge of God. Notice in verse 5 above that after doing a lot of things we will discern the knowledge of God. But it takes work on our part to find it. This is something that modern man just is not willing to do on his own. Notice that there are a number of "Ifs" in this passage. The steps are as follows:
(1) receive God's word
(2) treasure His commandments within you
(3) listen for wisdom
(4) devote your innermost being to understanding
(5) pray for discernment in a matter
(6) cry to God for understanding if you are having trouble finding it
(7) seek and search for wisdom as a very precious thing
It says that then you will discern the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. There is effort here, the Lord does not just drop His knowledge in our laps without our first demonstrating that we really want to know. This goes against everything that we have learned in this culture. In our culture we have a "fast food" mentality. I want it now, there is a complete lack of discipline and patience in the way that we handle things. This passage reveals that it may take time. It may cause us to come back again and again. It's almost as if it is a test of our faithfulness to Him before He is willing to grant us our request. You remember that Jesus taught about coming back again and again to the Lord and to not loose heart (in the parable of the persistent friend).
Luke 11:8-10 (NASB)
[8] “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his *persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
[9] “So I say to you, *ask, and it will be given to you; *seek, and you will find; *knock, and it will be opened to you.[10] “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
So I am not out of line in insisting that the passage from Proverbs is applicable for today. We study the Word of God because it is profitable and leads us to the knowledge of God. Notice the following:
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NASB)
[14] You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,[15] and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. [16] All Scripture is *inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for *training in righteousness; [17] so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
We need to know the mind of God in any matter with which we come in contact if we are to do the right thing at the right time. When our knowledge is weak we can be lead astray from the path that the Lord has for us in life. We cannot just accept Jesus and then live our lives as though He were not the Lord of our lives. That is not repentance from our sin. That is not turning and accepting what the Lord has done for us. How much more do we need to know God, to seek His council, and to seek His way? Quite a bit. But it takes more than just sitting in the pew on a Sunday morning as absorbing, only to leave it behind after the service is over. The Lord has a right to demand of us our attention. We really should know Him and understand Him. By the way, that is the only thing by which we would have reason to boast in this world.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)
[23] Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; [24] but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.
The time is now to get our act together for the Lord. The Holy Spirit lives within us if we are known by Him. He comes upon us when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will teach us all things. We have only to desire and to act upon that desire. Notice that in the book of Hebrews the Word of God indicates that in the new covenant we will really know Him.
Hebrews 8:8-13 (NASB)
[8] For finding fault with them, He says,
“BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD,
*WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT
WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
[9] NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS
ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND
TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT;
FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT,
AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
[10] “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
*I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
[11] “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,
AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’
FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,
FROM *THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
[12] “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,
AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.”
[13] *When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is *ready to disappear.
So why are we not willing to take advantage of this? Seek the Lord while He may be found.