And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor
and each man his brother, saying, Know
Jehovah; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them, says Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sins no more. Jer. 31:34
The people who know me are those that
spend personal time with me, in the good times and the bad; the ones who don’t
bail on our relationship because they don’t like something I’ve done or not
done (ouch Lord!) or because it’s too hard.
They’re the people who not only talk to me, but share their lives with
me, and listen to me in return. They ask
me how I’m doing and care enough to hear my reply, and after years of time
together, they can almost read my mind.
In other words, it is not knowledge
they’ve acquired in their heads, but heart knowledge- that which resides deep
inside over time and with effort. This
is the same with the Lord. We can read
all about Him and know every fact there is to know, but it doesn’t mean we know
Him personally.
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast
in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man
boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands
and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and
righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the
LORD." Jer. 9:24 ESV
For this is the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel
after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will
write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer. 31:33 ESV
It is not the
learning of facts or intellectual truths, but a personal understanding of the Truth, as in Jesus Christ; “…I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life…” (Jh. 14:6).
Those who only learn facts are those who are “ever learning and never
able to come to the full knowledge of the
truth.” (2Tm. 3:7)
We can know
God’s deeds, His attributes, His abilities, memorize His Words, even teach all
we know to the entire world, but it doesn’t mean we know Him or His ways. The Hebrews knew all about their God, but
love for Him was not in their hearts.
They knew His works because they saw them happen, but they never wanted
to get closer to the Lord whereas Moses knew His ways.
…this people draw near with their mouth and honor me
with their lips, while their hearts are far from me… Is. 29:13
He revealed his plans to Moses and his deeds to the
people of Israel.
Ps. 103:7 ISV
For forty years I was grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and
they have not known My ways; Ps. 95:10; Heb. 3:10
We have the
ability to be personal with God. He
started a personal relationship with Adam and Eve in the garden, “And they
heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God…” Gen 3:8
(They knew His voice and knew who it was despite being hidden. It was not
strange to them He was there, so He must have done it often.) and if we read
through the Bible, a relationship is what He always works toward with man. Just knowing about Him isn’t good enough!
And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom You have sent. Jh. 17:3
…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may know him and the power of
his resurrection… Php 3:8-10 ESV