This morning I was reading Ezekiel 37 which begins with God
asking Ezekiel a question. The thing that interested me is not the question
itself but the way that Ezekiel answered it. In Ezekiel 37:3 we read - "He said to
me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, Thou
knowest.""
I love that answer. God asked many questions in the Bible, I think of the story of Job in particular, but He doesn't ask any of them because He is ignorant of the answer. As Ezekiel answered, Thou knowest. Maybe Ezekiel didn't know, but one thing he did know is that God knew. And That is what I want to focus on from this verse. The fact That God knows.
Gods knowledge is unlimited. He alone is omniscient. That means that He posses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. But it is more: It is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn. Paul speaks about this in Romans 11:33-34 - "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?" The answer of course being, no one. God Knows and always has known everything about everything. There is nothing hidden from His sight. And He doesn't know anymore about one thing than He does another. He is never surprised or caught off guard. Nothing ever occurs to Him. Things occur to me all the time. I'll think, "I've never thought about that before." But that never happens to God. He has already thought about everything.
In Psalm 136:1-6 David talks about the knowledge of God, and he says in verses 1-6 - "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it."
This brings God knowledge into a new light. God knows everything about me. He knows everything we do, everything we say, every thought that comes into our minds. He knows. The fact that God is omniscient can be very frightening knowing that God knows our sins, and that nothing is hidden from Him.
"He knows our frame."(Psalm 103:14) God knows that we are but dust. He knows that we're sinners born in rebellion against Him, and yet for His own sake (Isaiah 48:8-11) He desired to save us. When Christ walked on this earth He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses because He knows our weaknesses.
Anyone who has not surrendered to Christ should by every right be frightened by the fact that God knows. But as Christians, even though we're still sinners, Gods omniscience should be a great comfort to us. Knowing that God knows us completely. No talebearer can tell on us, no enemy can accuse us, no skeleton can come out of the closet to expose our past, no weakness in our character can come to light to turn God away from us, because He knew us before we knew Him, and called us to Himself in spite of all that. What a great comfort. Knowing that God knows and sympathizes with our weaknesses. Knowing that God knows what trial we're facing. Knowing that God knows what hardship we're facing, inside or out, physical or spiritual. We know that in His perfect knowledge He is working all things together for our good, even though in our limited knowledge we may not be able to see it. None of us knows what the day may bring forth, but God does. Before time began, my whole life was open to His view. He foresaw my every sin, my every fall, my every backsliding; yet, never the less, He fixed His heart upon me. And even though we stumble and fall, we are able to come back to Christ and say to Him as peter said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."
Whatever may befall us, God knows and cares as no one else can.
I love that answer. God asked many questions in the Bible, I think of the story of Job in particular, but He doesn't ask any of them because He is ignorant of the answer. As Ezekiel answered, Thou knowest. Maybe Ezekiel didn't know, but one thing he did know is that God knew. And That is what I want to focus on from this verse. The fact That God knows.
Gods knowledge is unlimited. He alone is omniscient. That means that He posses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. But it is more: It is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn. Paul speaks about this in Romans 11:33-34 - "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?" The answer of course being, no one. God Knows and always has known everything about everything. There is nothing hidden from His sight. And He doesn't know anymore about one thing than He does another. He is never surprised or caught off guard. Nothing ever occurs to Him. Things occur to me all the time. I'll think, "I've never thought about that before." But that never happens to God. He has already thought about everything.
In Psalm 136:1-6 David talks about the knowledge of God, and he says in verses 1-6 - "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it."
This brings God knowledge into a new light. God knows everything about me. He knows everything we do, everything we say, every thought that comes into our minds. He knows. The fact that God is omniscient can be very frightening knowing that God knows our sins, and that nothing is hidden from Him.
"He knows our frame."(Psalm 103:14) God knows that we are but dust. He knows that we're sinners born in rebellion against Him, and yet for His own sake (Isaiah 48:8-11) He desired to save us. When Christ walked on this earth He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses because He knows our weaknesses.
Anyone who has not surrendered to Christ should by every right be frightened by the fact that God knows. But as Christians, even though we're still sinners, Gods omniscience should be a great comfort to us. Knowing that God knows us completely. No talebearer can tell on us, no enemy can accuse us, no skeleton can come out of the closet to expose our past, no weakness in our character can come to light to turn God away from us, because He knew us before we knew Him, and called us to Himself in spite of all that. What a great comfort. Knowing that God knows and sympathizes with our weaknesses. Knowing that God knows what trial we're facing. Knowing that God knows what hardship we're facing, inside or out, physical or spiritual. We know that in His perfect knowledge He is working all things together for our good, even though in our limited knowledge we may not be able to see it. None of us knows what the day may bring forth, but God does. Before time began, my whole life was open to His view. He foresaw my every sin, my every fall, my every backsliding; yet, never the less, He fixed His heart upon me. And even though we stumble and fall, we are able to come back to Christ and say to Him as peter said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."
Whatever may befall us, God knows and cares as no one else can.
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