Knowing God

The world has many ideas about him but are they true?

Exodus 33:11,13,17 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people."

17 The LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name."

In the book of Exodus we have seen that God's people have had amazing experiences with him that should have led to a close friendship. In the previous post we saw some of the miraculous ways that God displayed his power and protection on their behalf, but we also saw almost everyone turned from God as if his amazing care for them meant nothing.

Despite the equal opportunity to know God, it did not lead to equal outcomes, it seems that Moses was alone in his desire for spiritual growth. The crowd knew God and knew that he was incredible in his kindness and protection but that was enough for them.

Most of God's people are just like that, we know just enough about God and his plan to redeem us and make us his own children so that we can escape hell but few of us have the desire to know our Heavenly father beyond that. 

We are content to believe in him from a distance or we settle for knowing inaccurate information about him. Both of these conditions are very dangerous.

What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God.

-J. I. Packer "Knowing God"

We don't have the privilege of seeing God work like his people did in the Old Testament, we have to rely on the Bible to really know him. That's the reason that God preserved his word, the book may be very old but because he never changes we can truly know him by what he has revealed in the Bible.

The outline below is from Going Deeper with God with my thoughts added.

God's Word Shows Us:

God's Holiness

Leviticus 19:1-2 The LORD also said to Moses, 2 "Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

We like to think that this requirement was for the people of the Old Testament but the command for holiness is in the New Testament and it is still in effect today. (1 Peter 1:15)

It's interesting that the Bible doesn't give us the command to be holy until after God's people have been redeemed from Egypt. 

God's Wrath and Justice

John 3:36 And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment."

We really don't like this topic, we like to dwell on God's goodness, love and grace, who doesn't like that? But you don't really know God and you have created your own "god" if you stop there.

The cross shows us a small portion of the wrath of God that will be experienced by those that are left behind when Jesus takes his church out of here. The cross was horrible but it isn't the full extent of God's wrath that is shown to us in the book of Revelation.

God's Grace

Psalms 84:11  For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

Thankfully God's grace is equally as huge as his wrath but it is only available to those that believe in God's rescue plan. We can only appreciate God's grace and be amazed by it when we have an accurate understanding of God's holy wrath. 

We must go beyond the common grace that everyone on earth experiences. Common grace is a taste of what God offers that will help you draw closer to him but it isn't saving grace and it has no redemptive effect. (Romans 8:29-39, Ephesians 1:3-14)

 

God's Goodness

Exodus 33:19 The LORD replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

It sounds odd that God told Moses that his goodness is something that can be seen, it seems more logical to us that God's works can be seen as his goodness, but scripture teaches that God is more beautiful than anything he has ever done.

God is not a cosmic grandpa handing out treats to his children. God isn't going to give us everything we want, sometimes he will give us what we don't want but he is still perfectly good and righteous, and there is no evil or sin in him. (Psalm 92:15; 1 John 3:2–6)

So much has been done for us but instead of a stronger desire to know God more and know God accurately we settle for a surface relationship or we believe about God without knowing the whole truth. I think we have to be careful if we distort God into something he is not then we have made a "god" that pleases ourselves.

Knowing God Takes Effort

Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Jeremiah 9:24 NLT But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!

Developing a deep relationship with God is not a passive experience, it requires a commitment to time spent in God's word, prayer, and actively seeking to understand and apply what God is showing you.

Too many people think that knowing God is a one time event but the Bible shows us that it is actually a lifelong pursuit. Just take a look at the apostle Paul, he is probably the best example of someone that knew God like Moses did, but after approximately 25 years as a believer he still yearned for more. (Philippians 2:12-13 and  2 Corinthians 12:1-7)

Satan doesn't want you to know God accurately or with any degree of intimacy that's why he has so many ways to keep you distracted. He is okay with you knowing God the way that the Pharisees knew him but remember that this group of people received the harshest criticism from Jesus.

Help me Lord to increase in my love and desire to know you more! It is too easy to neglect our relationship and believe incorrect information about you. I want to really know you.

RELATED ARTICLES

What is the biblical account of Shem, Ham, and Japheth? (gotquestions.org)

Knowing God Personally (cslewisinstitute.org)

Knowing God (desiringgod.org)

How Satisfied Are You?

The pleasures of this world will never satisfy your desires.

Proverbs 27:20 Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.

Psalms 63:1-3 O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. 3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You!

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It seems like every time you get a receipt there is an invite to take a survey and let somebody know about your experience. Most companies that you do business with want to be sure that you are pleased with the experience. If we are unhappy then somebody is going to hear about it.

Sometimes we approach God the same way, we expect him to make us happy and to give us a better life, we expect service from him and if we don't get it then we will be giving him a bad review. God doesn't have any comment cards or online surveys to fill out and there isn't a chance to win a prize for giving him our opinion.

You would probably think that there wasn't any reason for discontent back in the Garden of Eden but you would be wrong. It is difficult to imagine how it was living life before the effects of sin damaged everything. Life in the garden included daily walks with God, no struggle for food and huge beast that meant you no harm.

Even in the most ideal circumstances man's desire to be in control and to get more for himself was still present. As far as we know, there was only one rule to live by in the garden, eat from any tree that you want except for the one that God said was off limits. It sounds easy enough but we have all been led astray just as easy as Adam and Eve were.

God was angry because Adam took the gifts of God and used them for his own purposes, so that he became his own god.

-Tony Evans

We act like God's purpose is to make us happy and content but that is not a priority for him. It sounds absurd to say it but in reality that is the way that we behave. Our consumer mentality follows us to church and we expect the church to serve us.

We want more and more of the things that do not satisfy as if it will someday be enough. We want to control what we have and how much we have instead of looking to him to satisfy.

This lack of contentment is behind our fat stomachs, our adulterous relationships, and our excessive drive to put more money in the bank. Our desire for pleasure is out of control because we do not get our desires fulfilled by the infinite source of pleasure.

Psalms 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!

We need to develop an appetite for the one that created our appetites in the first place. If we really know him and love him then we will desire him and let go of our desire to be indulged by lesser things.

I need to be anxious for opportunities to meet with God, to be excited to spend a few more minutes talking to him and studying the Bible, I need to redirect my cravings to the source if satisfaction that my soul longs for.

Psalms 23:5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

My earthly desires need to fade away as I present myself as a living sacrifice. I will be content with less of the toys that the world seeks to have and I need to be satisfied by giving instead of getting more.

I need to give away my time, talents and treasures for the work of the gospel. I wasn't blessed with all of these things so that I can store them up and use them for myself. I have been given much so that I can accomplish much for the sake of the gospel.

RELATED ARTICLES

The Measure (thelife.com)
Four Qualifications For Finding Contentment (ligonier.org)

Desire Out Of Control

Be careful, even a talking snake can seem to make sense at times.

Genesis 3:1- 6  Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made.

"Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"

2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him.

3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die."

4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed.

5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."

6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.  

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This story reminds me of the New Testament story about the woman that was found in adultery and she gets pulled out into the street and taken to Jesus and they only point the finger at her as if she committed adultery all alone. Verse six tells us that Adam was right there next to Eve, he heard the talking snake twist God's words around and tell half truths until it all sounded so logical and yet we give Eve the blame.

Listening to our evil desires make about as much sense as listening to a talking snake. Our pride gets in the way and distorts our ability to think logically and even the most obviously lame story can seem to make a lot of sense.

Proverbs 29:23  One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

I am reminded of men's conference speaker, Steve Farrar, he says that "we need to remember that we are all just one step from stupid." We can all drift away from truth and accept the devils logic that entices us away from God.

The greatest tool to use each day to keep my pride in check is to stay in the word every day so that my eyes will stay focused and my heart will stay true to God's command and I will not be tricked into compromising what God wants me to do.

You are so immovable Lord, you have given us solid ground of real truth that we can base our lives on. Help me to stand my ground when pride and desire try to creep in.