The Knowledge Of God

by Toms, A. F. | Category: Gems From Jeremiah | Jun 1991

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD (9:23-24).

If God had written these words in the 1990s they could not have been more up-to-date. These are the very things that men boast in today, the things that occupy so much of their attention - wisdom, knowledge and education, might and power and the influence that goes with it' riches and wealth and all the material things that wealth can buy. These are the things which dominate the lives of so many people in our twentieth century world. "What is wrong with them?" you may ask; nothing, as far as they go. Wisdom, strength and riches are all gifts from God, so certainly there is nothing wrong with them. But God says we are not to boast in them - in other words, we are not to set our hearts on them.

There are two simple reasons why we should not do so. The first is that these things are all of limited value and the second, they are all passing away. We cannot take them with us when the time comes for us to leave this world. There are things in life which are far more important than these three things put together, and God names them for us, lovingkindness, judgement and righteousness. These are the things He delights in and which He is working out in our world today. Lovingkindness is God's love in action, stooping down to men in their need. Judgement or justice is the administration of human affairs in equity and truth. Righteousness is that which is absolutely true and straight and devoid of perversity or crookedness. God delights in these things.

Let us pause for a moment to consider what sort of world this would be if these three things prevailed. There would be no wars or fighting, no greed and hatred, no violence and brutality, no oppression of the poor or neglect of the handicapped and elderly. We can understand why God delights in these things. Honest men and women are striving after them, but they elude us, and will continue to do so until the Lord Jesus comes and sets up His kingdom. Then, and only then, will there be kindness and justice and righteousness in the earth. These things are in the nature of God; they belong to Him. God is Love, and righteousness and judgement are the foundation of His throne (Ps. 97:2), 50 if we want them, we will find them in Him. That is why God says - and this is the very kernel of His message "Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me". The knowledge of God is the most precious thing in all the world. The Lord Jesus said:

And this is Life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst send, even Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

There is nothing that can compare with the knowledge of God. Let not a man boast in his wisdom, but let him get to know God who is all-wise. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus Christ (Col. 2:3), let not a man boast in his strength or might, but in God who is almighty. He has decreed that the government of the world shall be on the shoulder of His beloved Son. Let not a man boast in his riches, but let him boast in the Lord who is all-sufficient not only in riches, but in all things. Soon God will display to a wondering world that all riches and honour belong to His Son. Let us get the message for it is such an important one; the omniscient, omnipotent, all-sufficient God will one day right all earth's wrongs, and He will do it during a thousand years of perfect peace, when His Son will reign to earth's fullest extent, and the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Is. 11:1-9).

The knowledge of the Lord must he the supreme quest of our lives. The apostle Paul had this objective before him. He had many things to his credit humanly speaking, many things that men would count as gain. But he knew what was of eternal value and he said:

Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea verily. and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil. 3:7,8).

May God help each one of us to learn from Paul's example.

Toms, A. F. | Jun 1991
Gems From Jeremiah