GOD OF KNOWLEDGE (4)

“And they say, “HOW DOES GOD KNOW? And is there KNOWLEDGE in the Most High?” – Psalm 73:11

The wicked and unbelieving do not like one bit the reality of the GOD of KNOWLEDGE: “And they say, “HOW DOES GOD KNOW? And is there KNOWLEDGE in the Most High?” (Psa.73:11). They abhor the fact that God knows the secrets of every heart! Earlier verses describe how “they scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth” (vv.8-9). It bothers them to think that there is a God who knows what goes on in their minds. First, they try to hide their thoughts and deeds from Him and pretend that He doesn’t really know: “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, “WHO SEES US?” and “WHO KNOWS US?” (Isa.29:15).

When unbelievers discover how futile it is to try to hide from God, they would then deny that there is a God, in order to rid themselves of the guilt and frustration of a God who knows everything (Psa.14:1). There is absolutely no way to keep any secrets from Him: “Would not God search this out? FOR HE KNOWS the secrets of the heart” (Psa.44:21). We can keep secrets from other people. We may succeed in living an entire lifetime without exposing some of our hidden thoughts to anybody. But God knows everything that goes on in every heart and mind. As he explained to Samuel, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1Sam.16:7). This is a good reason to serve Him willingly and keep our thought lives pleasing to Him (1Chr.28:9).

Since there are no secrets with God, we must face the fact that there is no such thing as a secret sin: “You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance” (Psa.90:8). Hebrews 4:13 says: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”! God knows everything by the very essence of His Being!

Unlike the unbeliever, the maturing Believer does not view God’s omniscience as a threat. Rather, it provides a challenge to grow. The more we mature in our relationship with the Lord, the more comfortable we’re with the realization that He knows all that we’re thinking. What an encouragement it is to realize that God knows our hearts and that He evaluates us on the basis of what is actually there rather than the unfair and unkind criticism of others! There is no reason to become defensive. God knows the truth about us and that’s all that really matters.

Indeed, the Lord who knows what is in all human hearts, has every situation in perfect control!