139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. – Psalm 139:1-4
Daunting Task
It is rather daunting for the finite to write about the infinite, for the sinful to write about the sinless, and the ignorant to write about the all knowing, but such is the case when men try to communicate the attributes of God. As I try to work my way through (some of) the attributes of God, I have found this attempt to express God’s omniscience, pushed to the back burner. I touched on the subject briefly when we looked at the fact that the “secret things” belong to God, yet there is so much more to say. Obviously it is a topic we could never exhaust. Fortunately that is not my goal. Rather, my hope in writing about the attributes of God is to remove any frames you might have in your mental pictures of God. None can contain Him. Any delusions that we can comprehend God is not only a path down the trail of idolatry, it is flirting with blasphemy. Such is an attempt to reduce God to the level of man.
All Knowing
When we look at today’s text, we see that David did not attribute human limitations to God or His knowledge. According to David, God not only knew every move he made but also every thought he had. Before a word could even cross David’s lips God already knew it. Do we believe the same things? Is David wrong or is he not to be taken literally?
39 Then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind) – 1 Kings 8:39
So prayed Solomon, the son of David. According to Solomon, God, and only God, knows the hearts of all the children of mankind. Is this possible? Jeremiah writes that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it? God, Himself, answers the question, 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10). The greatest enigma is no challenge for an all-knowing God. The heart of man may be deceitful, but God sees it clearly.
Like Father, Like Son
This ability to know every action and thought of man was also evident in Christ. Before He ever met Philip, Jesus saw him under the fig tree. Before He ever conversed with the woman at the well, He knew about her life history. Furthermore, Jesus knew of the death of Lazarus before the news could reach Him. Before the last supper, He described to His disciples in detail the person they were to meet to make arrangements. When His audience had evil thoughts (Matthew 9:4), Jesus confronted them. When the Pharisees had blasphemous thoughts (Matthew 12:25), He challenged them with a parable. When the scribes entertained thoughts that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy (Mark 2:6-8), He corrected them. When the scribes and Pharisees vindictively thought that they might be able to level an accusation against Jesus (Luke 6:6-11), He exposed their hypocrisy.
Number of Stars
Not impressed? Let’s look at another Psalm. 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. (Psalm 147:4-5). From what I have read, an Australian study claims that the number of stars we can see is 70,000 million, million, million (70 followed by 22 zeros). I have not verified that number due to a shortage of fingers and toes, but the number is not staggering to God. He has not only created the stars, but has named each one. God knows the way to the dwelling of light, and the place of darkness (Job 38:19). He knows when the mountain goats give birth (Job 39:1) and when a sparrow falls (Matthew 10:29).
Before Creation
Before Adam and Eve were created, much less ate from the forbidden fruit, God had a plan of redemption (1 Peter 1:20). A plan which God revealed years before it’s fruition (Isaiah 7:14). God also revealed to Isaiah His plans for Cyrus, a century before Cyrus was even born. Likewise, Christ could see into the future. Events such as Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal were known in advance to Jesus. Same with the destruction of the Temple. God’s knowledge has no limits. He knows every detail of His creation, He knows our every move and thought, and He knows the future.
Do I understand the omniscience of God? Absolutely not. When God challenged Job, Job’s response was classic. He repented and covered his mouth. The attributes of God should have the same effect on us. God is so much above us, that all we can do is to be amazed. While we can not grasp the knowledge of God, we can find comfort in it.
He Knows & Cares
Our omniscient God not only knows about every detail of your life; He is concerned about them. He cares about you. He knitted you in your mother’s womb and is cognizant of every breath you take and every beat of your heart. Not because you are great, but because He is. Christ tells us that our Heavenly Father knows the number of the hairs on our head to impress upon us just how intimately God knows each and every one of His children. God is not just some piece of automation that stores a lot of information; rather, He is the intimate Being who created us for a personal relationship with Himself. Rather than being intimidated by God’s perfect knowledge of us, we should recognize that we can approach Him just as we are. We can have confidence that He understands our struggles and weaknesses. He knows our cares and our doubts. God knows we are finite, sinful and ignorant, but He loves us regardless. He knows our deceitful hearts and offers us new ones.
I concur with Elihu.
“He does great things that we cannot comprehend.” – Job 37:5b