“A Prophetic Word” Day 6: We must go on to know Him more.
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.””
Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV
If we look to nature, we will see that any baby animal can be taken away from its mother, and raised—having never seen any of its own kind—and yet it will still clearly come to demonstrate the characteristics of its species. Yet, because of Sin, the children created by God, often do not recognize Him, or know Him, or resemble Him.
Time and again throughout the Old Testament, we see the Lord lamenting His people’s propensity toward not knowing Him.
“Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth! The LORD has spoken, “I raised ⌊my⌋ children and helped them grow, but they have rebelled against me. Oxen know their owners, and donkeys know where their masters feed them. But Israel doesn’t know ⌊its owner⌋. My people don’t understand ⌊who feeds them⌋.”
Isaiah 1:2-3 GW
And, repeatedly, God’s people suffered because they did not really know Him.
“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.”
Hosea 4:6 NLT
And, when God took on flesh, becoming one of us, His own people didn’t recognize Who He was!
“He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him.”
John 1:10-11 GW
Jesus, in talking to some of the religious leaders, said that they were of their father the devil. Now, did the devil create these people? Certainly not! But again, left to a mind of depravity, people will mirror the author of rebellion and depravity: Satan.
Paul tells us that refusal to seek the knowledge of the Lord, led to God turning His people over to gross idolatry.
“And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things.”
Romans 1:28 GW
Thank God, through Jesus Christ and the work of the cross, we can now come to truly know our Creator, our Father, our God, our King, our only Savior and Lord.
Further, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can know the Lord in a way no one could, had it not been for Jesus.
Sadly, many Christians make no effort to learn more about the Lord, choosing rather to pursue knowledge concerning things that are actually contrary to God’s nature!
Yet, going back to John chapter 1, we find that the people who do know Jesus, who do recognize Who He really is, are given the honor of being a member of God’s eternal family.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 NLT
Child of God, don’t put off seeking to know Him more each day. He desires to reveal Himself to you. And—as you come to know Him more—you will begin to reflect His image in thought, word, and deed. What are you waiting for?