o Lord, you have searched me and known me! you know when i sit down and when i rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. you search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. [psalm 139:1-3]

 

God is omniscient–this is a way of saying that he is all-knowing.  

 

it is estimated there are 200 billion trillion (200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) stars in the galaxy–our great God knows every one of them by name. 

he determines the number of the stars;

    he gives to all of them their names. [psalm 147:4]

 

Jesus states that:

why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered [luke 12:7a]

 

he knows and orchestrates every tiny detail on a massive universal scale–the universe is upheld by the word of his power (hebrews 1:3), but his knowledge is also personal–he knows us–individually and intimately.  

 

to know–yāḏaʿ is an incredibly intimate word–it is used regularly as an expression of intimacy between a man and a wife as in:

now adam knew (yāḏaʿ) eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” [genesis 4:1]

 

God knows us. deeply, intimately. he knows every sin we would ever commit. he knows our fears, our desires, and thoughts, and even though he sees the wickedness of our hearts, he still sent his son to suffer and die for us.

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [romans 5:8]

 

he did not make a mistake–this was the plan. he seeks and pleads for us to come to him, he wants us to know him–and he gives us the ability to know him and glorify him!

you make known (yāḏaʿ) to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. [psalm 16:11]

 

oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know (yāḏaʿ)  you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart! [psalm 36:10]

 

let us know (yāḏaʿ); let us press on to know (yāḏaʿ)the LORD;

his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers,

as the spring rains that water the earth.” [hosea 6:3]

 

so let us press on to know Jesus Christ–the one who knows us, calls us and bought for us the ability to stand in the presence of a perfect and holy God!

 

~ conor eastman