At times there are concepts that are not difficult to understand at a conceptual level but are very difficult to really understand. The knowledge of God, at least for me, falls into that category.
We see the extraordinary nature of God’s knowledge in Psalm 139. It begins with an this declaration.
1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 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. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. – Psalm 139:1-6 ESV
This is a song of praise written by David. The content of the first part of this song is the tremendous knowledge of God. He knows everything about us, even our thoughts. He knows what I do, all of what I do and what I have not yet done. In verse 5, David proclaims that God protects him, and it seems that it is tied to God’s knowledge as well.
So, let’s explore these concepts +1.
God Knows Everything
Notice the beginning of Psalm 126. He declares God’s knowledge of everything about him. There is nothing in all of creation that is hidden from the sight of God (Hebrews 4:12-13). The theological term for this is “omniscient”. It simply means that God knows everything.
This is a strange thought for us to consider. We simply do not understand what it means to know everything.
Do you know what I do before I deliver a message to students at our church? I study. Why is it that I study even if I’ve read that passage of Scripture before? Well, it’s because I don’t know everything there is to know about the passage that will be discussed.
The same is true for a lot of other things as well. I enrolled in class yesterday to take my last language class at SBTS. (Woohoo! I struggle with language classes.) Why am I taking Hebrew II? Well, it’s because I don’t know Biblical Hebrew.
Why do I have to look at the weather when I get out of bed in the morning? There are a few reasons for it. 1) I live in Arkansas and there is no telling what the weather is going to be like right now. It might be below 0 degrees or it could be 65 degrees. It could be raining or sunny. 2) I’m not God and I do not know what the weather is going to be like without looking at the app on my phone.
Knowing everything is just so foreign to me. This is why I said in the beginning that I can understand God knowing all things conceptually but struggle to understand this concept well. It is mind-boggling to consider a being that knows all things. Even, as the Psalmist points out, what I am thinking.
He is not lacking in knowledge of any sort. As Hodge points out in his Systematic Theology, God is not ignorant of anything.
Such a being cannot be ignorant of anything; his knowledge can neither be increased nor diminshed. – Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1982 reprint, p. 397
God Knows The Future As Well As The Past Perfectly
David moves to discuss future acts of free creatures. He says that God knows what he is going to say even before he says it. This gets us into all sorts of intellectual discussions, but the point is that God knows the future perfectly.
Scripture is replete with the idea that God knows the future perfectly. So, I will only mention this passage of Scripture and allow you to do a Google search for others.
God, in Isaiah 46, declares why he is different from the “gods” made of wood or iron that people were worshiping. God challenges these “gods” and states that he is different because he knows both the past and the future perfectly.
8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ – Isaiah 46:8-10 ESV
God here declares in no uncertain terms that he knows all things. Nothing in the past is hidden from God. Nothing in the future is hidden from God. And nothing in the present is hidden from God. And it is important that it be so.
Hodge pointed out the necessity of God knowing the future perfectly quite well when he said,
If God be ignorant of how free agents will act, his knowledge must be limited, and it must be constantly increasing, which is altogether inconsistent with the true idea of his nature. His government of the world also, in that case, must be precarious, dependent, as it would then be on the unforseen conduct of men. The Church, therefore, in obedience to the Scriptures, has, almost with one voice, professed faith in God’s foreknowledge of the free acts of his creatures.” – Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Eerdman’s Publishing Company,1982 reprint, p. 400
In other words, if God did not know the future actions of all creatures perfectly then he would not truly be all knowing. His ruling of the world would simply not be sure. An unforeseen event could disrupt everything. But, we know that this is not so and can rest in the fact that God does know all things.
God’s Knowledge As We Pray
David then discusses the protection that God gives him. He links God’s intimate knowledge of himself to God’s protection. I find this interesting, but it is likely that David has other divine attributes in mind as well. I’m sure he is considering that God is both omniscient and omnipotent as he declares these words.
I do, however, understand what he is driving at. God has an intimate knowledge of me. He even knows the words I am going to say before I say them. He knows the thoughts of my heart. He knows my inner workings. He simply knows everything there is to know about me. He even knows me better than I know me. This allows God to be able to protect me in ways that no creature ever could.
This we see most clearly as we pray.
God fills heaven and earth, all things are transacted in his presence. He knows our thoughts far better than they are known to ourselves. This plenitude of divine knowledge is taken for granted in all acts of worship. We pray to a God who, we believe, knows our state and wants, who hears what we say, and who is able to meet all our necessities. Unless God were thus omniscient, He could not judge the world in righteousness. – Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology,, Eerdman’s Publishing Company,1982 reprint, p. 397
God knows everything about me before I pray. He knows my greatest longings, hurts, and fears. When I pray, I am speaking with One who knows everything there is to know about me and is able to meet my needs.
One More Thing About God’s Knowledge: He Also Knows What Might Have Been
As people, we often sit back and think about what would have happened had circumstances been different. Had I not been so stupid in High School would I be where I am today? is a question often posed by adults. I don’t know the answer to that question but apparently, God does.
In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus delivers some rather intense words for some of the cities that had rejected him. He actually tells them what would have happened had Sodom and Gomorrah gotten to hear the message and see the mighty works that had been done in their sight.
The point of this is that God also knows all things that could have possibly happened had things worked out differently.
Where Does Knowledge Of God’s Knowledge Leave Us?
God knows everything. He knows everything about me and everyone and everything else. Here are a few things to apply to our lives upon considering this mind-boggling topic.
First, let this drive you to awe, wonder, and worship. Don’t just jump to doing something. Sit there and be in awe of our Creator who knows everything. I think that we are oftentimes too quick to jump up and start doing stuff when we should be contemplating and worshiping. This is exactly what David does when he says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.” Let it take you to that same place.
Second, let this drive you to God in prayer. There is no one or nothing in all of Creation that knows more about me than God does. Let this be a comfort to you as you go to God in prayer. He knows every detail and is able to meet your needs.
Third, let this cause you to rest in God’s protection. God knows everything there is to know about me and everyone else. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He knows everything about everything which allows me to rest in him more securely.
And lastly, but not leastly. God’s knowledge of all things and all people means that God is and will be a righteous judge. All that we have ever done is revealed to him. There is nothing that is hidden. He is an all-knowing and righteous judge. Let this drive you to the salvation accomplished in Christ who came and lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and rose from the dead to bring people to God. Trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
As A.W. Pink stated,
God is omniscient. He knows everything: everything possible, everythign actual; all events and all creatures of the past, the present, and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell. “He knoweth what is in the darkness” (Dan. 2:22). Nothing escapes his notice, nothing can be hidden from him, nothing is forgotten by him. Well may we say with the Psalmist, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it” (Ps. 139:6). His knowledge is perfect. he never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13). yes, such is the God with whom “we have to do”! – A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God, Baker Books, 1975, p. 21
R. Dwain Minor
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