Intimate Knowledge

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.” (Ps 139:1-3 AV)

 

This can be a disturbing thought, but it is intended to be more of a comforting one.  God sees everything and knows everything.  The word ‘acquainted’ means more than a passing knowledge or a factual knowledge.  This is illustrated by the words ‘searched’ and ‘understandest’.  The author knows there are no mysteries with God.  The suggestion is God’s knowledge is commensurate with His interest.  He is intimately knowledgeable regarding everything in our lives because He loves us intimately.  Yes, we should be concerned with God’s knowledge of our sin.  This is a common observation when reading these verses.  But the context suggests this knowledge above is one founded in grace and not judgment.  The psalmist's sentiment is one of comfort.  His faith is founded in a God who is both intimately knowledgable of him and directly involved in every aspect of his pilgrim journey.  What astounds me is despite His knowledge of me, He still desires my love and devotion.  Despite all that He knows, His Son died for me and now the Spirit draws me ever closer to the Father.

Have you ever had someone give you unsolicited advice from the perspective of love and not criticism?  Although the advice may have stung a bit, it was the intent behind it that mattered.  Even if the advice was not correct, you couldn’t help but see the heart behind those words.  I remember such a time.  At the time, my children were rather small.  They were around five years to seven years old.  My pastor and his wife did not have any children and they were told they probably would not be able to.  One Saturday morning we were meeting in his office.  I cannot remember what it was we were meeting for, but the conversation turned to child-rearing.  He made some remarks as to the areas he felt I was failing when it came to parenting my sons.  He couldn’t have been more wrong.  Having been raised by awesome parents who successfully raised eleven children, I knew a thing or two about raising kids.  Especially boys.  I come from a family of eight of them.  The observation he thought he was making may have applied if what he saw was common.  But his advice was based on very limited exposure to my filial guidance.  He thought I was acquiescing to my son's demands way too easily and that my boys were running my life than me, theirs.  If you asked my sons if their father was a pushover, they would roll their eyes or laugh.  Was I offended?  Not at all.  I saw the love in his eyes.  I heard it in his voice.  Although he was as wrong as could be, I recognized it was his concern that mattered the most.

We don’t have to worry God’s concern is misguided or ill-informed.  What He knows is one hundred percent correct. When the Lord speaks, He shares no error.  When the LORD makes an observation, His full heart is involved.  God, who can do all things, does not need to adjust His gaze from one saint to another.  He knows and notices all things and people intimately and at the same time.  He knows everything I do, think, and feel.  He knows all that can be known.  Even those things we will never know.  He knows our future just as well as our past.  He knows what can or will happen.  Even what might happen if any given set of circumstances were to come upon me.  He knows my limits.  He knows how to lead me into Christlikeness.  He knows how fickle I can be.  He knows I may think one thing one day, and the next my priorities might change.  He knows my strength and my weaknesses.  He knows my true heart’s desire.  He knows everything both actual and hypothetical concerning me.  There is nothing He cannot know.  This truth is very comforting.  This truth is the comfort of the present and the security of the future.  A God that knows me better than I could ever know myself and He does so because He desires to is too wonderful a thought!