Experiencing God Versus Knowing God

“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” (Ex 6:3 AV)

John Gill has a good explanation of this phrase.  Factually, Israel would have known God as the immutable and eternal God who is self-existing and who honors His word.  They would have known this name and the fact of God’s nature.  What they did not know is the experience of a God who honors His covenants based on His eternal existence and His immutability.  This is exactly what would be tested here.  For over four hundred years, Israel was held in slavery.  Or at least the bulk of that time.  During that time, they would have doubted the promises made to their forefathers.  No doubt the question arose as to God’s faithfulness to His word.  Were the promises to Abraham and Isaac still in force?  Did God mean what He said to Abraham?  They know God is almighty.  They heard of it in the past.  But there never arose circumstances by which the faithfulness of God was tested.  This is what Egypt was all about.  It was meant to build faith in God’s immutable faithfulness even when circumstances may seem contrary.

I always knew my father was a teacher.  I saw him leave for work in the morning.  I saw him return at night.  I saw him grading papers or writing tests.  I saw him with textbooks open.  I saw his teacher's equipment like protractors, compasses, chalk holders, erasers, pens and pencils, pocket protectors, and a briefcase.  I saw the evidence of his profession.  I saw the pictures of his college days.  I saw his diploma.  I even saw his classroom with his name on it.  I saw his desk and his separate office.  To this day, I still dream of going to school and trying to find where his office is before he retires and I cannot see him in school any longer.  I met the principal and saw them talking.  I noted the collection of school paraphernalia he had collected over the years.  School jackets, yearbooks with his picture in them, mugs, and pens.  I saw all the evidence.  I could hear the stories of difficult students or listen to my siblings mention an incident or two while they sat under his lectures.  But until I could sit in his classroom, I would never truly know him as a teacher.  Not until I could experience that part of him, I would never truly know him as such.

The point to be made here is we may know God theologically, but we do not know Him practically.  Not until we are faced with circumstances that require a manifestation of His nature do we really begin to know Him.  This is the theologian’s burden.  He may have studied until his eyes were bloodshot.  He may have articulated before the Doctors of Divinity the finer points of exegesis, but until life happens, all they know of God are words and concepts.  They truly do not know the name of Jehovah.  Life has to happen for us to truly know God.  This means difficult times must be a part of our lives to know that God is who He claims to be.  It was unfortunate that Israel had to suffer four hundred years of slavery.  But what they learned they could learn no other way.  They learned that God is who He claims to be and there should be no further doubt.